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Some sights and scenes from 2022 Afenorto festival
• Beautiful poet telling her story
Culture and tradition was once again at its best as the Chiefs and people of Mepe Traditional Area in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region climaxed this year’s Afenorto festival at a grand durbar last Saturday.
The 66th edition themed: “TVET Education, Our Future; Development in Peace, Our Heritage”, came with beautiful display of the people’s heritage including music, dance and other fun activities as dignitaries from far and near joined the celebrations. 
homage to Torgbe Korsi VI,
Manklalo of Mepe Traditional Area
IV, Queen Mother of
Mepe Traditional Area
Volta Regional Minister
exchanging pleasantries
with Torgbe Korsi Nego VI
came in fancy dresses
The festival, among other things, was to renew the spirit of togetherness and raise funds for development of the area.
Activities for the this year’s celebration included health screening, clean-up, inter schools gala, cultural dancing and drumming competition and procession of the Chiefs of the five clans of the area.
Dignitaries at the durbar included the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Letsa, District Chief Executive of North Tongu, Mr. Osborn Devine Fenu, and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa, among others.
Torgbe Korsi Nego VI, Manklalo of Mepe Traditional Area, highlighted the essence of TVET and appealed to the government to support development projects in the area.
Dr Letsa also appealed to the people to maintain peace and unity as the government continued to deliver on the developmental agenda for the region.
Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on his part, commended the chiefs and people for the progress made over the years and called on citizens to rally behind the traditional authority of the area.
‘Afenorto’ festival translated to mean “Period of Rest at Home” started over six decades ago and has evolved over the years but its underlying characteristics have always been maintained.
The Mepe Traditional Area/Council has five clans: Dzagbaku, Adzigo, Sevie, Gbanvie and Akorvie. Each of them is represented by unique colours and symbols together with their respective histories on how they migrated to present day Mepe.
By Spectator Reporter
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
