The Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Alban SK Bagbin, has donated an amount of fifty thousand Ghana cedis and a Public Address System worth GHC100K to the Wa Naa. The donation was done during the 2021 Dumba Celebrations, an annual festival celebrated by the Waala people of the Upper West Region.
The presentation was made on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament by Hon. Dr Rashid Pelpuo, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa Central Constituency and Hon. Dede Ziedeng, MP for Lawra.
The Speaker of Parliament, who was to be the special guest at the occasion, in a speech read on his behalf by the MP for Wa Central Constituency, Dr Pelpuo, admonished the people to continue to maintain the peace they have enjoyed over the years and use the occasion of Dumba to foster unity among themselves.
The donation of the ultra-modern public address system by the Speaker is in fulfilment of a promise he made during his Thank You Tour last April.
The Wa Naa, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, was grateful for the well appreciated gesture by the third gentlemen. He eulogised the rise in stature of Mr Bagbin and wished him a successful reign.
This year’s Dumba festival is the 101st successive event to have been celebrated by the Waala Traditional Area with some developmental projects championed by the traditional council.
Dumba Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Wa of the Wala Paramouncy in the Upper West Region of Ghana. It is usually celebrated in the month of September or October. The festival is celebrated to mark an event that took place in the past and serves as an occasion for the people in the area to unite and renew their commitment to the Islamic religion.
It is also claimed the Wa Naa’s life is prolonged if he is able to jump over a tethered cow successfully. The fitness of the chief is assessed as to whether he can continue to rule the people. The body or clothes of the chief must not touch the cow. In case the chief fails, it is said to be a bad omen that he is weak and should not continue to rule