The Chiefs and people of Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana on Monday, January 1, 2024 gathered at the Winneba Advanced Park to mark the 2024 edition of the Annual Masquerade Festival also known as the Fancy Dress Festival with five groups- Red Cross, Egyaa, Nobles, Tumus and Royals battling it out for the 2024 prestigious award. With pomp and pageantry, the most colourful masquerade event with its elaborate assortment of costumes and masks attracted tourists and well- wishers including those from the diaspora who admire the masquerading heritage of the Effutu people.The event organized by EPG Media was held in an atmosphere of peace as the various groups exhibited sheer creativity, ingenuity and living history and performed with the marching bands to the admiration of gathered crowd who kept cheering on their respective groups.The Effutu Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Alhaji Zubairu Kassim in his opening remarks touched on the celebration towards uniting the Effutu people and instilling in them discipline and commitment with life skills for the community’s development.He emphasized the importance of discipline in the world of masquerading, where punctuality, training and diligence are highly valued with its strict training schedules to attending group meetings and discussions and called for the cooperation of all for a successful celebration for the realization of its attending benefits.In his keynote address, the Effutu Member of Parliament and Deputy Majority Leader of Ghana’s 8th Parliament, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo- Markin extolled the uniqueness of the Fancy Dress festival in the country and the world with Winneba being the only town that celebrates a well-organized festival bringing out the choreographic skills and creativity of the people of Effutu on a new year with the potential to attract investment to the area.He said that the festival was aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the area as well as bring the people together in unity for the development of the Municipality.Hon. Afenyo-Markin praised the extraordinary work of the Winneba Masquerade Reconciliation Committee made up of clergymen and opinion leaders of Effutu towards charting the path of progress by unifying the various groupings for a successful celebration devoid of violence.He enumerated the numerous development projects initiated by the Government under his stewardship and charged the youth of the area to tap into the many opportunities available to develop their skills to fit into the challenging job market in the country and the world at large.Hon. Markins intimated that his leadership will continue to explore all the necessary avenues to extend development to the area and called on the people to support the Effutu Dream to help achieve Winneba’s total development.The Effutu Lawmaker allayed the fears of the people on the alleged sale of the Winneba Ramsar site (sacred forest) for mining purposes and urged the people to treat the allegation with uttermost contempt without basis. He reechoed that Government had not intentions of desecrating the forest which holds the life and soul of Winneba.The Competition commenced with a possession by all the five participating groups who were judged in the areas of match pass, slow dance, highlife and atwum dances with Nobles winning the first position to take the ultimate prize. STORY BY: CHALES BAAH ABOAGYE -ISD
Last modified: January 2, 2024