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After a three-year hiatus, Ethiopian pilgrims celebrate historical ‘Timkat’ festival

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After a three-year hiatus occasioned by a devastating civil war, thousands of Ethiopians were able to descend on the northern city of Aksum to celebrate the ‘Timkat’ festival and religious holiday which will last for the next three days.

The Timkat Festival is an epiphany ceremony which celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ, and is a very popular festival in the country as majority of Ethiopians belong to the Orthodox church. The Timkat is deeply important to them.

Celebrations of the festival were paused because of the civil war in the Tigray region, but with the end of the war almost a year ago, the people will now gather in the city of Aksum, which was the site of an alleged massacre soon after the war began in November 2020, and the country’s holiest city for Orthodox Christians.

Aksum is said to be the home of the Ark of the Covenant which contains the 10 commandments handed down to Moses by God.

Aksum has also become the focus for the annual festival of St Mary, and the city is a major pilgrimage destination with people coming from all over the country and beyond.

According to a description of the festival, the Timkat is a three-day event which starts with the procession of ‘tabots’ (holy replicas of the Ark of the Covenant) to a body of water in the afternoon of the first day.

In Aksum, this body of water is called the Bath of Queen Sheeba, with the festivities going on through the night with singing, praying and burning candles and incense.

The next morning, the crowds gather again for colorful ceremonies and more prayers. After this, the tabots are paraded back to the church and the church leader blesses the pool of water.

When the priests are done, it is finally time for the annual baptism, and at this point, every participant jumps into the holy water or try to get a bit of water on their forehead from the big water sprays.

Culture

Ghana’s Afua Asantewaa begins second GWR sing-a-thon attempt

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Ghanaian singer, Afua Asantewaa, on Saturday, began her second attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest singing marathon by an individual.

The sing-a-thon which began in the early hours of Saturday, December 21, at Heroes’ Park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, will run until December 25, and will see the determined songstress perform non-stop, focusing exclusively on Ghanaian songs.

According to Asantewaa’s manager, Madam Gladys Osei Owiredu, the audacious initiative is aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Ghanaian music to a global audience.

Owiredu confirmed that preparations for the event had been extensive but expressed confidence in Asantewaa’s readiness to finally break the record.

“I can confirm that she is ready for the task ahead. It’s been challenging—by way of preparations—but I can say she is ready,” Owiredu said.

Asantewaa’s second attempt follows her first effort in December 2023, which fell short of surpassing the current record of 105 hours held by India’s Sunil Waghmare.

But despite the setback, her team remains optimistic about breaking the record this time with corporate sponsors including International Maritime Hospital, Ghana Gas, Nasco Electronics, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited rallying behind her, underscoring the importance of the attempt in amplifying the global significance of Ghanaian music.

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Ghana’s Supreme Court dismisses suit challenging anti-LGBT bill

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Ghana’s Supreme Court has dismissed two separate suits challenging the legality of one of the proposed anti-LGBT legislations awaiting assent into law by the president.

The separate suits were filed by two legal practitioners, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, challenging the bill, seeking to declare it illegal and prevent the president from signing it.

The two cases had challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

But in a ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to dismiss the legal challenges to the new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups.

The controversial bill was passed earlier this year by Ghanaian lawmakers with three years imprisonment for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups.

While dismissing the cases, presiding judge, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, who delivered the ruling on behalf of the seven-member panel, said the cases were premature.

“Until there’s presidential assent, there is no act, the two cases were “unanimously dismissed,” she said.

The ruling is the latest blow to the LGBTQ community in Ghana and paves the way for the president to sign into law what many say is one of Africa’s most restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose term in office ends on 7 January, had delayed signing it pending the outcome of the Supreme Court challenge but the judges said the case could not be reviewed until it had been signed it into law.

It expected that incoming president, John Mahama, will sign the bill into law as he had always expressed his support for the bill during his electioneering campaigns.

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