Daagaba-Frafra games start Sept. 5

This year’s annual Dagaaba-Frafra friendly games will take place on September 5 to 6 at the El-Wak Sports Stadium – marking the 20th year since the games were instituted.

The Dagaaba and Frafra are two ethnic groups located in the Upper West and Upper East Regions of Ghana, respectively. These two ethnic groups have a tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation that is unique.

This tradition makes these two groups playmates and makes them jokingly call each other ‘slave’. In order to maintain this tradition of peaceful co-existence and carry it beyond mere jokes, members of the two ethnic groups within the Accra-Tema metropolis decided to formalize this relationship into an annual fun football match in 1995, and this has now developed into the annual Dagaaba-Frafra Friendly Games.

It has also become an avenue of cultural exposition of the two ethnic groups, attracting all manner of people from businessmen and entrepreneurs, political figures, chiefs, legislators, and top civil and public servants from both regions and nearby communities

The first day of the games will see activities such as volleyball (both men and women), sack race, women football, tug of peace, men’s football (Juniors), among others. On the second day, there will be food bazaar, cultural display, and senior citizens’ football (men).

President John Dramani Mahama is the Special Guest of Honour and the special guest is the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mustapha Ahmed. Other invited guests include the Members of Parliament, Ministers of State, senior citizens and notable personalities from both communities.

There will be awards for the deserving winners of each discipline and the overall winner will take home a special trophy ‘the puppy’.

The co-chairpersons, Naa Angsoleh Ganaall (Mr Peter Nanfuri), Mr Richard Kuure, B. T. Baba, MP, Mr E. A. Atenga and the Joint Planning Committee (JPC) have been working hard to make this year’s event the most exciting ever for families and friends from the two traditional areas.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the two-day event to socialize, entertain, network, fraternize, maintain and to build on the bond of the traditional relationship that exist among the two groups.