Arigu celebrate annual Tingana Festival

The Chief and People of the Arigu community in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region have celebrated their annual, “Tingana Festival”, amidst drumming and dancing and the outdooring of the chief of the area, Arigurana Naa Timaritaba K Anzoni IV.

The Tingana festival is celebrated to mark the harvest of the staple food crop, and to give thanks to God almighty for his blessings, the festival is also meant to thank the gods of the land and ancestors for the protection and guidance of the inhabitants throughout the year.

It is a tradition that is held biennially to afford the chief of Arigu community to be outdoored during the festival to address his people and the general public on the community’s development status and plans and to wish the people well as the year comes to an end.

In an address delivered on his behalf during the festival, Naa Anzoni IV admonished the citizens in the area to be wary of evil ways that create misunderstandings between families, neighbors and fractions within communities and called on the people of the community to remain united in order to foster development of the individual and the community at large.

The Chief expressed gratitude to the Municipal Director of Education for posting teachers to augment the teacher deficit in the community.

He however indicated that, the teacher- pupil ratio in the schools are still not the best and wish that more teachers were posted to the community.

Naa Anzoni IV appeal to the government to provide classroom blocks accommodate pupils still sitting under trees in his traditional area.

He urged parents to desist from pushing their girl-child into early marriages, school drop outs and to kayaye but to ensure their wards are retained to complete school.

Whilst commending the community members for their personnel contribution in purchasing furniture and other essential equipment for the operations of the CHIP compounds, the chief also lauded the efforts of the Municipal Health Director and staff, the Municipal Chief Executive and the Assembly for their immense contributions in enhancing health delivery in the Arigu community.

Touching on Agriculture, the Naa Anzoni indicated that the people of Arigu and Bisigu are farmers and have a vast and fertile land for both commercial and subsistence farming of various food crops, sheatrees for sheanuts oil extraction and fishing long the White Volta.

He stated that the community benefited from the fertiliser subsidy under the government flagship program of Planting for Food and Jobs in 2017, 2018 farming season and has paid all their loans. He called on the government through the Municipal Director of Agriculture to remember the community in implementing agriculture interventions.

Naa Anzoni entreated landlords to construct toilet facilities in their homes to help prevent open defecation.

Story by: Emmanuel Akayeti