THIS year’s Ho-Asogli yam festival has sparked off a new dimension of activities aimed at uniting the people of the traditional area and exhibiting the activities of their forebears.
Already, the people have undertaken a pilgrimage to their ancestral home of Notsie in the Republic of Togo.
They have also observed a health education day encompassing free counselling and screening on diabetes, blood pressure and HIV/AIDS and hiking over the Adaklu mountain.
Other activities planned for the festival include “Vovlowo fe Nkeke” (All Souls Day), football matches, purification rites, hailing of new yam, street jams, lawn tennis competition, Miss Asogli pageant, cycling , yam weighing, weight lifting and cooking competition.
The Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, will sit in state on Friday, September 25, this year to receive greetings from subjects and well-wishers. The festival will be climaxed with a grand state durbar on Saturday, during which a book entitled “Ho tourist and business guide”, will be launched.
Since his coronation the Agbogbomefia has spearheaded the development of the Asogli state to an admirable level in the Volta Region.
The Agbogbomefia is now the President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and this comes within a record time of less than two years after being gazetted.
The institution of the Asogli Education Endowment Fund has changed the fortunes of more than 35 beneficiaries in senior high and tertiary educational institutions in less than four years of its establishment and an amount of GH¢ 8,000 has so far been realised.
Another important portfolio that has raised so much hope for redemption is the Volta Region Development Project which has a target of $250 million. This mega project is aimed at transforming the Volta Region under the aegis of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs led by the Agbogbomefia.
These positive developments remind one of when the Ho-Asogli state vibrated with overwhelming joy during the new Agbogbomefia’s installation to succeed the late Togbe Afede Asor II who had passed away.
Enstooled at the age of 46, the business icon known in private life as Mr James Akpo, ascended the throne under the stool name Togbe Afede XIV.
The inauguration was a scenario of pomp and pageantry and indeed a stupendous cultural extravaganza resplendent with rich paraphernalia depicted by the durbar of chiefs.
The ceremony was characterised with a thrilling performance of swearing of oaths of allegiance by members of the Asogli state comprising Akoefe, Kpenoe, Matse, Ziavi, ,Klefe, Sokode, Bankoe, Heve, Dome, Ahoe and Hliha which formed the Asogli traditional council.
In fact, the Asogli state has been re-born with the installation of a dynamic economist of international repute as the paramount chief to occupy the Agbogbome stool, the only black stool believed to have been brought from Notsie in the Republic of Togo.
The jubilation by the crowd could not be controlled when the Agbogbomefia gave his inaugural address, with the pledge that he would adopt a leadership style that would transform the lives of his people.
Togbe Afede lamented that majority of the people continued to wallow in poverty, ignorance, disease and their ambitions were limited by inadequate educational facilities and inadequate job opportunities.
“I do not accept this. Poverty is not an act of God, but a failure of humanity. Expansion of our educational facilities and attracting investment to Ho Asogli will form an important part of my development agenda”, he pledged.
Togbe Afede called for the transformation of the chieftaincy institution by upholding progressive customs and tradition and abandon ing obsolete ones.
According to him, the success of a chief must be measured by the positive impact in the lifestyle of his subjects and not by the size of regalia, adding “we should aim at serving our states rather than to be pampered and carried in palanquins”.
“We should invest our wealth in ventures that benefit our communities instead of in gold trinkets, rings and chains”, he stated.
Truly, the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede, is on course to fulfilling the pledge he made on the day of his coronation because the education endowment fund and the regional development project are modest attestation to this.
He has been an inspiration to the youth and chiefs of Ho-Asogli. In fulfilment of his promise, the chief has not ridden in a palanquin since his installation.
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