The Secretary to the Paramount Chief of the Bole Traditional Area, Mr Abdulai Haruna has through a press release responded to a rejoinder issued by the Vagla Youth Association seeking for clarification on the directive by Bolewura to rename all settler communities without an indigenous Gonja name.
The press release stated that, the action of the Vagla Youth Association in putting out their concerns through an open letter is tantamount to challenging the Bolewura’s Authority and that of the Bole Traditional Council.
“As a responsible Youth Association, it claims to be, one would have thought that they follow the right channel of communication in getting their grievances heard or addressed in a respectable manner”, the press release added.
According to the press release, the Vagla Youth Association could have sought advice from their elders who have unhindered access to the Bolewura to explain the rationale behind the decision.
“The attempt by these war mongers pretending to represent interest of the Vagla Youth Association to drag the good name of Yiram Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I) into mud is unfortunate”, the press release added.
Read full press release by Bolewura secretary below;
PRESS STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO VAGLA YOUTH ASSOCIATION’S QUESTIONS ON RENAMING OF COMMUNITIES BY BOLE TRADITIONAL COUNCIL
Ladies and Gentlemen of the press/media, I bring you warmest greetings from the Paramount Chief of Bole Traditional Area, Yiram Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I).
The attention of the Palace of Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge (I) has been drawn to some war mongers masquerading as Vagla Youth Association’s (VAYA) in letter signed by one Emmanue K. Kungi, dated 6th July, 2022 which is circulating on social media referenced the Bolewura’s directive issued on the renaming of settler communities to Gonja indigenous names.
The Bole Traditional Council under the Leadership of the Visionary Paramount Chief Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I) would not have in any way respond to the issues that were raised in the said letter by the so called Vagla Youth Association but the records need to be set straight in the interest of numerous concerned people.
As a responsible Youth Association, it claims to be, one would have thought that they follow the right channel of communication in getting their grievances heard or addressed in a respectable manner.
First of all, the action of the Vagla Youth Association in putting out their concerns through an open letter is tantamount to challenging the Bolewura’s Authority and that of the Bole Traditional Council.
The Vagla Youth Association could have sought advice from their elders who have unhindered access to the Bolewura to explain the rationale behind the decision. The attempt by these war mongers pretending to represent interest of the Vagla Youth Association to drag the good name of Yiram Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I) into mud is unfortunate.
As the Paramount Chief of the Bole Traditional Area Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I) with his Council reserves the right to take any decision that challenges his authority.
Renamimg all communities with indigenous Gonja names will be done meticulously with ethnic groups like Vagla, Safalba, Chorba and Nomee being the first beneficiaries since names of some indigenous communities or new settlements near indigenous communities have been suddenly changed without consulting the indigenous people nor the Bole Traditional Council.
Since Gonjas with Ndewura Jakpa’s lineage established Kingship and rulership, there are many Communities that still bear Vagla names in the Bole Traditional Area in their original form and there are other communities whose names have also with time been changed or slightly changed with Gonja language tonations.
There is no law in Ghana states that the Paramount Chief of a Traditional Area and his Council cannot take a decision to rename “Settler Communities” with names that are incongruent to the Traditions of the area.
Bolewura and his Council will surely take decisions “consistent with the traditions and customs of all the Gonja tribes in the Bole Traditional Area” and will not tolerate any decision by any group to challenge such a decision.
Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge’s Palace will not “break up the unity, solidarity and co-existence that existed among the various Gonja tribes which formed the political union known as the Gonja State.
The meaning of settler communities in the Bole Traditional Area is clear and the ethnic groups that constitute settlers are clear.
Vagla, Safalba, Choriba and Nomee who have been part of the history of the Bole Traditional Area cannot be called settlers.
A statement in the Vagla Youth Associations is self explanary. It said “Our understanding of Gonja is that of the native tribes in a particular geographic area. The term Gonja was used to refer to these ethnic groups: the Ngbanya, Vagla, Safalba, Chorba and Nomee in the extreme Western Gonja area which falls in the current Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba districts of the Savanah Region. Several historical records support this fact”.
Yes “the current land or areas were first occupied by the Vagla and their Associate tribes namely Safalba, Chorba and Nomee before the arrival of Ngbanya, now our sister tribe due to inter-marriages. This is supported by historical facts both written and the oral traditions of the Gonja tribes”.
The background of the word “Gonja” is therefore clear without any ambiguities.
The word ‘Gonja’ can be used to describe and identify all people from present Gonjaland who have been part of the history of the Gonja State- that is the Ngbanya (who are majority on Gonjaland), the Vagla, Safalba, Mmara, Hanga, Tampulma, Nawuri and others.
This is because Gonja was derived from a Hausa word “Goron Jah” meaning “Red Cola Nut”.
During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, a trade market was established in Salaga. Alongside this Slave Market, a big commercial market was also developed.
This attracted traders from the Northern Sub-Saharan African continent (Timbuktu, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna etc) to Salaga with all manner of wares.
The Asantes from Southern Ghana came with Cola Nut which were heavily patronised by the Hausa Traders from Northern Nigeria.
The Trade in Cola Nut grew and became so popular in the Salaga Area that people began to refer to Salaga as “Kassa Goron Jah” meaning “Land of Red Cola” in Hausa.
Eventually the entire land was referred to as “Gonja”.
One could therefore say that all the indigenous ethnic groups in Gonjaland can be called Gonjas. No Gonja (of the lineage of Ndewura Jakpa and his followers) has ever called himself Gonja when speaking the Gonja language. They call themselves “Ngbanya”.
Now who are settlers in Gonja?
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
Settlers are generally from a sedentary culture, as opposed to nomadic peoples who may move settlements seasonally, within traditional territories.
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there or someone who settles in a new location, especially one who makes a previously uninhabited place his home.
I am just wondering the unity in diversity among these Gonja tribes that is threatened by the actions of Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I).
Why will the Vagla Youth Association question the Bolewura’s authority in appointing people to the board of the Bole Lands Secretariat. Bole Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I) did not “deliberately ignore the other Gonja tribes’ fair representation of the land secretariat because not all ethnic groups in the Bole Traditional Area can be represented. The composition of the Customary Lands Secretariat Board Membership is clear and well spell out in the new land Act, 2020, Act 1036, article 14 to article 18 and you are entreated to making enquiry from the land Act in this regard.
Yes, the land is owned by all but is it is fact that, the land owned by all is vested in the authority of a Paramount Chief of the Bole Traditional Area.
Yiram Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I), Paramount Chief of Bole Traditional Area would want the Vagla Youth to cite instances of any “numerous divide and rule tactics among these other indigenous Gonjas”.
In conclusion I wish to say the Palace of Bolewura runs an open-door policy and always ready to welcome any person of group of persons who are development oriented and who cares about the peace, unity and development of their respective communities in the Traditional area.
Signed
Abdulai Haruna Obey
Secretary
Bole Traditional Area
Source: yagbonradioonline
