Connect with us

Culture

Togolese Guin tribe marks new year with Sacred Stone ceremony

Published

on

The Guin tribe of Togo on Thursday relived its ancient tradition with the annual Epé-Ekpé festival which ushers in the new year with its Sacred Stone ceremony.

The annual event, which takes place between late August and early September in Glidji, south-east Togo, saw thousands of the Guin people from home and abroad gathering to celebrate the festival.

The Guin people, who migrated from Ghana in the late XVIIth century, turned out wearing white clothes during the Epé-Ekpé festival otherwise called the Ekpé-sosso or the taking of the stone ceremony.

Speaking on the uniqueness of the festival, the Togbé (the traditional priest) said:

“It’s our new year, we ask peace and prosperity and our ancestors always grant us what we pray for. The blessing then rests upon the whole world, not only here in Togo.”

According to the Togbé, this year is the 361st edition of the ceremony which has a purification aspect, and it is still very close to the heart of the participants.

“Every year we hold this ceremony. The sacred stone was passed down to us from our ancestors. To us, it is a blessing, it is our strength. We must keep the tradition alive.”

Explaining further, he said the ceremony of the taking of the stone starts with a procession of priestess and priests. Songs and dances accompany the walk creating a festive and prayerful ambiance.

“The most anticipated moment is when the priest comes out of the forest with the sacred stone. There are stone with different colours which are interpreted as a message from the ancestors. This year’s stone is whitish, a good omen.”

A Guin native and journalist, Bruno Mensah also lent his voice to the unique festival.

“The stone sends a message, it urges us to unite and to forgive each other.

“It is very important to come to this sanctuary. This is our Mecca, our Rome, our Wailing Wall. As other people go on pilgrimage there, this is our pilgrimage site.”

A traditional priestess, Miano Edwige, also spoke on the traditional festival.

“Young women must refrain from any form of abortion. We must pay our debts and mostly cultivate a spirit of forgiveness.

“Tradition and spirituality meet whenever the Guin celebrate their new Year. The ceremony of the taking of the stone here in Glidji is more than a ritual, it is a moment of vibrant communion and reunion for the Guin people, and for the Togolese at large.”

Culture

SA rapper Khuli Chana to pay special tribute to AKA at the DSTV Delicious Festival

Published

on

South African rapper, Khuli Chana, has revealed that he will pay tribute to his friend and mentor, the late Kiernan Forbes, also known as AKA, who was shot dead outside a restaurant in Kwazulu-Natal on February 10, 2023.

The ‘Motswako” hit maker disclosed that he plans to pay tribute to AKA at the upcoming DSTV Delicious International Food & Music Festival which will take place on September 21.

Chana said he will honour the life and legacy of AKA who was known for hits like “Fela in Versace” and “All Eyes on Me”, and was recognised worldwide for his impact on hip-hop in Africa.

Chana who shared the news on his Instagram page wrote:

“It is an honour to rock the @dstvdeliciousfestival stage in celebration of the life SUPA Mega @akaworldwide on 21st of September. It is gonna be EPIC!”

He accompanied the post with a video in which he said:

“I’ll be running, Jozi. I have been so patient. I am trying to keep my composure. I’ll be going on the super mega level.”

He also shared his excitement about the festival asking people to be at their best. “Bring that best energy, best behaviour, great company.”

Chana and AKA shared a long history of collaboration and had worked together on several singles before their 2015 hit ‘Baddest’, which also featured Yanga and Nigerian Afrobeat sensation, Burna Boy. They had also collaborated for ‘Prada’ which was release in 2023.

According to the organizers, this year DStv Delicious Festival will be celebrating 30 years of Creative Freedom in South Africa and will unite people of all cultures and backgrounds through the enjoyment of music, art, fashion, and great food.

Continue Reading

Culture

Miss Universe Nigeria Chidimma Adetshina to undergo therapy over xenophobic abuse

Published

on

Chidimma Adetshina who became Miss Universe Nigeria only on Saturday has revealed that she would be undergoing therapy following the xenophobic abuse she received in South Africa as a result of her nationality despite being born in the country.

Adetshina who was a finalist in the Miss South Africa beauty contest, sparked criticism as despite being a South African citizen, because her father is Nigerian and her mother has Mozambican roots and came in for severe xenophobic attacks by South Africans and became the subject of a government investigation.

The controversy reached its peak when SA Home Affairs department announced that her mother may have committed “identity theft” to become a South African national.

In the heat of the saga, she withdrew from the South African pageant and was invited to participate in the Miss Universe Nigeria where won the contest.

After the Nigerian pageant, the new beauty queen made her intentions known in an interview with BBC Africa, saying she will be seeking therapy because of the saga.

Speaking on how she had been “suppressing her emotions” throughout the controversy, Adetshina said:

“It’s just not a nice feeling, I think I’ve been avoiding it a lot and only now it’s started to cloud me.

“It’s something I will work on and see a therapist because I feel like I have been suppressing my emotions… because what has happened… it wasn’t a minor thing, it was actually really major.”

Adetshina who was born in the South African township of Soweto, she could not comment on the South African government’s ongoing investigation into her nationality, as it was a “legal matter”.

“Even though it was a rough path for you, you really stepped up, I think I really give myself that title of a strong black African woman,” the 23-year-old law student said.

Commenting on the contest which she joined in its later stage amid disaffection from other contestants who had gone through various stages, she said:

“I do get where people are coming from, but at the end of the day, I also had my own journey, I had my fair share of going through the process.

“There might have been a slight difference, but I feel like I also went through the journey that they went through.

“I still see myself proudly South African… I still see myself proudly Nigerian,” she concluded.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

VenturesNow16 mins ago

Nigeria’s ARN Foods partners Canada’s AGI Miltec for rice milling plants

One of Nigeria’s commodities trading organisations, A.R.N Foods, is making the move into rice milling and production. To process high-quality...

Metro23 mins ago

‘I took hard decisions for Nigeria’s development’, Tinubu tells China-based Nigerians

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reiterated that the decisions he has taken since he became the Nigerian leader last...

Politics16 hours ago

Tunisia: Presidential contender Zammel remains in detention despite being legally discharged

After being arrested on Monday, and his release ordered by a judge on Thursday, Tunisian presidential contender, Ayachi Zammel, remained...

Metro16 hours ago

Kenya experiences second major blackout in weeks

Although 70% of consumers had their electricity restored by late afternoon, Kenya experienced its second significant blackout in as many...

Musings From Abroad18 hours ago

UN indicts warring parties in Sudan, calls for peacekeepers

A United Nations-mandated panel stated on Friday that both sides in Sudan’s civil war had engaged in acts that may...

VenturesNow18 hours ago

Zimbabwe looks to private companies to increase rail freight volumes

To increase freight volumes that had fallen as a result of decades of underinvestment, Zimbabwe’s state-owned railway operator has opened...

VenturesNow18 hours ago

South Africa needs significant fiscal consolidation— IMF

To restore the viability of its public finances, South Africa must seek aggressive fiscal consolidation, according to a statement from...

Culture19 hours ago

SA rapper Khuli Chana to pay special tribute to AKA at the DSTV Delicious Festival

South African rapper, Khuli Chana, has revealed that he will pay tribute to his friend and mentor, the late Kiernan...

Sports19 hours ago

Super Eagles star Lookman only African nominated for men’s Ballon D’or 2024

Super Eagles and Atalanta of Italy forward, Ademola Lookman, is the only male African player to make it to the...

Tech19 hours ago

South Africa’s WomHub partners Visa Foundation to launch ‘STEM is Everywhere’ for female entrepreneurs

South African female empowerment organisation, WomHub, has signed a partnership deal with Visa Foundation to launch the ‘STEM is Everywhere”...

Trending