GRi Feature 04 –
02 - 2003
FEOK: The ultimate
emancipation
By
Nurudeen M. Issahaq
About a
month ago, the chiefs and people of the Builsa Traditional Area in the Upper
East Region celebrated their annual “Feok” festival at Sandema. The durbar was
both impressive and colourful, with chiefs richly dressed in their traditional
smocks, amulets and talisman-clad headgear adding grace to the occasion.
In
attendance were people from far and near; prominent among them was His
Excellency Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Vice President. There were also other representatives
of Government, American Peace Corps volunteers, tourists and other expatriates.
There were, of course, bouts of customary drumming and dancing but what
thrilled the audience most was the popular war dance.
The
story of Feok is of great historical significance as it affects the destinies
of millions of people not only in
By
simple translation, “Feok” in the local Buli dialect, means abundance of food.
In this context, then, the festival becomes one of thanks-giving by which the
people of the area express thanks to God, their ancestors and the earth shrines
for seeing them through another year and a successful farming season.
The
climax of the festival is a public gathering bringing together chiefs, war
dancers, and singing groups from the villages in the Builsa area. The festival
commences with the pouring of libation to invoke the ancestors and shrines of
the land for an uneventful and peaceful celebration.
This is
followed by speeches by the Paramount Chief and key dignitaries present,
interspersed by a variety of musical performances. War dancers representing
various villages are given the floor to perform at this stage. Armed with
shields, spears, short axes, bows and arrows, they relive battle scenes from
yester-year. Scenes of resistance and the ultimate defeat of the marauding
warriors of Babatu.
Babatu
stands out for his prolonged career in slave raids and his prominent role in
the history of slavery in the
The
tide, however, turned against him when he entered Builsaland. He and his
warriors suffered a decisive defeat in the hands of the Builsa in the Battle of
Fiisa, bringing to an end his two-decade career. (Fiisa is the name of a
section of Sandema where the battle was fought).
Babatu
fled the Builsa area following this defeat, and later took refuge at Yendi in
the Northern Region, where he eventually died. Thus ended the life of the
notorious Zabarima slave raider whose name became synonymous with the human
trade in the Northern Territories.
Feok
has become the most significant event in the Builsa area in recent times,
giving the people a true sense of identity and solidarity. This is in direct
contrast to what pertained in the early years of the Builsa which were
characterised by mistrust, petty rivalry and intra-clan conflicts (a situation
that rendered them weak, vulnerable and easy prey for slave raiders).
It has
become a rallying point, an occasion that brings the people of Builsa together,
providing them with a forum to express their collective view on important
issues as embodied in the address often delivered by the Sandem-Nab. “When we
meet each year to remind ourselves of the courage and bravery of our ancestors,
we are at the same time drawing upon our spiritual and physical strengths to
meet modern challenges that have replaced slavery,” declared the aged and
venerable Sandem-Nab Ayieta Azantilow at the recent Feok celebration last
month. He said, “In place of Babatu and Samori, we have the twin brothers of
HIV/AIDS and underdevelopment,” adding that the challenges facing Builsa today
are more complex than marauding slave raiders.
The
impact of Feok is not confined to natives of Builsa alone. Outsiders too view
it as an event that connects them to the past. African-Americans, for example,
regard it as an occasion that enables them to come to terms with history and to
identify more easily with their African origins.
To the increasing
number of them who attend the festival each year, Feok depicts victory over the
collaborators of slave merchants. It is in deed a story of emancipation.
From
palace sources, a growing number of local scholars and expatriates have been
interviewing the Paramount Chief and prominent elders in Sandema about the
festival in recent times, which lends credence to the assertion that Feok is
rapidly catching the attention of the larger world public. Which brings to mind
the tourism aspect of the festival?
Builsaland
abounds with important landmarks of the slave trade era. There are the Fiisa
Shrine, slave routes, the slave market at Doninga, swords, spears and other
artefacts left behind by slave raiders and many other attractions that would
fascinate visitors both local and foreign. This side of the festival, however,
has not been given the required level of development and publicity even though
it is one area that could easily generate revenue for the District Assembly.
Any
lessons to be drawn from Feok? Yes. With determination, unity of purpose and
love for the nation, Ghanaians as a people can overcome the difficulties they
are presently going through. The same way as the people of Builsa came together
to defeat Babatu's army and redeem their land from the ever-present feeling of
insecurity posed by slave raiders.
GRi.../
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