We will not allow chieftaincy to destroy Kente Festival

Nene Nuer Keteku III, the Konor of Agotime has stated the resolve of the Agotime State not to allow chieftaincy to “destroy” the famous Agbamevor-za (Kente Festival) celebrated in the area to promote the kente weaving industry.

“We will not allow chieftaincy issues to destroy the Kente Festival. The festival is not for chiefs. It is for the youth, so we are handing over everything to the youth,” he said at a press briefing at Kpetoe.

The press briefing was necessitated by the cancellation of the grand durbar of the Festival, due to alleged chieftaincy disputes.

About 75 per cent of chiefs allegedly boycotted some weekday events and threatened not to turn up for the grand durbar if a chieftaincy dispute in one of the divisions was not settled.

The stance by the chiefs disrupted preparations for the much publicized durbar, leaving local and foreign tourists stranded in Kpetoe and Ho, with a good number of hotels occupied.

Mr Eddy Akotey, Chairman of the Festival Planning Committee, apologized to patrons of the Festival for the incident and said the durbar was called off not to mar peace in the area.

He said the Festival had great commercial value and content and welcomed Nene Nuer’s determination to make the event devoid of chieftaincy issues.

Mr Akotey said preparations had started for a ‘super’ Kente Festival with a ‘mega’ durbar next year and called for support from all, especially the chiefs.

The Agotime Kente Festival was instituted in 1995 to promote the Kente weaving industry, which was a primary occupation for many in the area.

This year’s festival was launched in Accra and the United States of America and expected to attract over 2,000 local and foreign tourists.

Source: GNA