Boaram Festival of the People of Baare Celebrated in Talensi District

A cross section of the people at the celebration grounds

Festivals in those days were celebrated once every year, spanning between 2 to 7 days depending on the locality, with historical perspective that is sacrificing to the gods and the ancestors as thanksgiving for their blessing, bumper harvest and perhaps marry making. 

Today, festivals are celebrated same but have only integrated in it, a developmental component, which benefits the community and society as a whole for the rest of their lives rather than the cyclical annual celebration, after the week long marry making. 

One of such has been observed, known as Boaram Festival celebrated by the people of Baare in the Talenis District of the Upper East Region, where a laboratory has been constructed to augment the services of the oldest health Center in the community. 

Communities that came together to raise the money for the construction of the laboratory are; Baare, Gorog, Sepaat, Kaare and Buun collectively called Gosebka. 

One of the major festivals of the people of Tongo in the Talensi District is the “Gologo Festival” which is celebrated by all to ask for blessings from their ancestors and rains for farming at the beginning of the farming season. 

Boaram on the other hand, is celebrated as a thanksgiving sacrifice to the ancestors after the harvesting the farm produce for granting the good health and strength throughout the farming season. The Boar in Talen refers to all the shrines in Tongo with the over lord shrine as the Tenguik-Shrine.

The ram is the Guinea-Corn Pito being brewed to be sacrifice to the gods or the shrines. The essence of the Boaram sacrifice is to appease the gods to pave way for the new farm produce to be fed on. 

This year’s Boaram Festival is under the theme “Reigniting the spirit of Unity for community development”. The festival was attended by Traditional Authorities, Queen Mothers. Opinion Leaders NGOs CSO, Assembly men and women, sons and daughters in the diaspora".

The Regent of Gorog and his elders at the festival grounds

Speaking to Radio Ghana, Luu Yin an elder of the community said Gosebka stands as one in unity because they own one common ancestry with the family head as Gorog.

Mr Luu Yin spokesperson of the festival

Gorog he indicated was a warrior who migrated with his entire community from China Nawoli in the Kassena Nankana Municipality. Whilest leaving there, he enskined a chief to take care of the china community. 

He passed through vulnerable communities that he felt could be attacked by explorers and settles some worries there. 

He traversed Mirigu in the Kassena Nankana to Yikene in Bolgatanga central through Gambibgo in Bolgatanga East District, where he formed his first alliance because they met them on the way as worries and asked for friendship which they accepted. 

He got to Baare in Tongo they were also worries at the time and formed his second alliance. Proceeding a little further, Gorog settled at the foot of the Tongo Hills, the current place. 

Therefore, Gambibgo and Baare became the first and best allies of Gorog when they arrived and has over the years fought their battles together in times past. 

Luu Yin explained further the settlement of Gorog at their current place as. Well, as the year draws to a close, it’s time for festivals in the three regions of the north and Boaram could not have chosen any theme than Re-igniting the spirit of unity and community development. 

Festivals tell us about mythologies and elevate our faith, giving us lessons from inside those mythologies. We celebrate the good will and teachings we get from them. 

Ever noticing that, when it’s time for the arrival of a festival, the whole aura changes, the whole community gets directed towards a faith, a surrounding full of good hopes, happiness, joy, celebrations is created. 

It simply uplifts our bad moods and fills us with positive energy. It gives us an opportunity to forget all the nots, recall good events of the past and initiate fresh and new beginnings.

Story by: Emmanuel Akayeti