Aboakyer festival

The Aboakyer festival is a deer hunting festival celebrated by the people of Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana.^[1]

The name Aboakyer translates as "hunting for game or animal" in the Fante language as spoken by the people of the Central Region. The institution of the festival was to commemorate the migration of Simpafo (traditional name given to the people of Winneba, named after their leader during the final stages of their migration-Osimpam). The people migrated from the north-eastern African town of Timbuktu in the ancient Western Sudan Empire to their present land in the central coast of Ghana.^[2] The journey from the north-east to the western part of Africa was led by two brothers.^[3] The people believed that a god, whom they

A request was made to the god through divination to change the sacrifice type, as they believed that sacrificing royalty could eventually wipe out the royal family.^[2] The god in return asked for type of wild cat to be caught alive and presented to it at its shrine. After the presentation, it was to be beheaded as a sacrifice. This was to be done annually in a festival.^[3]

Before the festival began the people settled the god at a place called Penkye. After the resettlement, the god became known as Penkye Otu, to signify the final home for the god. To mark the festival, the people sought out the wild cat, as had been prescribed. Many people lost their lives in the process as the animal was to be captured live and transported to Penkye. The people made a second appeal to Penkyi Otu to provide an alternative to the wild cat. That appeal resulted in the decision to accept a mature bushbuck.^[3] Two hunting groups, the Tuafo Asafo (Number one) and Dentsifo Asafo (Number two), have since bore the task of capturing the live bushbuck and presenting it to the people at the durbar. This festival is celebrated, usually, on the first Saturday of May annually, and it is a major event in Ghana. The warriors catch a bushbuck or deer without a weapon but with bare hands.

نقل شعب سيمبا هذا التقليد إلى أحفادهم على شكل أغاني، وأنشدوه في أناشيدهم الحربية، كما رووه في الليالي المقمرة على شكل قصص. واستمر هذا التقليد الشفهي حتى وصول الأوروبيين المستعمرين إلى ساحل ساحل الذهب، حاملين معهم اللغة الإنجليزية. ثم قام العلماء بترجمة القصة الشفهية من لغة "فانتي" إلى الإنجليزية. ^{[ 3 ]}

يُحتفل بالمهرجان في أول سبت من شهر مايو. في اليوم الأول، تشارك فرقتا أسافو ( مجموعات المحاربين ) في وينيبا في رحلة صيد. تنطلق هاتان المجموعتان في رحلة صيد الغزلان في الصباح الباكر. تُمنح الجائزة للفوج الأول الذي يصطاد غزالًا حيًا من محمية مخصصة لهذا الغرض.

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  مجموعة تصطاد الغزلان من أجل مهرجان أبواكير في غانا
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  مجموعة من الرجال يرقصون ويرددون الأناشيد خلال مهرجان أبواكير في غانا
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  مجموعة تصطاد الغزلان من أجل مهرجان أبواكير في غانا
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  رجل يحمل مشروب الشنابس لأداء طقوس خلال مهرجان أبواكير في غانا
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  حشد كبير من الناس يحتفلون بمهرجان أبواكير في غانا