Anlo Afiadenyigba | |
|---|---|
  Anlo Afiadenyigba Location in Ghana | |
| Coordinates: 6°1′27.04″N0°59′0.79″E / 6.0241778°N 0.9835528°E | |
| Country |  Ghana |
| Region | Volta Region |
| District | Keta Municipal District |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | GMT |
Anlo Afiadenyigba is a town in the Volta Region of Ghana. The town is located on the eastern part of the Keta Lagoon.
The people of Anlo Afiadenyigba are descendants of the Anlo Ewe groups who settled in Anloga. The Anlo ancestors migrated from Notsie in central Togo in the mid –seventeenth century (Between the sea and the lagoon). The Anlo ancestors established several small settlements on the southern western and northern shores of the Keta Lagoon. These include Tegbi, Alakple, Kodzi in the south, Anyako to the west and Afiadenyigba is on the northern part.
The conflicts between the Anlo and Keta led to war in 1792 and Keta was razed to the ground. The people of Keta migrated east and founded the Somey State with Agbozume as its traditional capital, on some on land granted to them by Klikor. It was at this time that Salu also went to ask land from the Klikor people to settle on.
Etymology
Ewe adage: Afia deke nyigba mewoa nu na ame woduna o
To wit: No land produces its food. It is the people who must produce their food.
Most of the inhabitants are fisher folk who fish in the Keta Lagoon. The women trade in fried fish between Ghana and Togo. There is a salt mining when the northern part of the lagoon dies up. Some of the men are kente weavers who sell their work in Agbozume market. Production of coconut oil is common in the area which has a large coconut plantation.
Afiadenyigba has been noted for learning and performing many music dances. Fishermen who traveled out to Benin, Togo or Nigeria learnt many dances which they brought to the town. They go to other towns to teach such drums as Gahu Dance
A music and dance group found in the area is the Gadzo Group [1] founded by the late Mortoo Agbovor in 1939, named after war dance and drum rhythm performed by the community's forefathers as they migrated into Southeastern Ghana.
The town has the Anlo Afiadenyigba Secondary School. [2] [3] The school is a second cycle institution. [4]
There are four basic schools in Anlo Afiadenyigba which has a population of 6740.
| Name of School | Year Established | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Presbyterian Basic School | 1903 | Public School |
| Roman Catholic Basic School | 1926 | Public School |
| Dunenyo Basic School | 1980 | Private School |
| Agorsco Basic School | 2004 | Private School |
There are seven chiefs in the town. These are as follows.
| Division | Name of Chief | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Dziehe | Togbi Kwakutse Boafo | Dziehefia |
| Lagbati | Togbi Saba | Fomefia |
| Ablorme | Togbi Kadzahlo and Torgbi Ahorlu | Dufia, Fomefia |
| Kpornuga | Togbi Ekpe Subo, Togbi Avuworda and Torgbi Aglebe | Fomefia |
| Agbonuga | Togbi Kamu | Agbonugafia |
| Afiadenyigbaga | Togbi Salu | Dutor Fia |
| Nyravase | No chief | No Chief |
The town has three assembly members which represent the town at the Keta Municipal Assembly. These are as follows
| Name of Assembly Member | Area of Jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Hon Gilbert Keklie | Dziehe, Kpornuga, Ablorme, |
| Hon Amos Kwesi Ametsimey | Agbonuga and Afiadenyigbaga |
| Hon Jacob Onipayede | Nyravase and Tengekope |
Keta is a coastal town in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is the capital of the Keta Municipal District.
The Aja also spelled Adja are an ethnic group native to south-western Benin and south-eastern Togo. According to oral tradition, the Aja migrated to southern Benin in the 12th or 13th century from Tado on the Mono River, and c. 1600, three brothers, Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agbanlin, split the ruling of the region then occupied by the Aja amongst themselves: Kokpon took the capital city of Great Ardra, reigning over the Allada kingdom; Do-Aklin founded Abomey, which would become capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey; and Te-Agbanlin founded Little Ardra, also known as Ajatche, later called Porto Novo by Portuguese traders and the current capital city of Benin.
The Anlo Ewe are a sub-group of the Ewe people of approximately 6 million people, inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria, and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana; meanwhile, a majority of Ewe are located in the entire southern half of Togo and southwest Benin. They are a patrilineal society governed by a hierarchal, centralized authority. Their language is a dialect of the Ewe language, itself part of the Gbe language cluster. The Ewe religion is centered on the Supreme God, Mawu and several intermediate divinities. Christianity has been accepted in every part of Anlo Ewe land, with a minority of people still practicing traditional Vodun beliefs. The Vodu religion is slowly becoming a previous religion among the Anlo Ewes, with the youth of the community today practicing Christianity much more. However, those who still practice the Vodu religion also believe their tradition is a factor that keeps integrity and probit, while Christianity stands to pave way for integrity, honesty and probity to be washed away as years go by. It is for this reason that some Anlo Ewe people do away with Christianity when it comes to issues of accountability.
The Ewe people are a Gbe-speaking ethnic group. The largest population of Ewe people is in Ghana, and the second largest population is in Togo. They speak the Ewe language which belongs to the Gbe family of languages. They are related to other speakers of Gbe languages such as the Fon, Gen, Phla Phera, Gun, Maxi, and the Aja people of Togo, Benin and southwestern Nigeria.
Volta Region is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-ethnic and multilingual, including groups such as the Ewe, the Guan, and the Akan peoples. The Guan peoples include the Lolobi, Likpe, Akpafu, Buem, and Nkonya people. This region was carved out of the Volta Region in December 2018 by the New Patriotic Party. The people of the Volta Region are popularly known as Ewes. The people of the Volta Region are popular known for their rich cultural display and music some of which include Agbadza, Borborbor and Zigi.
Keta Lagoon, also called Anlo-Keta lagoon, is the largest of the over 90 lagoons that cover the 550 km stretch of the coastline of Ghana. This lagoon is 126.13 km in length. It is located in the eastern coast of Ghana and separated from the Gulf of Guinea by a narrow strip of sandbar. This open salty water is surrounded by flood plains and mangrove swamps. Together they form the Keta Lagoon Ramsar site which covers 1200 km2
Abor is a town in the Keta Municipal District of the Volta Region in southeast Ghana. Abor lies east of the Volta River and just north of the Keta Lagoon. Abor is known for Abor Senior High School, often referred to as ABORSCO. The school is a second cycle institution.
Anloga is a town in Keta District of the Volta Region in southeast Ghana. It lies east of the Volta River and just south of the Keta Lagoon. Anloga is the forty-seventh most populous town in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 35,933 people.
Agbozume or Klikor-Agbozume is a town in Ketu Municipal District in the Volta Region of southeastern Ghana. The main language spoken is the Ewe language.
Anyako is a town in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is bordered at the south by the Keta Lagoon. The inhabitants of the town mainly belong to the Ewe tribe. Tracing its establishment to a settlement founded by the Anlos during the migration from Notsie in present-day Togo. The town is the birthplace of Ghanaian-American artist El Anatsui. The town has had little to no growth over the past thirty years due to sea erosion which affected commercial activities.
The Hogbetsotso festival(pronounced Hogbechocho) is celebrated by the chiefs and people of Anlo in the Volta Region of Ghana. Some major Anlo towns include Anloga (capital), Keta, Kedzi, Vodza, Whuti, Srogboe, Tegbi, Dzita, Abor, Anlo Afiadenyigba, Anyako, Konu, Alakple, Atsito, Atiavi, Deʋegodo, Atorkor, Tsiame and many other villages. The festival is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in the month of November at Anloga, the customary and ritual capital of the Anlo state. The name of the festival is derived from the Ewe language and translates as the festival of exodus. or "coming from Hogbe (Notsie)". The celebration of the festival was instituted about four decades ago.
The Avenor Ewe are a sub-tribe of the Ewe people of Ghana. The origin of the name Avenor is not known.
Togbi Sri II (1862–1956) was the Awoamefia (ruler) of the Anlo people of South East Ghana from 1906 to 1956.
Alakple is a town in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana. This town is situated along the south western part of the Keta lagoon. The bust of the prominent African American boxer Muhammad Ali is planted at the junction along the Anloga and Dabala road. That road leads to Alakple. This town is prominent for the historical role it plays in the area. It is the home of the Nyigbla, 'god of war' who rode on horseback. The major clan in the town is Ameawo who are the custodians or clan responsible for nugbidodo 'settling disputes'. They are also believed to have control of all palm trees in Anloland. As custodians of Torgbi Nyigbla there are many taboos related to their dressing and food. for instance they are forbidden to wear shirts or blouse and sandals within the shrine.
Seva, Ghana is located in the Keta Lagoon in the Keta district now Municipal of Ghana. Seva is one of the islands forming the archipelago of the Keta Lagoon. It covers an area of approximately 2.7 square miles. This island is important as a bird-watching site because it is a stopover point for many migratory birds. The town has many attractions such as the sandy beaches, general cleanliness and local storytelling in Ewe. Historians are unable to determine a date for the founding of the town.
Nogokpo is a small village located in the Ketu South Municipal of the Volta Region of Ghana along the Trans–West African Coastal Highway.
Baëta is a surname of Portuguese language or Lusophone origin. The surname is common among an Anlo Ewe coastal family from Keta, Ghana and Lomé, Togo whose ancestors were Afro-Brazilian-Portuguese. Notable people with this surname include:
Shia is a town in the Ho Municipal District, a district of the Volta Region of Ghana.
Anloga District is one of the eighteen districts in Volta Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Keta District on 10 March 1989, which was created from the former Anlo District Council. However on 19 February 2019, the western part of the district was split off to create Anloga District as one of six districts inaugurated by the Akufo-Addo Government, thus the remaining part has been retained as Keta Municipal District. The district assembly is located in the southeast part of Volta Region and has Anloga as its capital town.
The Sagbadre War was a brief punitive expedition carried out by Denmark and its native allies against the Anlo Ewe.
5 Felix Kuadugah-contributor, Etymology of Anlo Afiadenyigba