REBRANDING THE AESTHETICS AND THE PRESERVATIVE QUALITIES OF OHUM FESTIVAL

ABSTRACT

Festivals are integral parts of our culture as a people. During these festive occasions, art forms are celebrated too since their roles are indispensable. The festival embraces the community, raising them onto a plane marked by aesthetics, spiritual and social values. The aesthetic values and preservative qualities of Ohum festivals cannot be relegated to the background. This thesis set out to document the history of Ohum festival, art forms used their roles, aesthetic and preservative qualities they possess and how they could be preserved and promoted. This research attempted to use qualitative research approach to delve into the issue with tools such as interviews and participant observations and came out with data which was analysed and findings discussed. The people of Akyem Tafo are believed to be the first inhabitant on the Akyem Abuakwa land hence custodians of the Ohum festival rituals and rites which aims to mark the anniversary of people, honour ancestors for blessings bestowed on them in the form of bountiful harvest, protection and well-being and for blessings the year ahead. The indispensability of the arts cannot be overemphasised. The glamour of the festival is by virtue of the aesthetics these art forms possess. Festivals are recurrent and hence preservative by themselves. The most salient way to preserve these arts and the festival is by effective documentation, education, promotion, transmission of culture and traditions, full participation by all, proper maintenance culture and other methods of preservation; this in a way will rebrand the festival and give it a facelift. The accumulated actions and artifacts of our expressive lives are our most vital threads to who we were, who we are, and who we might become. Beyond our children, they are the most compelling evidence that we ever existed at all.