The Royal family of the late Nana Kobena Botwe II and Swedruman Council of Chiefs are preparing feverishly towards his 40-day celebration, slated for Friday, July 16, 2022.
The entire streets of Agona Swedru have been decorated with red and black colours to signify that Nana Botwe had ‘joined his ancestors.’
All electricity poles, walls and billboards on the four routes to Agona Swedru have been decorated, while billboards and banners of late chief were mounted in Swedru township.
Nana Kweku Esieni V, the Regent of Agona Swedru at the Council’s meeting at Nyakrom, said the funeral committee would ensure the true culture and tradition of the town for the late Overlord.
He said from Saturday, July 9, 2022, there will be a ban on funerals and other activities that will create noise making.
These include all-night church services, weddings and naming ceremonies.
Church services will be allowed without noise making on Sunday, July 17.
Nana Eseini said the beer bar operators and others were to operate without playing music.
He said it was not mandatory for all identifiable groups such as hairdressers, dressmakers, and bank officials to wear a black and red dress but they could wear them at their own wish in solidarity with the late chief.
He urged the residents to ignore the falsehood being peddled that the Swedruman council of chiefs would punish anyone who failed to put on black attire by paying a penalty of a ram, three bottles of schnapps and 500 Ghana cedis.
He said members of the Asafo company be deployed to comb the town to check recalcitrant residents who would not obey the instructions and arraign them before the Swedruman council of chiefs.
He disclosed that as part of the celebration of 40 days, the Swedruman council of chiefs in collaboration with civil society organisations and entire residents would undertake a massive clean-up exercise in Agona Swedru township.
He called on all citizenry to partake in the exercise to ensure a clean environment in the areas including Swedru Sports Stadium, main lorry park, principal streets of Swedru, Mandela market and central market before.
The Regent said the 40 days observation would enable the ASONA Royal family of late Nana Botwe who was also the Adotenhene of Nyakrom Traditional Area and Swedruman council of chiefs to fix a date for the final funeral rites of the late chief.
The Regent of Swedru said the Overlord of Agonaman, Okofo Katakyi Nyakoh Eku x, Omanhene of Nyakrom Traditional Area, Divisional chiefs and paramount Queen mothers would be in attendance to grace the occasion.
Nana Esieni said prominent personalities of Agonanman, who are in Kumasi, Accra, Sunyani and Takoradi, have been invited to help observe the day, saying that it would also serve as a homecoming to enable them to interact with them and discussed matters affecting the development of the town.
Similarly, the funeral committee had also extended invitations to Paramount and Divisional chiefs in the Gomoa Traditional Areas namely Akyempim and Assin to join them to mark the occasion.
He, therefore, appealed to the residents to desist from acts that would mar the beauty of the event.
The Regent commended the five-member funeral committee for their tireless efforts to ensure the success of the celebration.
