KoKMA holds Homowo quiz competition to revive Ga language

The Korle Klotey Municipal Assembly(KoKMA) with support from Osu Traditional Council has, organised Homowo quiz competition for the youth within the Municipality to revive the Ga Language.

The quiz competition was to test the youth on the Ga Adangbe culture which is their way of life, customs, which involves the practices and values, and what Ga Adangbe's stood for.

Competing areas included; Osu Anorhor, Osu Adjabeng, Osu kinka We, Ashante blohum, and Tudu.

The quiz competition went for four rounds in which the first round involved questions on Creation, the second was on Naming ceremonies, the third on marriage and funeral rites, and the fourth on the history behind the Homowo festival celebration and spellings in Ga.

Ashante Blohum was Adjudged winner of the competition, followed by Osu Adjabeng for the second position and Osu kinka We placed third.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr. Erasmus Nii Adotey Xertu, the Homowo committee chairman said, the quiz competition had been in existence for five years but was not under the Municipal Assembly.

He said, “due to the diminishing of the Ga language, I engaged children below 18 from schools to partake in the contest and then continue to churches to revive the language and its values”.

Mr. Xertu said the quiz competition was done on a Saturday before Osu community celebrates its Howomo festival on Tuesday, indicating the beginning of the celebration.

He said, during this year’s Homowo launch at the Municipal Assembly, Hon. Nii Adjei Tawiah, Municipal Chief Executive also laid emphasis on the same issue, thus, supported the Homowo quiz competition.

"The Assembly took the task to hold its 1st edition of the Homowo quiz competition to educate the Ga Adangbe on the need of Homowo."

He emphasised that Homowo festival was to shame hunger, thus, not fetish. "There was hunger years back, they had maize which was planted and grew in abundance, and the traditional food “Kpokpoi” was from maize and that made the preparation of the food every year with Palm nut soup to mark the celebration."

Madam Roberta Plange, Head of Cultural Troop told the GNA that, due to the cosmopolitan nature of Greater Accra, every tribe here was part of the Ga Adangbe losing its language due to Ga’s adopting other languages and cultures.

She continued that, the idea behind the quiz was to reap up the interest and embrace the language and all that comes with it.

Madam Plange said, Language identifies a group of people or societies, so the danger of losing a language was very serious.

Each of the contestants won a silver medal whilst the first won a Gold medal, a cash prize with a cup while the second won a bronze with a cash prize too. They showed appreciation because they believed they tried their best and hope for a better result next year.