Thursday, January 31, 2013

Kofi Annan-Save West Africa from the drugs barons

Kofi Annan-Save West Africa from the drugs barons


bags of cracks
Trafficking is endangering the fragile democracies of this vulnerable region
Over the last decade, West Africa has made encouraging progress. Violent conflicts that had blighted the region for many years have been ended. There have been real advances in development, health and education. cont,reading

Tamale;Home of Handicraft

 TAMALE 

Tamale is a relatively new town which at the turn of the last century was just a cluster of villages known mainly for the numerous shea butter trees -the 'tama' -from which it got the name Tamale.
Dapkema with Ex president Rawlings
In 1905 it became the capital of the Northern Province of the British colony of the Gold Coast. The north played a very important role in the 2nd world war. cont.reading

LESDEP beneficiaries receive start up kits

news

 LESDEP beneficiaries receive start up kits

 
LESDEP  
A considerable number of equipments have been delivered to some individuals who have taken training in certain skills under the Local Enterprise and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) being implemented in the Sissala East District. cont.reading.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

How Prepared Are You For The Grand Damba

How Prepared Are You For The Grand Damba

Damba festival which comes off tomorrow 31st January 2013 ,is  celebrated among the Mole Dagombas in the the northern region of Ghana to commemorate the birth and naming ceremony of the Holy Prophet Mohammed. Damba is celebrated according to the lunar calendar ,.Damba festival is a twin festive namely; “Somo” Damba and “Naa” Damba. “Somo” Damba is celebrated to commemorate the birth of the prophet and Naa-Damba is held to mark his naming ceremony. Approaching the months named, Chiefs, elders and family heads not forgetting the local folk are always on the lookout for the moon of Damba. It is therefore common to see people raising their heads towards the sky each evening desperately awaiting the moon to shoot up. This is the month the Mamprusis call Damba “goori” or “billai”...cont.reading

THE DYNAMIC DUO; R2Bees

 THE DYNAMIC DUO; R2Bees

Paedae and mugees
R2Bees is a hip-hop/hip-life group made up of Faisal Hakeem (Paedae da Prablem) and Rashid Mugeez (Mugeez). the dynamic music duo has who started from a very humble beginning are now  among the giant musicians in Africa performing on the same stage with "1st rated artist"
                      cont.reading

THE BATTLE OF ADIBO (BATTLE WITH THE GERMANS) (BY:DASANA PUKARIGA)


There is a popular date in the history of Dagbon that every son of Great Gbewaa knows.it is recalled by Dagbon drum historians as Adibo Dalle(The Day of Adibo) this was the day over a century ago in September 1896 when Dagbon fought a battle with Germans colonizers at Adibo,a village 10 kilometres south of Yendi.at the time the king who reigned was Yaa Naa Andani II(popularly called Andan Naanigoo) and he said that his kingdom Dagbon,would not be taken over by the white man and that he would protect it at all cost.but his kingdom was threaten by the European from all directions from the south by the Germans,from the west the British and the from the north by the french.in all Dagbon resisted colonialism for seven long years.
                         cont.reading

Ban on Abudu Royals

NGO Condemns Ban on Abudu Royals


The organization’s Executive Director, Prince Hardi Adams in an interview condemned the alleged brutalities recorded at the Boling-Lana’s palace.

‘The way the Police and the Army are handling the situation is not fair, is like they are barking one side; what we are saying is that the Abudus have their civil right to celebrate the Damba festival, we are now in democracy, so everybody has the right to celebrate.’

MPs CLASH IN PARLIAMENT

MPs CLASH IN PARLIAMENT

The coffee lounge of parliament on Tuesday morning saw a very rare occurrence as two of the newly elected honourable members of parliament engaged in heated exchanges.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

 DATAA NAA TUA

  Site Dataa Na Tua is a place where men who have sex with women of Ya Na were decapitated.
                         cont.reading 

 Breaking news

Tamale Spending GHc2.500,000 on Sanitation

The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has been spending GHc2,500,000 annually on sanitation since 2009, Alhaji Abdul Haruna said,

 THE GOONJI MUSIC

  Apart from drumming, there are many other types of music in Dagbon.  There are other types of drums played by young people for recreational purposes.  The Dagbamba musical repertoire also features several types of flutes, a musical bow that is similar to a Brazilian birimbao, several types of horns, and several different plucked lutes; however, apart from the hourglass drum ensemble, the instrument that has attained the most popularity and visibility is a one-stringed bowed lute called GOONJI.  Variants of the name GOONJI are widespread in related traditions:  for example, the fiddle is called goge among the Hausa, godji among the Songhay.
            cont.reading

GERMAN  CEMETERY 

The German Cemetery, also known locally German grave, includes graves of German soldiers who died during the Dutch colonial era
                                                                                        cont,reading

Yendi is a town and the capital of Yendi  municipal  assembly  in the northeastern quadrant of Ghana in the Dagbon territory. As of 2012, Yendi is the thirty-sixth most populous settlement  in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 52,008 people.Yendi is the traditional capital of the Dagbon Kingdom with the Ya Na as the Overlord.
                                     cont.reading

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

THE MOLE DAGOMBAS
The Mole-Dagbani, primarily located in the Upper and Northern regions of Ghana, make up 16 percent of the current Ghanaian population and accounts for the majority of the Muslim population in Ghana. Of the Mole-Dagbani there are five subcultures, four of which trace themselves to the same ancestry. They are the Mamprusi, Mossi, Dagomba, Nanumba, and Gonja. The languages they speak are classified as a variation of Gur.
It is said by oral tradition that the founding ancestor of all the Mole-Dagbani migrated from north-east of the Lake Chad to the south of the Niger bend, Zamfara, which is modern day Nigeria. Due to the political and military superiority, the ancestors were able to easily wield smaller individual tribes into their kingdom. The Mamprusi, Mossi, Dagomba, and Nanumba all have passed down the same story of origin by means of oral tradition. The story begins with a warrior princess whose father restricts her from marrying in fear of losing her military knowledge. She flees on a stallion, becomes weary and finds refuge and sleep under a tree. A prince of another tribe finds her there, too beautiful to resist and rapes her in her sleep. From this a child is conceived who grows to later marry, producing a son.
This son, Gbewa was to become the first leader of the kingdom. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his own son Zirile upon his death. At the death of Zirile conflicts erupted over his successior among his three surviving brothers and their supporters, which thus led to a civil war and split within the tribe. One formed the kingdom of Maprussi and the other two formed the Dagomba and Nanumba. The Mamprusi later divided, thus forming the Mossi. The fifth group, Gonja, migrated from what is currently Mali near the end of the 16th century.
The Mole-Dagbani are very reclusive due to their Muslim beliefs and cultural practices. Also, their culture is highly dependent upon oral tradition, so there is little text on the culture for researchers to obtain. These two factors make it difficult for one to report on the culture. It is puzzling however that more western anthropologist have not investigated this region and its people.



                    THE MAMPRUSSI (ELDERS OF THE TRIBE)

a market scene

The Mamprusi claim, by ancestry, to be the earliest known kingdom of modern Ghana, established circa 1480. They are considered by northern Ghana to be first of the Mole-Dagbani. The Mamprusi occupy the territory of Mampurugu, which lies in the Northern region of Ghana. This population is linguistically heterogeneous but the majority speaks Mampruli. Mamprusi settlements are known for their clusters of circular compounds, which are surrounded by farmland, where they grow Millet, the crop this region is most known for. Two-thirds of Mamprusi marriages are polygamous. Islam predominates the culture and beliefs of the people but traditional beliefs are evident in religious practices. Children are given both traditional names and Muslim names and are circumcised.History is highly reliant upon oral tradition as it is in the majority of Mole-Dagbani culture.However, oral tradition is dependent upon state elders therefore political law and rule over dispute lies in the hands of the elders.This is one reason that records of Mamprusi tradition are scarce and incomplete.

The social structure of this group is patrilineal and acts as the basic unit of structure for society. A person's right to inheritance, property and privileges are defined through this structure.Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Mamprusi society is their political system, which is known as the Nam. This political system is constructed through a complex hierarchy of chiefdoms. The term Nam means office or political authority. When a new officer is installed it is said that he eats the nam signifying the incorporation of the nam with the physical person. Office eligibility is determined through the gate system. This gate system refers to the family lineage and signifies those who are eligible for chiefdom. Competition for office is held on two levels, first between gates in Gbewa's lineage as well as between members of the same gate. Once installed the chief will have final say in all disputes, including marriages, witchcraft trials and succession. Chiefs are regarded as protectors of the Mamprusi.

 THE DAGOMBAS

The following is an abridged version of the history of Dagbon. We have tried as much as possible to present this write-up without commentary. The facts are laid bare for the reader. Some of the points raised might be disputed by one gate or another of the feuding parties of Yani. It is our objective to present the fact as we have found them. All inconsistencies and errors are those of the author. The page will continually be updated in an effort to make this write-up as impartial and as accurate as possible. All this within the limited amount of written and verifiable information.
The origins of Dagbon can be traced to Tohadzie, the red hunter. Tohadzie was a very brave hunter who mastered archery (the art of hunting with the bow and arrow).

On arrival in the Mali Empire he settled in a village in the middle of a drought. The villagers’ only source of water was a river taken over by a wild bush cow. The bush cow, believed to be an evil spirit, killed anyone who ventured to the river to draw water. Tohadzie led the villagers to kill the wild beast making the river accessible. This is also recorded in the Malian legend of Mali Sadio.
He then organised the people and made war on rival villages, who had constantly raided his new found home, thus establishing himself as a successful warrior and leader. For his bravery and assistance to the people, Tohadzie was rewarded with a Malian princess called Pagawugba, for a wife. The Malian princess gave birth to a son named Kpognambo, who grew up and exhibited bravery and warrior acuity similar to his father's.
After the death of his parents Kpognambo travelled westwards from the Mali Empire to Biun, in Fadan Grumah, where after defeating the Tendana became chief of Biun. Kpognambo ruled the kingdom of Biun until his death. He established the chieftainship of Biun.
Kpognambo married two women; Sihisabiga (daughter of the Fetish Priest of Biun) and Suhuyini (daughter of the King of Fadan Grumah). Suhuyini gave birth to Gbewaah while Sihisabiga gave birth to Malgimsim, Nyelgili, and Namzisheli.
After the death of Kpognambo there was constant war between his sons for the chieftainship of Biun. This, in the thirteenth century, led to the migration of Gbewaah with a large following to Pusiga. Pusiga is in the Upper East region of present day Ghana. Naa Gbewaah established the Kingdom of Greater (Ancient) Dagbon, which he ruled until his death. Other sons of Kpognambo; Nyeligili founded the chieftainship of Nangodi and Namzisheli founded the chieftainship of Tongo.
In Pusiga the chieftainship of the Kingdom of Greater Dagbon became known as NAM which was the preserve of the male children of Naa Gbewaah. After the death of Naa Gbewaah, there was once again power struggle among his sons for the nam. In the heat of the struggle, Zirli murdered his brother Kufogu and became chief of Biun, much to the displeasure of his siblings. This led to war between the brothers and finally the break-up of the Greater Dagbon Kingdom.
Sitobu, Tohagu, and Mantambo all children of Naa Gbewaah moved southwards from Pusiga with their followers. Tohagu founded the Mamprusi Kingdom, Mantambo the Nanun Kingdom and Sitobu the modern Dagbon Kingdom. This is the reason why the peoples of Nanun, Mamprugu, and Dagbon consider each other as brothers. They share the same ancestry in Naa Gbewaah. A daughter of Naa Gbewaah, Yentuagri, married a Grumah and they established the Kingdom of the Mossi.

 THE NANUMBAS

 more to come please

THE MOSSI

mossi mask men
The Mossi Kingdoms, sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Mossi Empire, were a number of different powerful kingdoms in modern-day Burkina Faso which dominated the region of the upper Volta river for hundreds of years. The kingdoms were founded when warriors from the Dagomba area, in modern-day Ghana moved into the area and intermarried with local people. Centralization of the political and military powers of the kingdoms begin in the 1200s and led to conflicts between the Mossi kingdoms and many of the other powerful states in the region. In 1896, the French took over the kingdoms and created the French Upper Volta which largely used the Mossi administrative structure for many decades in governing the colony.

Accounts of the origin of the Mossi kingdom and parts of their history are very imprecise with contradictory oral traditions that disagree on significant aspects of the story.[1] The origin story is unique in that a woman plays a key role as the progenitor of the royal line.

The origins of the Mossi state are claimed by one prominent oral tradition to come from when a Dagomba princess left the city of Gambaga because of a dispute with her father. This event dates in different oral histories to be anytime between the 11th and the 15th centuries.According to the story, the princess Niennega escaped dressed as a man when she came to the house of a elephant hunter from the Boussansi tribe named Ryallé. He initially believed she was a man but one day she revealed that she was a woman and the two married. They had a son named Wedraogo or Ouédraogo who was given that name from the horse that Niennega escaped from Gambaga on. Wedraogo visited his grandfather in Dagomba at the age of fifteen and was given four horses, 50 cows, and a number of Dagomba horseman joined his forces. With these forces, Wedraogo conquered the Boussansi tribes, married a woman named Pouiriketa who gave him three sons, and built the city of Tenkodogo. The oldest was Diaba Lompo who founded the city of Fada N'gourma. The second son, Rawa, became the ruler of Zondoma Province. His third son, Zoungrana became the ruler in Tenkodogo after Wedraogo died. Zoungrana married Pouitenga, a woman sent from the chief of the Ninisi tribes, and the resulting intermarriage between the Dagomba, the Boussansi, and the Ninisi produced a new tribe called the Mossi. Zoungrana and Pouitenga had a son, Oubri, who further expanded the kingdom by conquering the Kibissi and some Gurunsi tribes. Oubri, who ruled from around 1050 until 1090 ACE, is often considered the founder of the Ouagadougou dynasty which ruled from the capital of Ouagadougou.
//go.ad2up.com/afu.php?id=211551