Hogbetsotso Festival is a vibrant annual celebration held by the chiefs and people of Anlo ethnicity residing in the Volta Region of Ghana. ‘Hogbe’ means exodus and ‘tso’ means gathering in one place. The festival commemorates the legendary migration of Ewe ancestors from Notsie in present-day Togo to their ancestral home in Anlo land about four centuries ago. It is marked by giving thanks, historical re-enactments, poetry recitals, ritual cleansings, drumming, dancing and feasting on speciality dishes. There are many socio-cultural and economic reasons why the Hogbetsotso Festival holds great significance for preserving identity and uplifting local tourism.
Upholds Ewe Identity & Cultural Heritage
Hogbetsotso serves as an important medium for the Anlo sub-tribe of Ewes to reinforce and preserve their unique culture, oral history and traditions over generations. The festival emphasises the Ewe values of kinship, unity, resilience, customary beliefs and continuity with the past through various ritualistic and performative activities:
- Spiritual rituals & customs: Purification rituals by voodoo priests, visiting graves of ancestors to pay homage, ritual outpours of libation to the gods through palm wine, presenting customary gifts like schnapps, fowls, eggs, kola nuts to appease deities and chiefs.
- Poetry, folklore & mythology recitals: Narrations, dramatisation and invocational chants highlighting Ewe folklore, fables, proverbs, songs and migration history through hourly poetry recitals, impromptu skits and musical renditions by community bards dressed as tribal elders. A core highlight is a recreation of their ancestor’s escape from Notsie under hostile conditions to resettle in Anlo land.
- Traditional arts & crafts exhibitions: Skilled displays of quintessential Ewe arts, textiles, clothing like kente, adanudo shirts, traditional footwear; handicrafts like bead-making, and straw weaving; as well as modern artworks themed around Ewe cultural motifs.
- Culinary heritage: Public preparation and mass feasting on speciality dishes like ‘akple’ (fermented corn dough), ‘sorghum mush’, roasted fresh corn crop, ‘etsew’ (boiled sweet potatoes), palm nut soups etc using olden cooking techniques which handlers are eager to teach tourists.
- Dances, drums & musical arts: Cultural performances showcasing uniquely Ewe dance routines like atsia, toka, mila performed in circles to signify community; traditional ‘agbekor’ hunters’ dance depicting warfare victories; and signature ‘Bobobo’ percussion music played on oval single-headed drums, rattles and gourd sistra instruments during processions.
Through spectacular exhibitions of oral traditions, mystic customs, indigenous food and art forms, the Hogbetsotso festival allows locals and foreign visitors to gain insight into the archetypical Ewe worldview centred around rich folklore, kin ties and values of social harmony. By re-enacting the legendary migration history annually, it also builds collective identity and emphasises the unity of all Ewes diaspora currently living across Ghana, Togo or other nations to uphold their common cultural lineage.
Strengthens Social Relations Between Sub-Ewe Tribes
Hogbetsotso fosters better relationships, affinity and social cohesion between the diverse sub-Ewe tribal clans like Anlos, Tongus, Pekis and Akatsis.
During the week-long celebrations, important Ewe chiefs, traditional drummers, cultural dance troops and other representatives from over 100 Ewe towns and villages make it a point to participate in the:
- Grand durbar of chiefs where the revered chiefs of all Ewe tribes convene for customary ceremonies, dispute resolutions, welfare discussions and unanimous decision-making through their councils to resolve matters affecting general Anlo land development.
- A grand parade where contingents from each Ewe sub-tribe turn up sporting their signature kente clothes, and handwoven smocks and executing their traditional music performances. Members from each sub-tribe take turns to flaunt their own cultural nuances through welcoming songs when passing the paramount chiefs and huge crowds gathered.
This provides opportunity for prominent leaders and ordinary tribespeople to bond, foster future alliances and jointly decide on economic or political matters related to progress in Anlo land. They also hold grief reconciliation session to address old rifts between clans which may have erupted from previous years.
The lively annual festivities bring feeling of fellowship and emphasizes camaderie across all lower Ewe sub-divisions while keeping tribal identities intact. In recent times, focus has been on reviving cordial ties between inland Peki Ewes and coastal Anlo Ewes which have eroded over time due to modernity influences and spatial separation. Overall, execution of Hogbetsotso Festival in Anloga pivots tribal cooperation to resolve community issues.
Showcases Ewe Culture & Attracts Tourism
Hogbetsotso Festival has increasingly received global attention making it Ghana’s most thriving tourist attraction after Aboakyir Festival. Hundreds of foreign tourists, diaspora Ewes and visitors from across West Africa and Europe make it a point to attend the Anloga festival every year to catch glimpse of the unrivalled display of Ewe cultural heritage through various activities mentioned earlier.
The peak point is the Keta School Reunion held on the eve of main Hogbetsotso day. This event sees Ewe diaspora members from all over the world who once studied in Keta gather for merrymaking dressed in trendy kente apparels and relive nostalgic school days through highlife music, group dances and poetry chants – all in Ewe language.
Seeing white tourists and global citizens happily immersed in enjoying authentic Ewe culture, traditions and lively atmosphere adds to the excitement and social harmony. Such huge tourist inflows generate direct and indirect revenue gains for local businesses:
- Small businesses and vendors in the host community make handsome sales from operating rows of stalls selling various inventories – handicraft items like Ewe kente strips, straw fans, beads, artworks themed on Ewe mythology, as well as utility items like traditional apparel, footwear, skin care products, herbal medicines, pickles, head-wraps that visitors find appealing.
- Local residents earn supplementary income by providing affordable homestays. Their homes are booked by budget tourists, especially diaspora Ewes. Locals also make money from renting rooms, vehicles, benches or open space areas to street-side vendors.
- Major tourism enterprises like premium hotels, lodges, taxis and restaurants located in the Anloga–Keta–Ada corridor benefit from heavy bookings, sales and visibility during massive tourist influx. It enables them to cash in and bridge their seasonal revenue variations and off-peak phase.
Government agencies like Ghana Tourism Authority also strategically promote other tourist destinations in Volta region like mountain trails, heritage buildings, former slave routes, beach resorts and hilltop forts to boost overall tourism footprint from Hogbetsotso spillover effect. This brings direct and indirect gains for multiple local businesses thereby uplifting livelihoods of ordinary citizens through tourism activity encouraged by the festival.
Improves Infrastructure & Community Investments
In recent years, Hogbetsotso Festival has been able to attract government support and corporate social responsibility funds towards the celebration as well as improving facilities in the host village like Anloga.
Notable contributions include:
- Upgrading and renewal of roads, water pipelines and electricity supplies.
- Refurbishing the durbar grounds, parks and market areas.
- Boosting safety measures like CCTVs, security patrols, first-aid care.
- Improving sanitation through public garbage bins, mobile toilets.
- Setting up projectors, screens and technology equipment for cultural projections.
Several companies like telecom provider MTN Ghana, agricultural input manufacturer Chemico and Ghana Cocoa Board have provided sponsorship towards event logistics, publicity and facilitation of poetry and debate competitions on Ewe heritage for school children in the region.
Banks like Ecobank, Standard Chartered Bank and Barclays Bank have funded renovation projects in schools and textile research centers located around Keta and Anloga area as part of their corporate social responsibility activity timed with the festival period.
These initiatives uplift the area’s amenities that can facilitate tourism activity beyond just the Homowo week itself. It directly benefits both visitors and citizens residing in those parts to enjoy upgraded infrastructure.
Key Milestones & Notable Moments
Below are some of the key milestones in the Hogbetsotso Festival’s evolution, growing fame and notable incidents over the past nine decades:
| Year | Highlights |
|---|---|
| 1929 | Earliest written records of Hogbetsotso festival celebrations, gatherings and customs first officially documented by British administrators. |
| 1936 | First ever photographic evidence of Hogbetsotso rituals and durbar processions captured. |
| 1974 | A larger, grander state-organized Hogbetsotso event hosted nearly 60,000 locals and foreign dignitaries over expanded 6-day schedule based on Ghana Tourism Board advisory. |
| 1992 | Hogbetsotsoza Heritage and Cultural Foundation formed by Ewe chieftains and intellectuals to preserve customs, improve festival infrastructure and publish literature to promote Ewe traditions. |
| **2007 ** | Ghana Government endorsed celebrations of 2007 Hogbetsotso edition as part of Ghana’s 50th independence anniversary due to its tourism revenue potential. Special cultural troops from across Ghana were invited to perform. |
| 2018 | Key African American guests and special diaspora Ewe contingents attended 2018 Hogbetsotso festival to mark the 400th year remembrance of Ewe exodus based on revised historical records. |
| 2022 | Controversial demands for creation of a separate Ewe-majority Western Togoland state and perceived marginalization of Volta region raised by Ewe chiefs during Hogbetsotso grand durbar ceremonies. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, Hogbetsotso Festival serves as the hallmark event and highpoint in calendar of the Anlo Ewes where oral, artistic and performative traditions reinforce their common cultural ethnicity and folklore heritage. The flamboyant annual Anloga festival has moved beyond just strengthening Ewe unity across Ghana-Togo borderlands to gaining mainstream popularity nationally and internationally.
As Hogbetsotso witnesses growing tourist interest, it carries immense potential to make Anlo land and the Volta region a major cultural tourism niche destination while keeping colorful Ewe civilizational heritage alive. The associated economic benefits through stimulation of local enterprises is a welcome boon for uplifting livelihoods of ordinary citizens.
