Togbe Agorkoli unveils heritage centre project for Eweland at Notsie
Togbe Agorkoli, the Overlord of Notsie, the ancestral home of the Ewes in the Republic of Togo, has unveiled an ambitious multi-purpose heritage centre project.
The project, when fully realised, should become a major place of convergence and pilgrimage for the Ewes, with the Overlord calling on members of the tribe to provide the needed endorsement and support.
Togbe Kpegbategbe III, Chief of Dayi Atsigba in the Republic of Togo shared the project with traditional rulers of the tribe at the third Summit of Ewe Chiefs held recently, in Ho.
It is being designated a centre for tradition and culture, and would be constructed at Agbogbome, the original settlement in Notsie.
“Togbe Agorkoli is calling on all Ewes to support his vision to develop Notsie. “Togbe says it is his heartfelt desire to develop Agbogbome. He says we should develop Agbogbome as a centre of pilgrimage for the Ewes.
“Eweland needs a place of resort, and we need to place value where our ancestors stayed, flourished, and prospered,” he stated.
Togbe Kpegbategbe said a German-based architect, who is a native of the tribe has been selected for the project, adding that plans were far advanced and that design concepts would soon be made public.
The concept involves expansive auditoriums, museums, and traditional shrines to restore the culture and customs of the various ethnicities of the tribe.
In a bid to develop traditional herbal medicine and promote alternative traditional medicine in the sub-region, a medicinal plant propagation project is being included, and the traditional heritage centre is expected to have a green cover upon completion.
A technical committee has been established, made up of individuals with expertise in varying fields including academia and industry.
A committee of traditional rulers has also been constituted.
Togbe Kpegbategbe said chiefs must therefore lead support the project and appealed to established indigenes and elite of the tribe to help ensure its realisation.
“King Agorkorli says we should help him restore our ancestry. The project will help sustain the culture and tradition of the Ewes. It will cause a return to tradition and promote the wisdom of Ewes.
“No such identifiable place exists for the Eweland, therefore the centre will serve as a major place of convergence and will build identity for the tribe. It will become a major visitor attraction to the sub-region and serve as a place for research, eduction, and tourism,” he said.
The Ewe Summit is an annual event that forms part of the Asogli Yam Festival, instituted to build unity among traditional leaders of the tribe for the realisation of growth and development.
Togbe Kpegbategbe said Togbe Agorkoli commended Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli for instituting the summit, and that it was through such initiatives that the unity of the Eweland would be attained.
Togbe Afede, in his remarks said the idea of safeguarding heritage resonated with the Asogli State and revealed plans to establish a museum among initiatives to preserve culture and tradition for generations.
He therefore pledged the support of Asogli towards the Agbogbome heritage center project.
Chiefs at the summit were informed of the establishment of the African Traditional Leadership Institute, an initiative by Togbe Afede which he said laid the ground for the formation of a union of African traditional leaders.
Source: GNA