The just ended Homowo celebrations within the Ga traditional area ended about a week ago. But many have been left in awe at the pomp and pageantry that greeted the three-week long celebration in the Ledzokuku constituency.
The Ledzokuku area is predominantly occupied by the Teshie people who are deeply grounded in their traditional values. The Homowo festival, an annual ritual, is a highly anticipated festival serving varying purposes to the people of Teshie. This event is celebrated annually between the months of August and September by the members of the Ga Traditional enclave comprising the Ga Mashie, Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, Sakumono and Dodowa.
This year, attention was centred on Teshie because of one man, the MP. The man who has become the people’s man, nicknamed the “action man”, and with many others identifying him as the “grounds man”. The MP is one who identifies with his people on the very things that they hold dear (Homowo). His constituents think he emerged at the right moment. They believe, he is a blessing to them. This year the people’s man was did not fall short of his eminence, he rose gallantly to his duties during the Homowo festivities in Teshie.
As a man of action, as he is often referred to, the MP who is not one to depend on the government for infrastructural development deployed his own earth moving equipment in fixing the bad road network within the Ledzokuku constituency. He donned his boots and gear to supervise the project personally. Although this may appear ordinary, the question to ask would be how many MPs have constructed roads with their own personal funds?
In the sphere of donations, every tom, dick and harry benefited from the action man. Donations included bags of maize, assorted drinks, water, palm oil and money to the Teshie Traditional councils and the Five Quarters of Teshie (Agbawe, Lenshie, Klemusum, and Gbugbla). Soccer entusiasts were not left out of the donations, with sets of customized jerseys, football boots, gloves and first aid kits supplied to all teams within the district. Indeed, the grounds man has got some grounds covered.
On the day of the grand durbar of chiefs and people, contrary to what many politicians do -taking swipes at predecessors- the action man delivered a rallying address to his people. He encouraged the youth to be optimistic and look forward to the many plans he has for them, some he has already started delivering.
If the Homowo was an exams, then Benjamin Ayiku Nartey, the MP for Ledzokuku would have scored an A+.
