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Court dismisses suit against celebration of Kundum festival
• Nana Egya Kwamina XI
A Sekondi High Court last Thursday, dismissed a suit filed by a party to prevent the Apremdo Divisional Stool from celebrating its annual Kundum festival, stressing that the case was purely a chieftaincy matter.
The judgement of the court, presided over by Justice (Mrs) Hannah Taylor, has now paved the way for the Divisional Chief of Apremdo, Nana Egya Kwamina XI, also known as William Eghan, to celebrate same.
It, however, did not award any cost against the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs, Obaahema Kwandoh Kuma and Nana Nware Ezia II, had filed an injunction notice against the defendants (Kobina Burafo, William Eghan and Ernestina Brenya), seeking among others to restrain the three from celebrating the Kundum Festival, until the performance of the funeral rites of the late Chief, Nana Nyankeh Brem.
They again sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from celebrating the Kundum Festival until the determination of an appeal pending before the Western Regional House of Chiefs at Sekondi.
Plaintiffs claimed that, in accordance with the custom and tradition of the people of Apremdo, the defendants could not celebrate the Kundum festival without having in their possession, the Royal Black Stool, and without performing the funeral rites of the late Chief.
They further pleaded that the 1st and 3rd defendants, contrary to the Apremdo customary practices, installed the 2nd and 3rd defendants as the new Chief and Queenmother of Apremdo respectively.
However, the 1st and 2nd defendants denied the claims of the plaintiffs as being a Queenmother and Regent of Apremdo, contending that, by a decision of the Judicial Committee, the plaintiffs were not the Queenmother and Regent of Apremdo and, therefore, had no capacity to initiate the action.
Additionally, they argued that they were lawfully nominated, elected, confined and installed as the Chief and Queenmother of Apremdo, in accordance with the customs and traditions and duly gazetted with stool names, Nana Egya Kwamina XI and Nana Mozu respectively.
In her ruling, Justice Taylor said “Having considered the claims of the plaintiffs and the evidence largely, the case is a disguised cause or matter affecting chieftaincy and the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs are hereby dismissed. The third defendant’s counter claim is also dismissed.”
She again ruled that, “the plaintiff’s failure to call the custodian of customs and traditions of Ahanta land as to who sets the timetable and restrictions thereto of the celebration of the Kundum festival leads to the conclusion that they failed to discharge the burden so placed on them.”
The judge added that, “the reliefs sought by plaintiffs are so linked to the possession of the black stool which is key to the installation of a chief and that they contended in this case that, same is in their possession.”
The judge also referred to Obaahemaa Kwandoh Kuma’s answer to a question on whether William Eghan’s name had been entered in the register of Western Regional House of Chief as Divisional Chief of Apremdo with stool name Nana Egya Kwamina XI and admitted that the case had not been determined yet as no court had set the gazette publication aside.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Sekondi
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
