Allow the damba to be celebrated

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The Satim Yiridema Centre for Educational Advancement wishes to express its utmost dissatifaction at the manner in which the Government and the Bawku Municipal Security Committee are handling the recent happenings in Bawku with respect to this year's Damba Festival.

As a centre dedicated to the advancement of education, we see this development as unfortunate and an afront to the democratic principles of this our great nation as well as a violation of the fundamental human rights of the Mamprusis.

As it is part of our core mandate to educate the general public on matters of grave importance, we therefore wish to make the following observations:

1. Bawku is a cosmopolitan town made of up several ethnic groups. On page seven (7) of the year 2009 brochure of the Bawku Municipal Assembly, these ethnic groups are clearly spelt out together with the festivals they celebrate. It identified Damba being the festival celebrated by the Mamprusis.

2. The Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee (BIEPC) as part of its road map to achieving sustainable peace agreed that each ethnic group be allowed to celebrate its festival.This was believed to be a conduit to peace in a town that peace has eluded for decades. It is for this reason that the Kusasis, Bisas and Bimobas celebrated their festivals i.e. Samanpiid, Zekula and Danjong repectively.

3. We therefore see the refusal of the Bawku Munical Police command to grant the Mamprusis their inalienable right to celebrate the Damba festival slated for January 29, 2014 as an act of oppresion and neo-apartheid system in a democratic country like Ghana.

4. We describe the reasons given on radio by the Divisional Police commander as flimsy and untenable. The only requirements for organizing public gatherings are those embodied in the Public Order Act and not notification to any one person.

5. The Mamprusis are and will remain royals forever. Royalty is by lineage and not by conferment. The Mamprusis in Bawku are direct decendants of the 10th Nayiri, Naa Atabia. They have lived and ruled over the Bawku area since the 13th century ad history bears testimony.

We therefore urge the Government and Security agencies to act dispassionately without any political interest and permit the Mamprusis to celebrate the Damba festival as this will be an indication of trust and good faith between the necessary parties to a lasting peace in Bawku.

Signed

Satim Saa

Director Satim Yiridema Centet for Educational Advancement Bawku 0244879678 [email protected]