The Socio-Cultural Significance of the Kakube Festival of the Dagara of Nandom Traditional Area in Ghana

Abstract

The advent of western civilization has had a downturn on many important cultural practices of the people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Understandably so, a form of reawakening in recent times has led to people going back to their roots to rediscover what their forebears ‘executed’ with passion. This paper generally explores the importance of local events such as the  festivals which bring people together to celebrate a common heritage. It finally narrowed in on the people of Nandom who trace their roots to a common ancestor and as such make feverish attempts aimed at ensuring that an annual affair (Kakube) comes into fruition. Data was sourced from key personalities in the community making use of both simple random and purposive sampling techniques and further employing data collection methods such as administration of questionnaire, in-depth interviews (IDI) including personal observation and participation. In all, 250 people responded to the questionnaire. The analysis revealed that the people of the area benefited socially, culturally, economically, politically, religiously and developmentally hence their adherence to this heritage. The paper recommends that the Nandom Traditional Council,the Lawra District Assembly, the local business community, the Ghana Tourism Authority andcivil society organisations should help in its promotion both nationally and internationally.KEYWORDS: Kakube festival, tourism, cultural heritage, tradition, dimension,