Denu: Basic students from various schools in the Som¨ Fugo circuits within the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region have celebrated the 49th Som¨tutuza with grand style. The durbar, which primarily took place at the Denu Chicago Basic School Park in the municipality, was designed to be the curtain raiser, leading up to the main durbar expected to take place on Saturday, September 27, at Agbozume Some National Park.
According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Martha Nukegbe, the Chairperson of the ceremony, commended participating students, tutors, and parents for adorning children in their valuable kente clothes and traditional beads that showcased the rich culture of the Som¨ Traditional Area and the Eweland at large. She highlighted that the Som¨tutuza or Som¨ Festival is a two-week cultural event deeply rooted in the Som¨ Traditional Area, Volta Region, having originated in 1976 under Torgbui Hotor II.
Madam Nukegbe emphasized that culture describes identity and the way a group of people in a community behaves, urging students and the people of the Som¨ traditional area to preserve the cultural roots for the next generation. She noted that Som¨tutuza reflects on the efforts of the forefathers and their cultural traditions, which need to be inculcated into the younger generations to blend cultural pride with community engagement for a brighter future.
Torgbui Geli, the Festival Central Planning Committee Chairman, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, described the event as promising and paving the way for the upcoming mega Som¨ Wego students' durbar. He stated that the children's festival, which precedes the main Som¨tutuza festival, is designed to teach the younger generation the culture of the Som¨ traditional area to replicate the cultural displays of the area.
Mr. Prosper Mensah, the Headteacher of Denu Chicago Basic School, expressed gratitude to Torgbuiga Adama III, Makorsor, and President of the Som¨ Traditional Council, for choosing the school to host the Som¨ Fugo students' durbar. He also appealed to the government, stakeholders, philanthropists, groups of companies, and individuals to help solve pressing challenges of the school, such as completing a three-unit classroom block started by the school's PTA over five years ago, which remains unfinished due to financial problems.
Ghana News Agency also observed that a total of eight basic schools participated in the ceremony: Agavedzi Basic, Adina Number 1 Basic, Adina Number 2 Basic, Tettekope Basic, Adafienu R/C Basic, Adafienu E.P Basic, Denu R/C Basic, and host Denu Chicago Basic School. The ceremony was marked with activities such as drumming, dancing, poetry recitals, and dramas, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the traditional area.