The Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Major (Rtd) Dr. Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, has demonstrated his support for the annual Yagbon Damba festival with a donation of food items to the Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, Yagbonwura Bii-kunuto Jewu Soale I.
The donation, made ahead of this year’s Yagbon Damba celebration, comprised 50 bags of rice, 15 cartons of cooking oil, several cartons of mackerel and bags of sugar.
The items were presented on behalf of the NADMO Director-General by the Savannah Regional Director of NADMO, Mr. Zakaria Mahama, in a gesture aimed at supporting the traditional authority and contributing to the successful celebration of one of the most significant traditional festivals in Gonjaland.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Gonja Kingdom, Yagbonwura Bii-kunuto Jewu Soale I expressed his appreciation to Major (Rtd) Dr. Kuyon for the gesture, describing it as a demonstration of goodwill, respect and solidarity towards the Yagbonwura, the Gonja traditional authority and the people of Gonjaland.
The Yagbon Damba festival, one of the major traditional and cultural celebrations of the Gonja Kingdom, is scheduled to take place from Thursday, August 27, to Sunday, August 30, 2026.
The four-day celebration will bring together traditional rulers, government officials, dignitaries, sons and daughters of Gonjaland, as well as visitors from across Ghana and beyond to celebrate Gonja culture, tradition and heritage.
The festival will officially commence on Thursday, August 27, with the arrival of guests and dignitaries.
On Friday, August 28, the traditional picking of rice will take place, while Saturday, August 29, will feature the slaughtering of the Damba festival cow in the morning, followed by the traditional Damba dance, which will continue throughout the night until daybreak.
The celebration will reach its grand climax on Sunday, August 30, with a grand durbar of chiefs, government officials, invited guests and the people of Gonjaland.
The support from the NADMO Director-General is therefore expected to add to the preparations for the festival while reinforcing the importance of Yagbon Damba as a major platform for preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Gonja Kingdom.
The gesture also highlights the growing recognition of the Yagbon Damba festival as an important cultural event that brings together traditional leadership, government, communities and the wider public in celebration of Gonja identity and heritage.
Source: nkilgifm.com
