The Ngmayem Festival, celebrated by the Manya Krobo community of Ghana, is one of the country’s most cherished cultural events. Held annually in October in Odumase Krobo, it marks the millet harvest and celebrates abundance after the crop season. This year, the 131st Ngmayem Festival includes vibrant ceremonies and cultural displays, uniting the Krobo people and attracting visitors to experience the traditions and spirit of the festival.
The festival traces its roots back to 1944 when Nene Azu Mate Kole, a prominent Krobo chief, established Ngmayem to replace the earlier Yeliyem festival, which celebrated the yam harvest. “Ngmayem” translates to “Eating the New Millet,” reflecting the significance of millet as a staple crop. This harvest-centric celebration is both a cultural expression and a time for thanksgiving, bonding the Krobo community through food, dance, and traditional rites.
Beyond the festivities, the Ngmayem Festival promotes development and unity. This year, a significant focus is on the construction of a new palace for the Manya Klo state. The palace project, aimed to be a cultural hub with spaces for heritage preservation, has received enthusiastic support through fundraising efforts. The theme, “Homecoming: Let’s Come Back Home to Build,” encourages the Krobo people, especially those abroad, to contribute to this initiative, uniting generations under a shared vision for the community's progress.
Musicians, local artisans, and guests contribute to the festival’s grandeur, displaying Krobo beads, art, and music. This year, Ghanaian highlife musician Eugenia Asabea Cropper performed, enhancing the cultural experience with songs that resonate deeply with Krobo heritage.
The Ngmayem Festival thus remains not only a celebration of tradition but a powerful reminder of the Krobo people’s heritage, fostering unity and cultural pride.
Homecoming
A Commissioner of Police, Francis Ebenezer Doku (retd), also known as Asafoatse Odjeblema Angmortey I, urged all Krobo sons and daughters living beyond the boundaries of the Krobo state, particularly those sojourning abroad to come home and join the ongoing effort to build the Manya Klo state.
He lauded the organisers for what he described as a progressive step and urged the gathering to cheerfully donate in support of the initiative.
Appreciation
The Konor of Manya Krobo, who doubles as the President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, Nene Sakite II, extolled his forebears, including Obliponi Odonkor Azu I, King Sakite I, Sir Emmanuel Mate-Kole I, and Oklemekuku Azzu Mate-Kole II, for showing the way and casting the solid foundation upon which the current generation now builds.
He said that the building of a modern and more befitting palace for the Manya Klo state had become necessary, and was glad that well-meaning Krobos and external donors were responding positively to his call to come back home and build.
“This new palace remains a monument and a testament to our collective effort to forge ahead; the beauty in unity which is being displayed through these initiatives is particularly refreshing,” he said.
Ghanaian female highlife musician and saxophonist of international repute, Eugenia Asabia Cropper, a native of Manya Krobo, who is well known for her Kente headgear and ever-popular song composed in Dangme ‘Wa Maa Ya Dorm’ (We Are Homebound), also graced the occasion and entertained the impressive array of guests with her beautiful songs.
Quality Krobo beads from Cedi Beads Industries, Odumase-Krobo, and paintings of Sharon Dede Padi of Padiki Arts, who attempted a Guinness World Record Longest Painting Marathon recently (Paint-A-Thon), were auctioned to support the fundraising effort.
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