Four flagbearer aspirants of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) stormed Anloga in the Volta Region for the grand durbar of chiefs and people of Anlo to crown the 2018 Hogbetstso Za.
The four, former President John Mahama; Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin; former Trade Minister Ekwow Spio-Garbrah; and former NIHA Boss Sylvester Mensah were capture in photos exchanging pleasantries with the Chiefs and engaging hearty chats with their fellow aspirants.
Hogbetsotso Za in brief:
Hogbetsotso Festival is celebrated by the people of Anlo in the Volta Region of Ghana. The celebration starts in the month of November at Anloga, which is the traditional and ritual capital of the Anlo state. Festival is a day that unfolds Ewe history and brings to play the memories of legendary exodus and heroic acts of men of boldness and their mystical powers that liberated the Ewe-Dogbo people from the rule of tyrant King of Kings Torgbui Agorkorli of Nortsie in Togo.
The event brings together all the chiefs and elders of Anlo-land at a colourful durbar to mark the annual event in the Volta Region.
‘HOGBETSOTSO’ is derived from the word ‘HOGBE’ or ‘HOHOGBE’ the day of exodus, the moment in time when the Ewes in the Dogbo quarter of the walled city of Nortsie in Togo.
According to historians, the original home of all Ewes of which the Anlo people form part, is traced traditionally to Oyo in Western Nigeria from where they migrated to their present country in the seventeenth century. There is ample evidence to prove that the Ewes stayed in Nigeria. Cultural traits of the Yoruba people can be traced among the Ewes of Anlo which is clearly evidenced in musical forms.