The King and Overlord of Gonja, His Royal Majesty Yagbonwura Tuntumba Bore Essa (I) has performed “Gbandawu” at the Jakpa Palace in Damongo on Saturday 25th July, 2020.
The Yagbonwura and His Elders at the Jakpa Palace were led by the Kakulasewura and his people to performed the Gbandawu which will pave way for all the Paramount Chiefs and Elders in Gonjaland to also perform “Gbandawu” at their respective Traditional Areas.
Gbandawu in Gonja generally stands for new yam festival which is one of the very paramount event in the culture and tradition of the Gonja Kingdom.
Traditionally, no one eats new yams before the King and Overlord of Gonja (Yagbonwura). The Supreme Ruler of the Kingdom first of all will taste new yam before the other Paramount chiefs and their people can gain access to new yams.
This means that if the Yagbonwura, his Paramount Chiefs and the Elders did not eat news yams, their subjects can’t also do same no matter what be the case. If any Paramount Chief or Elder eats’ “Gbandawu” (New Yam) before His Majesty the Yagbonwura, that Paramount Chief or subject is punished severely. It is the same way the paramount chiefs will also punished anyone they see with or eating new yam before them.
Traditionally it means that no one has the right to exposed new yams in any Gonja community if the chiefs of those communities hasn’t perform “Gbandawu” (New Yam Festival).
From today onwards the people of the Gonja Kingdom can openly eat new yams. It also gives farmers, market men and women the opportunity to be able to sell or bring new yams to the market to sell.
By Afuli Adam Afuli (Jakpa Palace, Damongo)
Source:yagbononline.com
