The 2022 Hogbetsotsoza festival (Hogbe Za) was not only stunning but also historically significant for the residents of Anlo State in the Volta Region.
The celebration, also known as Hogbe Za, honors the fabled 400-year-old emigration of the Ewe-Dogbo people from Notsie in modern-day neighboring Togo.
In a show of arts, tradition, and culture, hundreds of chiefs, elders, Anlo land residents, as well as individuals from all over the world, gathered to celebrate with the 36 Anlo State States.
The goal of this year’s festival is to revive traditional cohesion and ties amongst some of the most important kingdoms in the nation while also creating new traditional alliances.
Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II
Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II, the Asantehene, and his retinue of chiefs were present at the durbar held at Hogbe Park in Anloga, the historic and ritual capital of the Anlo State.
Being the first Asantehene visit to Anlo in more than 120 years, the Asantehene’s visit is historic in every way.
Kofi Karikari, the last Asantehene to do it, did it in the 19th century.
While the presence of the Kwahuhene and Ga Mantse would aid in forging a bond with the two kingdoms as part of the larger objective of using the Hogbeza platform to foster unity, peace, and national cohesion, that of the Asantehene rekindles the celebration of the long-standing relationship between the Anlo State and the Asanteman.
Daasebre Osei Bonsu II
Following Togbi Sri III, the Awoamefia of Anlo’s visit to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi for the 2018 Akwasidae, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, the Mamponghene, represented the Asantehene at the 2019 Hogbetsotso Festival in Anloga.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II
Additionally present were Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, the Kwahuhene delegation, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II of the Ga Mantse, and his retinue of chiefs.
Dr Bawumia
Vice-President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia attended the event on behalf of President Nana Akufo-Addo and his entourage, which also included members of parliament, staff from the Presidency, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, municipal and district chief executives, and representatives from political parties and the entertainment sector, including Edem, the president of the Volta Regime Music Group.
The Vice-visit President’s was historic not just because it was his first but also because it was the second in over 15 years by a prominent New Patriotic Party official (NPP).
Dr. Bawumia is only the second NPP official to visit the Hogbetsotso Festival since President Kufuor nearly 15 years ago and the first in six years.
Former President John Dramani Mahama
Leading figures from the National Democratic Congress Party (NDC) including former president John Dramani Mahama attended the event.
Togbi Sri
In his remarks, Togbi Sri III, the Awoamefia of Anlo, claimed that COVID-19 had denied them the right to organize and celebrate the event for two years, just as its effects had wreaked havoc on the economy.
With rising fuel prices, food shortages, and high inflation, he claimed that the Russia-Ukraine war had given the situation a new facet.
In order to find a long-lasting solution to the issues, he pleaded with the populace to have patience with the government.
The Awoamefia lamented the migration of professionals from the Anlo area, claiming that the community needed their combined assistance to grow.
He declared that it was now necessary for them to focus their efforts on creating a strong Anlo State in order to inspire the next generation.
Asantehene
Asantehene Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II said that his ancestors and the Anlos had made a military contract, which he wished to put into practice via advancement for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
He recalled the long-standing alliance between the Asantes and the Anlos, which had its zenith in the neighborhood of Anloga in Kumasi and had lasted for more than a century.
The Asantehene remarked that political maneuvers have put this relationship in danger, which has led to unwarranted suspicion between the two groups.
In order to promote the rich cultures of the two ethnic groups and for the good of the country, he consequently advocated for the strengthening of the partnership.
He said he had been waiting for a time like that to show the world that Asantes and Anlos were intertwined and could only strive to improve their fortunes.
He said that it was time to increase the two kingdoms’ human resources and boost worker output and inventiveness.
Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II
The Kwahuhene, Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, said he decided to take part in the festival to form closer ties because of the people’s optimistic outlook on work and peacebuilding.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II
The Ga Mantse who presided, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, urged the Anlos to come together and create a unified front in order for growth to prosper. He also urged them to close ranks and resist letting politicians split them.
Dr Bawumia
Speaking to the crowd, Dr. Bawumia expressed his admiration for the Asantehene’s historic visit and advocated for closer ties of unity between the two.
“I’d want to take this chance to thank the Asantehene and the Kwawuhene in particular for attending this event.
“I can confirm that Asantehene Kofo Karikari was the last Asantehene to rule Anlo, and this occurred more over 120 years ago, according to historical records.
Therefore, having Otumfuo Osei Tutu II present is a genuinely historic event, according to Dr. Bawumia.
The relationship between Asante and the Anlo State stretches back to the 19th century, during the rule of the Asantehene Kofi Karikari, when the Asantes, Akwamus, and the Anglo states established a tripartite alliance, the vice president stated. “We have been given the history by the Otumfuo,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia also expressed his gratitude to the Awoamefia, Togbe Sri II, the Chiefs, and the people of Anlo for their support of the Hogbetsotso Festival over the years, and he urged further preservation of the festival as well as other aspects of the rich culture of Anlo and other states in the nation for future generations.
The Vice-President also took advantage of the opportunity to address the high cost of living that has arisen as a result of the world economic crisis, saying that the government is making every effort to address the problems.
Dr. Bawumia emphasized that it is incorrect to evaluate the success of the government just in light of the current post-COVID-19 economic challenges.
He claimed that the country’s economic future was promising prior to the pandemic, which is why the government has continued to blame the current situation on the influenza and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“It’s disappointing to judge government by how the world is developing without taking into account how the economy performed from the time we took office in 2017 to 2020. And as everyone knows, that time brought us a robust economy,” he continued.
The World Bank estimates that Ghana’s GDP grew by 8.1% in 2018, 6.5% in 2019, 0.5% in 2020, and 5.4% in 2021.
The government, according to Dr. Bawumia, has made significant progress in all areas, including school infrastructure, railroads, fish landing sites, interoperability, restored teachers’ and nurses’ benefits, and several transformational policies and programs.
He advised Ghanaians to exercise patience, saying that the government was making every effort to lower the high food and fuel prices.
He connected with the Anlo people’s rich cultural legacy, which is a catalyst for the growth of the creative sector and a force behind long-term, sustainable economic growth.
He claimed that Keta and Anloga were still able to attract some tourists, and he asked the locals to always keep the peace.
Despite the “global economic challenges” the government has encountered since 2020, Dr. Bawumia emphasized the many projects, programs, and social initiatives the NPP Government has been able to implement over the previous six years while remarking on the economy and its difficulties.
King Tsuru, the Ga Mantse, is serving as the event’s chairman. The subject of the gathering is “Uniting for Development, Sustaining Our Unique Cultural Commonwealth for Future Generations.”
After a two-year delay caused by COVID-19, traditionalists, cultural troupes, other groups, and religious organizations were heavily represented at the durbar site as of 6am on Saturday, November 5, 2022, to take part in festivities to conclude the week-long activities of this year’s festival.
Corporate Institutions, private firms, and state organizations are all actively taking part in what has been nicknamed “Hogbe-Za to the globe.”
In the midst of cultural performances, exhibitions, and musket firing, there was a strong security presence.
Anlo -Ewe and Asante relationship
Similar to Dagombas, Nzemas, and Akwamus, the Anlo Ewes continued to be among Asantes’ closest allies, supporting one another during times of war.
The two parties’ relationship, which evolved into a military alliance, began in the middle of the 18th century, around 1750.
When Togbi Sri III, the Awoamefia of Anlo, attended the celebration of Akwasidae, the Asantehene warned the crowd that politicians who were unaware of the treaty between the Anlos and the Ashantis would make a valiant effort but fail to drive a wedge between them.
The assertion that Ewes, in especially the Anlo and Asantes, are at war was made, according to him, by post-colonial politicians in an effort to polarize the populace and garner votes.
A royal Anlo Ewe can readily join the Asantehenes circle to perform ceremonies at the holy stool house during Akwasidae or Odwira because the bond is unbreakable even now.
To formally ratify the alliance between Asante, Anlo, and Akwamu, Asantehene Kofi Karikari gave a sword to the military leader of Anlo, Awadada Axorlu I.
The sword, which was once part of the Kaklalu Stool of Anlo’s regalia, is still present today.
Due to this powerful partnership, Asantes allowed Anlo Ewes to settle in Kumasi in huge numbers and even had Anloga Junction, a location within the city, named after them.
The historic partnership between Asante and Anlo is still in place.