Fetu Afahye

The tradition & historical record

Fetu Afahye is a festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated on the first Saturday in September every year. It is named after the 17th Century Aboriginal Guan Fetu or Effutu kingdom located some 19 kilometers inland of Paramount chief's yam festival and is observed in the form of offering mashed yams to the gods for a successful harvest. ¹

Fetu Afahye is an annual festival celebrated by the people and chiefs of the Cape Coast Traditional Area in the Central Region of Ghana. It is observed to commemorate a bumper harvest from the sea as well as performing rituals to thank the 77 gods of Oguaa Traditional Area. ¹

The country's previous colonial administration, specifically Cape Coast, once outlawed the Fetu Afahye and referred to it as "Black Christmas" to denote that it was a bad traditional phenomenon. The Omanhen (paramount chief) at that time, who is named the Osabarimba Kodwo Mbra V, Okyeame Ekow Atta, debunked this conception as misleading. Between 1948 and 1996, the festival finally resumed after the religious struggle from various important personalities in the Oguaa Traditional Area. The festival is now used as a calendar for the farming seasons of the Oguaa Traditional Area, and this particular phenomenon is also referred to as "Afehyia," meaning "a loop of seasons." ¹

Preparation for the festival starts in the last week of August. During this period, Oguaa Traditional area receives many visitors from all walks of life, as well as people from different parts of the country or outside the country who are natives of Oguaa state. The actual celebration follows on the first Saturday of September. Prior to the actual celebration of the festival, the Omanhen is confined for a week. During this period of confinement, he meditates and asks for wisdom from the creator (Aboadze) and the ancestors, as well as seeking medical attention where necessary from his physician to enable him come out both physically and mentally fit for the impending activities, such as delivering his tasks for the success of the festival. At the end of Omanhen's confinement, he appears in public in pomp and dignity and goes to the stool house to pour libation, seeking blessing from the 77 gods of Oguaa state, who the people believe steer the affairs of Oguaa traditional area. It is also noted that before the festival, all drumming festivities and drumming sounds are banned as tradition demands, as well as fishing in the Fosu Lagoon, lying between The Government Central Hospital and stretching to a place called Aquarium, to ensure a quiet and peaceful environment. It is believed that this is done to allow the spirits of Oguaa state to take over and lead the planners of the festival. This is usually observed before 1 September. The custodians of Fosu Lagoon (Amissafo) of Oguaa Traditional Area also pour libation at the estuary of the lagoon and invoke the spirits of their ancestors to eradicate any bad omens that may befall visitors involved in the festival. The aim of pouring libation is also to call for a plumper harvest of fish and crops. ¹

The Omanhen is confined for a week prior to the actual celebration. Pouring of libation to the 77 gods All drumming festivities and drumming sounds are banned Banning on fishing in the Fosu Lagoon Observation of "Amuntumadeze", a day dedicated to the general cleaning of the towns. The climax of the event is held on the first Saturday in September. A grand ceremony is held on Sunday, when a joint service of all Christian denominations is held at Victoria Park. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Fetu Afahye”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Fetu Afahye is festival of the people in Cape Coast, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²