The paramount chief noted with regret the recent incidents that led to the cancellation of the grand durbar that climaxes the annual Kente Festival of Agortime.

[contextly_sidebar id=”UUVcCI0Aq4GuACGwhY306Q1WVjCXMAFa”]Nene Nuer Keteku said the entire Paramountcy was taken aback by the resurrection of a chieftaincy dispute which they all thought had been fully resolved and consolidated by a feast held at his palace earlier this year.

He said although the chieftaincy institution is generally revered as custodian of the peoples’ culture, the overgrowing interests of certain individuals in the system is crushing its core mandates and derailing efforts that promote relevant elements of culture.

“The festival is for the youth, and if we don’t empower the youth to take charge, it won’t help us. All festivals that depend on Chiefs are bedeviled with challenges. Other traditional areas praise us for not leaving the organization of our festival in the hands of chiefs because of the recent chieftaincy dispute in the area, people are riding on it to cause troubles in the area which I would not allow” he stated.

The visibly disappointed chief has apologized to patrons of the festival for the inconvenience caused, and pledged to as a matter of urgency resolve the impasse among his sub chiefs.

He therefore warned his subjects not to adulterate the beauty of the Kente festival with needless chieftaincy disputes.

He said his outfit would continue to preserve and protect the festival, and would not allow chieftaincy issues to affect the Kente festival, and would continue to empower the youth to fully take charge of its organization.

“Whether chieftaincy or no chieftaincy, we did not back this festival with chieftaincy matters. At the helm of affairs, the planning of the festival is put in the hands of the youth, and they are doing marvelously well. So long as I live, we would not entertain anyone who brings chieftaincy into the festival.  The youth would continue to organize the festival”. he maintained.

He commended the current members of the planning committee led by Mr. Eddie Akotey for bringing innovations into the festival and taking it a notch higher.

“The present committee did marvelously well because we have just been celebrating the festival without any results. But now, the palace is being constructed, the kente market construction is in progress; meaning we are now gaining something from the efforts of the present committee.”

 The grand durbar of the annual festival, which sees patrons converge on Kpetoe to celebrate the beautiful Ghanaian cloth and promote the area’s culture, was called off at the eleventh hour for reasons organizers gave as the failure of the Paramount Chief, Nene Nuer Keteku, to resolve an outstanding chieftaincy dispute.

The abrupt cancellation the planning committee said, was to safeguard peace and security in the area.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the planning committee, told Citi News they are working closely with the chiefs and elders of the traditional area to bring a lasting solution to the problems to avert future disappointments.

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By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The BBC understands that Ford, 71, broke his ankle in an incident involving a door at Pinewood Studios.

The Hollywood actor, who starred as Han Solo in the original three Star Wars films and is currently filming the new Episode VII sequel, was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford.

A spokesman for Lucasfilm said filming would continue while he recuperates.

“Harrison Ford sustained an ankle injury during filming today on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII. He was taken to a local hospital and is receiving care.

“Shooting will continue as planned while he recuperates,” a statement from the production company Lucasfilm said on Thursday night.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police confirmed officers had been called to the studio, near London, just after 17:00 BST to reports a 71-year-old man had been injured in an incident involving a garage door.

“The man was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital with injuries which are not believed to be life threatening. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating,” the force said.

New trilogy

A spokeswoman for South Central Ambulance Service said they were called to an incident involving “a door that had fallen.”

Ford is set to be joined in the film by fellow original Star Wars series cast mates Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew.

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow are also starring.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be the first in a new trilogy of films.

Chancellor George Osborne earlier said the decision to shoot Episode VII in the UK was “testament to the incredible talent in Britain” and meant “more jobs and more investment”.

Source: BBC

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