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Funeral jams, cause of teenage pregnancy …Chief calls for ban
● Some girls are unable to identify the men who got them pregnant
The Chief of Kulpieniin the Nadowli Kaleo District of the Upper West Region, NaaKunzozolomaDanlaabu I has said that funeral jams popularly known as “dance” was the cause of teenage pregnancies and promiscuity among young people in the area.
He explained that the jams mostly took place funerals in the various communities where huge speakers were mounted to amplify songs played by disc jockeys from the evening of the last day of the funeral after the mourners had left, till mid night or dawn of the next day.
He said many of the teenagers moved from one community to the other to attend such events where they danced their hearts out, mingled with the opposite sex and indulged in excessive drinking of alcohol led to sexual immorality and its concomitant pregnancies.
The chief stated this during a meeting on Sexual and Gender-based Violence at Kpaala community in the Kulpieni Electoral Area by the Department of Gender with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
NaaDanlaabu I who was worried about the issue said there was the need to ban those jams in the area but that would need the consensus of all chiefs in the communities to ensure that it was bound in all areas to prevent the young from moving from one area to the other in search of where the dance was taking place.
“During the main funerals, we hardly see young people around but when it is time for the dance, you see them everywhere around; they even bring new people from other areas on board”, he said.
He stated that when the music began to play, the young ones behaved like they were plugged to a source of electrical power and danced till they were worn out whilst others drank liquor or smoked.
The Chief stated that some of the teenagers had information about where the next funeral dance was taking place and moved to that area even when it was out of their jurisdiction and said they prepared adequately for such events in order to meet new partners to hook up with.
“It is not surprising, therefore, that we have so many teenage pregnancy cases in the area and some of the girls are not even able to identify the men that got them pregnant; we need to push for sexual responsibility among our youth and if it means regulating such funeral activities, we will”, he stressed.
He called for a consensus building between himself and the other chiefs on how to adequately ban funeral jams in and around the traditional area to prevent the youth from patronising the event in areas where it had not been banned.
Adding her voice, the Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Ms Charity Batuurecharged the chiefs to engage in a meaningful dialogue on the issue to know how best they could deal with the menace.
She explained that it was necessary for the parents to protect their children, particularly females from ruffians who would impregnate them and abandon them or cause them to get married early when they were not ready.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Kpaala
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
