Abstract:
Festivals have aims and objectives that affect the community one way or the other. This
study seeks to investigate whether the Covid- 19 pandemic had any effect on the
celebrations of the Aboakyer festival of the people of Effutu and finally find out if there
were behind the scene pacifications that were used to circumvent the cultural and
traditional implications that hitherto would have affected the Effutu community. The
purpose of the study was to find out how rituals and any other rites were performed to
pacify the gods in the absence of the celebration of the Aboakyer Festival, find out if
there are any cultural and traditional implications and also investigate how it has
affected the people of Effutu. With the sample size, twelve (12) participants(people)
which is made of six (6) Asafo companies; 3 from each of the Asafo groups, two (2)
Royals and Two (2) Vendors and two (2) people who stayed in Winneba (indigenes).
Purposive and snowball sampling were used as techniques in the study so that credible,
appropriate and valid data would be generated. Structured and semi structured
interviews were used to illicit information needed to make the study reach and
complete. Based on the results from the interviews, the findings were that, the Covid19
pandemic had a serious toll on the celebration of Aboakyer festival in the year under
review and though the celebration couldn’t come on, certain important rites were
performed under cover to pacify the gods without the involvement of the crowd.
Vendors and other businessmen and women were not able to make sales, and hence
were not able to make the expected income. The study concluded that, the absence of
Aboakyer festival celebration caused the community to adopt new strategies in handling
certain cultural and traditional practices which hitherto were not adhered to. The study
recommends that traditional and cultural practices in the Effutu community should be
looked at by stakeholders in art and culture in Effutu so that in case there is any form
of pandemic it would not affect the community, the traditional and cultural practices of
the communities. A final recommendation is that, there should be awareness creation
and involvement in the preservation of the Effutu cultural traditions and the significance
of the festival through educational programs, cultural events, and initiatives that
encourage community members, particularly the younger generation, to appreciate and
actively participate in preserving the Effutu heritage.
Description:
A THESIS in the
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION,
SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies,
University of Education, Winneba in partial fulfilment of the requirements for award
of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Arts and Culture