The Chief of Awiaso in the Ellembelle District, Nana Ekpanyi Armoo II, has stressed called for unity among traditional rulers, politicians and people of Nzema descent to unite to spearhead the rapid development of Nzemaland.
He said the lack of unity among traditional rulers, political actors and indigenes of Nzema was a major setback to the development of the area. Nana Ekoanyii Armoo II was speaking at an event at Awiaso dubbed, “Nzema Has Risen In need of One Voice.”
The occasion also highlighted the alarming rate at which the Nzema language and culture was gradually being eroded and the urgent appeal for cultural renaissance. Earlier, the residents went on a brass band music procession from the Base in Aiyinasi on the Elubo-Takoradi highway and the principal streets of Awiaso.
The event was attended by traditional rulers, politicians, coalition of Concerned Nzema People, the Egila Youth Association, Jomoro Youth Association, ‘Nzema Koyele Eku’, Nzemas from the diaspora, security agencies, musicians, talented kids in the Nzema area and the media. Nana Akpanyii Armoo II reminded the chiefs , politicians and the people that unless they buried their differences and forged ahead in unity, the development of Nzemaland would continue to stagnate.
He noted that sharp divisions among the chiefs and people of Nzema had contributed to under-development of the area. The Nzema Chief in Kumasi, Nana Osei Tutu Prempeh, asked traditional rulers to settle Chieftaincy and land disputes among them and unite so that they could speak with one voice and fight for more development to the Nzema area.
He observed that the lack of unity among the leadership of Nzema had set the clock of development in Nzema backwards. Nana Osei Tutu Prempeh said Nzemas in Kumasi were united and called on chiefs,Paramount chiefs, political actors,religious leaders and indigenes of Nzema to smoke the peace pipe and foster unity in the interest of Nzemamanle.
In an elegant poetic rendition of the history, tradition and the kind of communal life which bonded Nzemas together in the past, the host of “Ka Nzema Ne Anwo Bie (Be Concerned About Nzema) programme on West-End Radio at Ambainu,Madam Faustina Akuba Mensah sounded the clarion call for Nzemas of all descent to look back and revive the rich cultural past of the chiefs and people of Nzema.
She said Nzema was united and fortified during the era of their forebears hence, aliens dreaded to invade their frontiers making them a unique tribe. An Nzema Resident abroad Queen Elizabeth Musualee, one of the organizers of the event, called on all and sundry to push the Nzema agenda of unity, peace and progress. She decried the current state of division, disputes and greed, which continued to be the bane of development in the Nzema area.
Queen Musualee appealed to indigenes of Nzema to go back and learn from history and allow the sense of belonging to guide them. The Mrantehene ( Youth Chief) of the Nzemaland to La Cote D’Ivoire, Nana Kaku Anyimiah I, said the youth were tired of the fight, misunderstandings, disputes and litigations between traditional rulers in the Nzema area. He called on all stakeholders in Nzema to smoke the peace pipe and foster unity to propel the rapid development of the Nzema area.
Nana Kaku Anyimiah I outlined a number of social interventions earmarked for 2025 such as the institution of a Science and Maths and Cultural quiz competition for school children in second cycle schools in the Nzema area to test their verbal and quantitative aptitude. An Education Endowment Fund is also in the pipeline to assist needy but brilliant students.
The Chief of Aloakpoke, Nana Dehele VIII, who chaired the function , reiterated the urgent need to revive the Nzema culture, especially the Nzema language among indigenes. He advised all Nzemas home and abroad to encourage their children to speak the Nzema language wherever they found themselves.
Source: GNA
