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Ethiopians commemorate baptism of Jesus with “Timket” celebration

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Celebrating Epiphany, also known as Timket, a religious celebration honouring Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, thousands of Ethiopian Orthodox Christian followers flocked to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Friday and Saturday.

Timkat, an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian festival, is celebrated on January 19 and 20 each year. Drawing in tourists, Timkat is a true religious event with lots of colour, singing, drumming, and splashing.

The yearly celebration is acknowledged by UNESCO as a significant piece of intangible cultural heritage. Followers marched from churches to Jan Meda, an open space in the city, as priests carried tabots, sacred tents that resembled the Ark of the Covenant, one of the oldest churches in the world.

Priests splashed holy water and scattered incense as youths sprinted ahead of the tabots to drape a street in crimson carpets as a sign of respect. The students sang hymns during the ceremony. In front of the tabots, the devout dressed in white traditional garments chanted, sang, and bowed.

Abune Mathias, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, emphasised the day’s significance and symbolism during the meeting on Saturday and urged forgiveness, harmony, and peace. Additionally, he exhorted Ethiopia’s authorities to work towards and promote peace.

“At the moment, our fellow citizens—children, elderly, mothers, and sisters—are waiting to die because of hunger. Our Christian faith will be in question if we keep quiet,” he said.

Although fighting between local militias and government forces started a few days before the celebration,. Violence in the Amhara region caused disruptions in some locations. The second-biggest city in the Amhara, Gondar, typically draws large crowds during the Timket festival.

Gondar is said to be the ideal location for Timkat celebrations, since the events climax in a bustling and vibrant afternoon recreation of the first baptism at the water-filled, 17th-century Fasil’s Pool.

Numerous colourful and intriguing festivals, most but not all of which have their roots in the Orthodox Christian Church, are part of the Ethiopian calendar. Others honour conflicts, warriors, and occasionally the overthrow of regimes.

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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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