The Planning Committee for this year’s Feok festival in the Builsa Traditional Area in the Upper East Region says it has put in place plans to have a successful celebration.
The Feok festival is celebrated annually by the Chiefs and People of Buluk in Sandema and its environs in the Upper East Region.
Nab Francis Akanbegmi Asangalisa II, the Chairman of the Committee, who is also the Chief of Chuchuliga, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at his palace, in the Builsa North Municipality that, “All measures are put in place to ensure a grand celebration of this year’s Feok festival.”
This year’s celebration, which comes off on December 16, would be on the theme: “Sustainability of Economic Trees, Way Forward to Development in Buluk.”
The Committee Chairman said the Chiefs and People of Buluk, government officials, sons and daughters of the area in Ghana and across the globe, were expected to grace the occasion, which would be characterised by a rich display of Buluk culture and tradition.
The Chairman said the annual festival afforded the people of Buluk the opportunity to show appreciation to their forefathers who fought slave raiders years ago.
“But for our forefathers’ intervention and protection, the slave raiders would have conveyed most of the Builsa people away and so we deem it necessary to show appropriation to our forefathers,” he said.
Nab Asangalisa II indicated that apart from the occasion being used to appreciate their forefathers, it also allows them to offer sacrifices to God through their ancestors for protection, good health and peace in Buluk throughout the year.
War dancers from various communities in Buluk, armed with bows and arrows, short axes, shields and spears would compete for the best bow and arrow shooter to be selected prior to the grand durbar.
There would also be merry-making to foster peace and unity among the people, the Chief said.
He said there would be football matches and other activities of interest to the youth in order to bring them on board, to develop their interest to learn their culture and tradition as was handed over to them by their forefathers.
Touching on the theme of the celebration, Nab Asangalisa II said the Planning Committee had acquired seedlings of various economic trees, including shea nuts, baobab, dawadawa among others from the Forestry Commission which would be planted by Chiefs in the area to promote and sustain economic trees in Buluk.
He said the festival would be used to discourage the felling of trees, especially economic ones in the Builsa Traditional Area, and urged residents to plant more of such trees to generate income for them, especially women and improve the vegetation cover of the area.
Nab Asangalisa II admonished residents in the area, especially the youth of Buluk not to engage in activities such as alcoholism, that could mar the celebration,
Equally, he appealed to sellers of alcohol to minimise the sale of alcohol on the day of the festival.
“We cannot say don’t sell, but we want to appeal to both sellers and buyers to exercise restraint so that we would have a very memorable Feok festival,” Nab Asangalisa II said.
Some youth in Sandema, the Builsa North Municipal capital, expressed their excitement to the GNA about the much-awaited festival as they anticipate being entertained by various cultural displays from the communities.
Mr David Abaniisa Akumka, a native of Buluk, said even though they had witnessed several Feok festivals, the annual event reminded them as a youth of the area, about their culture and struggle of their forefathers to protect them from slave raiders.
Source: GNA
