Accra: The La Traditional Council has launched the 2025 Homowo Festival with a call for peace and good neighbourliness to advance development. This year’s celebration is on the theme: ‘Respect for All: The Foundation for a Stronger Society’ and will be held from Monday, August 11 to Saturday, September 6, 2025.

According to Ghana News Agency, activities for the festival include a homecoming float, street carnival, health screening, educational quiz, as well as Kpaalamo (the cultural songs of the festival) and kpokpoi cooking competitions, featuring the special maize dish. Traditional rituals will be conducted in preparation for and after the main festival. A ban will also be placed on drumming and noisemaking in La and communities under the Traditional Council prior to the celebrations.

Nii Adjei Kofeh IV, La Shikitele, emphasized during the launch that the celebration would showcase the rich cultural values and traditional practices of the La people. He encouraged residents to maintain peace and respect for one another, highlighting this as the foundation for a better and prosperous society. ‘Let all of us comport ourselves and celebrate these festivities peacefully as we have always done,’ he stated, urging the community to exhibit the beautiful traditions and customs of the La people to the world.

Mr. Jefferey Tetteh, Secretary to the La Homowo Planning Committee, mentioned that the festivities are open to businesses and investors interested in participating in the side attractions. He expressed optimism about boosting the tourism and economic potential of the area through this year’s celebrations.

The Homowo Festival, an annual event of the Ga people, has been celebrated over the years with vibrant displays. Homowo, meaning hooting at hunger, marks the bumper harvest following a prolonged famine due to drought experienced by the ancestors during their exodus from Israel to their current settlement, with connections to Ile Ife, the ancestral home of the Yorubas of Nigeria. The festival involves various traditional rituals, including the planting of maize, a period of quietude, a grand procession, traditional music and dance, and the sharing of the special maize dish, kpokpoi. It is celebrated by the people of Ga Mashie, Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, Tema, Ningo, and Prampram, between May and September each year.