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United we stand… Beautiful scenes at Hogbestosto festival
Togbui Sri III
If there was a time in history to be proud of being a Ghanaian, it was at this year’s Hogbetsotso festival last Saturday at Anloga in the Volta Region.
Although hundreds of sons and daughters of the Anlo State converged on the Hogbe Park to celebrate the traditional festival of the Anlo people, it became a beautiful ‘inter-tribe’ festival as it was graced by leaders of two powerful ethnic groups namely; the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II with their entourage.
The festival which was the climax of a week-long activities was chaired by Ga Mantse King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II and it was also the first time an Asante King graced the festival with his entourage from Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
The 60th anniversary of festival which was hosted by Torgbi Sri III was on the theme: “Uniting for Development, Sustaining our Unique Cultural Commonwealth for Future Generations”.
Being the first since the coronavirus pandemic, the occasion further graced by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who pleaded with Ghanaians to bear with the government as it took steps to turn around the economic fortunes of the country.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also asked for unity between the Anlos and the Asantes and urged them to dismiss the perceived rift between the two stressing groups hinting that the relationship between the Anlos and the Asantes dated back to the 1700s.
Togbi Sri III, in his remarks said Asantes and Anlos had always been good neighbours and collaborated in the past and should reignite that relationship that existed between the two groups over centuries.
From a distance, the Hogbe Park was a sea of colourful kente cloths and ornaments as chiefs from the 36 communities of the Anlo State displayed their rich culture and journey to their present day location, as well as food, among other unique traits.
The festival which recounts the escape of the Anlos from Notsie in present day Togo serves as a convergence ground for the Anlo people, home and abroad, for the development of the 36 states of the area.
By Spectator Reporter
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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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