Eastern Region

A beautiful 'dipo' maiden

Do you know the power house of our dear Motherland? Well that is me, the ever rich Eastern Region. Without me the entire nation will be in darkness and everything will grind to a halt.

I'm sure you remember when the water level in the Akosombo Dam went so low that we had power outages in the whole of the country. So without the Akosombo Dam which lies in my bosom where will everyone be during the day or at night?

And as children, the dam site is a favourite excursion destination for most of you, therefore, if anyone among you hasn’t paid a visit yet to “My Akosombo Dam” as former President Nkrumah put it years ago, I encourage you to do so. You will learn a lot about the dam and also enjoy some shrimps, ‘one mouth thousand’ and abodoo on your way to Akosombo. Don't forget to use the Adomi Bridge and also cruise on the Dodi Princess

I, the Eastern Region am rich in natural beauty with a landscape of rivers, great lakes and traditional culture. I am also covered in thick vegetation, with very rich soil for farming. That is why the main occupation of my people is farming.

Tetteh Quarshie, who brought cocoa to Ghana, established the first cocoa farm in Ghana at Mampong-Akuapem in 1879.

I share boundaries on the north with the Brong-Ahafo and Ashanti regions, the east with the Volta Region, the west with the Central Region and on the south with the Greater Accra Region.

My capital is Koforidua. Although Akans, such as Akyems, Kwahus, Akwapims and Akwamus live here, I also have non-Akan ethnic groups such as the Krobos within.

Twi is the main language spoken here, even though each ethnic group has its own distinct dialect.

I bring forth very beautiful ladies and that is why they are described as 'Koforidua flowers' by everyone.

It is one part of Ghana where you actually feel and understand the justification of Africa's friendliest people. We always have a smile for all.

Unlike children in Accra who are always glued to TV sets or engaged in computer games in their leisure time, my children go in search of snails and crabs and play games such as ‘kwane kwane’ (hide and seek) and ‘anto ankyire’ (drop Peter, drop Peter). When you travel along the major roads you would find children displaying crabs and snails for sale.

Children born in this region are named according to the days of the week that they are born, so you hear names such as Kwame, Kofi, Adwoa, Ama, among the Akans and with the Krobo’s Awisi, Adjo and Kwabla. But they also have perculiar names such as Nuerki, Matekuor etc.

The favourite foods among my people are ampesi, fufu and light or palm nut soup with snails, which the Akwapims call “mmekwan ne nnwaw”. For the Kwahus, the bat (apai) is a delicacy, while some Akyems prefer dog meat, conveniently referred to as ‘aponkye kokoo’ to deceive those who are new to the area.

If you are a naughty or disrespectful child don’t forget that you will be disciplined by the Akwapims who are noted for their strict sense of discipline and obedience.

Popular chiefs in the Eastern Region are the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin; the Okuapimhene, Oseadeayo Addo Dankwa III; the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Professor Oti Boateng and Nene Sackitey II, Paramont Chief of Manya Krobo.

Ever heard of the popular Aburi Botanical Gardens that attracts a good number of visitors throughout the year? The biggest tree in Ghana situated in Oda? The magnificent Boti Falls in the Manya Krobo District? All these can be found in my region.

The Akosombo Dam has created the biggest artificial lake in Ghana, the Volta Lake. Do you know that beyond the Volta Lake is the Afram Plains, also described as the bread basket of Ghana? If you want to travel to the plains, you have to go on a pontoon which shuttles between the plains and Kpando, in the Volta Reigion.

When it comes to cultural values, I have the most elaborate puberty rites in Ghana which has stood the test of time. It is the Dipo by the people of Krobo. Girls should be virgins before they can go through the rites. If it is discovered that a girl has broken her virginity before the rites, she brings shame on her family and her parents pay large sums of money, in addition to going through certain purification rites.

After the rites, there is a period of merrymaking, where the girls are adorned with beads and go to the market centres where people present them with gifts. As a result, girls are brought up to honour themselves and their families by staying virgins.

My festivals are notably the Odwira celebrated by the Akwapims in September, the Ohum by the Akyems in July and September and the Ngmayem festival celebrated in October by the Krobo. The Kwahus celebrate afahye and have also ‘commandeered’ the Christian festival, Easter as an annual festival which draws people from far and near to the Kwahu Ridge. I hope to see you in Kwahu this Easter so that we can all paraglide over the Kwahu Scarp.

Let me focus on the Ohum. It is the Tafohene who determines the time for the festival. He does this by going to the sacred grove to pull a frond from the middle of a palm tree without much effort. If he is able to get the frond out, it signifies that it is time for the festival.

Then a ban is placed on noise-making for two weeks, during which funerals and other social gatherings are banned. The ban ends on a Tuesday, which is the day for the festival.

That morning, the young, as well as the old, present firewood to the chief. In homes where there are stools, the traditional ‘Oto’(mashed yam and palm oil) is prepared for the stools, the ancestors and the gods. The festival brings together all natives of the land amidst merry-making.

I believe you would like to read more about this but there is a saying, “Seeing is believing.” Therefore, take an educational trip to my region and discover all the beautiful sites.

Catch you next week with another exciting piece from the Northern Region.