The Soe community in the Bongo District celebrated its 64th annual Kisi Harvest and Thanksgiving Festival on Saturday, combining prayers of gratitude for a bountiful harvest with an appeal for funds to build a new church.
Held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, the festival centers on offering newly harvested millet. It serves as a time for prayer, unity and seeking blessings for the coming farming season.
“This is a special day set aside to thank God Almighty for His blessings and for the good harvest,” said Victor Akakuli, catechist of St. Joseph Catholic Church and the main celebrant of the festival Mass. “As His followers, we must show gratitude.”
The event also functions as a key fundraiser. Church leaders said the current structure cannot accommodate the growing congregation.
Planning Committee Chairman Moses Amooro Ayisoba said the festival transcends religious lines. “Kisi is not only for Catholics; it brings the entire community together,” he said.
He appealed to the government, nongovernmental organizations, political leaders and individuals to help raise 80,000 Ghanaian cedis (about $5,200) for a new building.
“The current structure is weak and too small,” Ayisoba said. He also urged youth to be disciplined and avoid reckless motorbike riding.
Church member Apomuta Ayamga highlighted the church’s social role. “The church has contributed immensely to the education, health and spiritual growth of our youth,” she said, while appealing for support to complete the construction.
This year’s celebration was themed on a Bible verse from the Book of Haggai: “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.”
The festival concluded with singing, dancing and communal feasting, underscoring its dual role as a thanksgiving ceremony and a unifying force in the Soe community.
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Moses Anaba Azubire | Bongo
