Related Research Articles
Ewe is a language spoken by approximately 5 million people in West Africa, mainly in Ghana and Togo. Ewe is part of a group of related languages commonly called the Gbe languages. The other major Gbe language is Fon, which is mainly spoken in Benin. Like many African languages, Ewe is tonal as well as a possible member of the Niger-Congo family.
Keta is a coastal town in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is the capital of the Keta Municipal District.
The Aja or 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.
Tado is a village in south east Togo, near the border with Benin.
Ghana is a multilingual country in which about eighty languages are spoken. Of these, English, which was inherited from the colonial era, is the official language and lingua franca. Of the languages indigenous to Ghana, Akan is the most widely spoken in the south. Dagbani is most widely spoken in the north.
Fort Prinzenstein is a fort located at Keta, Ghana, which was used in the slave trade. Many such forts were built in Africa, but Prinzenstein is one of the few that lie east of the Volta River. Keta served as an open port until the Tema Harbour commenced its operation to the west in 1962. The fort has been designated a World Heritage Site because of its historical importance and testimony to the Atlantic slave trade.
The Anlo Youth Organisation was a political party that existed in the Gold Coast and later Ghana. It campaigned for the Ewe people under British rule to stay within Ghana after independence. It ended by merging with other parties to form a united opposition to the Convention People's Party.
Dzodze is a small town, the capital and administrative centre of Ketu North Municipality, a district in the south eastern corner of the Volta Region of Ghana. From the Exodus of the Ewe people, some of them arrived and stayed in Dzodze, in the Volta Region of Ghana after the fall of the wall of Notse. The natives speak Ewe (Eʋe) the main language in Dzodze. They are an Anlo-Ewe community. The traditional rhythm of this land is Agbadja, and Ageshe.
Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo was a Ghanaian religious minister, playwright and educator, founder of Zion College, the first secondary school in Ghana's Volta Region.
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
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.
Anlo Afiadenyigba is a town in the Volta Region of Ghana. The town is located on the eastern part of the Keta Lagoon.
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.
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.
Agbadza is an Ewe music and dance that evolved from the times of war into a very popular recreational dance. It came from a very old war dance called Atrikpui and usually performed by the Ewe people of the Volta Region of Ghana, particularly during the Hogbetsotso Festival, a celebration by the Anlo Ewe people. In addition, it is also performed by Togolese and Beninese of Ewe descent. The dance has five movements in performing it, 1. Banyinyi which is a short introductory in prayer to the gods and ancestors, 2. Vutsortsor which is the main dance, 3. Adzo- which is less energetic and only the master is made to drum along with Gankogui and Axatse, 4. Hatsatsa- historical songs are performed along with Gankogui and Atoke, 5. Vutsortsor- finally, another round of the main dance which usually last for a number of hours. Gankogui is an instrument in a form of a bell where a stick is used to play. Atoke is also an iron banana shaped bell and played with a small forged iron rod. The Atoke can be used in place of the Gankogui they are both used for the same purpose.
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.
References
- ↑ Kumassah, Agbotadua (2009). The migration saga of the Anlo-Ewes of Ghana (2nd ed.).
- ↑ "The Awoamezi And Kaklaku Stools Of Anlo: Origin & History". August 5, 2003. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ↑ Wyllie, R. W. (1977). "Kponoe and the Tado Stool: A Problem in the Interpretation of the Anlo Migration Tradition (Ghana/Togo)". Anthropos. 72 (1/2): 119–128.
- ↑ "New Awomefia For Anlo Installed". February 23, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2018.