Traditional Festivals in the Political Economy: The Case of Contemporary Ghana

Clarke-Ekong, Sheilah F.

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Title:	Traditional Festivals in the Political Economy: The Case of Contemporary Ghana
Author:	Clarke-Ekong, Sheilah F.
Year:	1997
Periodical:	Journal of Social Development in Africa (ISSN 1012-1080)
Volume:	12
Issue:	2
Pages:	49-60
Language:	English
Notes:	biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:	Ghana West Africa
Subjects:	traditional rulers traditional festivals Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Economics and Trade Politics and Government Anthropology, Folklore, Culture festivals Traditional culture political science Economic and social development
Abstract:	Participation in local and national festivals and the refocusing of chieftaincy affairs provides a partial explanation for the renewed attention to cultural affairs and tradition in contemporary Ghana. Cultural events are now the arena in which many issues within Ghana's political economy are actively played out locally and beyond. Equally significant is the role of festival events for the national economy. Ghanaian festivals perform many traditional functions and represent for the average Ghanaian their rich cultural heritage and the uniqueness of ethnic and regional differences. In a more modern sense, festivals serve to secure a community's place in the nation and reinforce the nation-State's preeminence in the lives of communities. Government officials now use such occasions to deliver policy speeches, to dedicate recently completed government projects and unveil new ones. Speeches and proclamations on such occasions are increasingly a medium for local leaders, in and outside the formal government structure, to lobby for limited resources. Politically, festivals afford paramount chiefs the opportunity to reassert their authority over their subchiefs and the local citizenry, and to show that the traditional chief is still the embodiment and custodian of Ghanaian political culture and tradition. The article is based on field research conducted during the summers of 1994 and 1995. Bibliogr., sum.