25/07/2025
EWUDU: A CALL TO RETURN TO PURPOSE
Abeiku Okai
Today, Senya Beraku observes the Ewudu mini festival—a sacred and ancestral moment marking the beginning of the ban on drumming and the official commencement of the planting season. Ewudu, literally meaning millet (ewu) planting (du), is the period in which the first millet is planted and farmers are permitted to begin cultivation.
Yet, two major concerns surround the modern observance of this important tradition.
Firstly, Ewudu has gradually lost its original significance. Once a festival deeply rooted in purpose—renewing the community’s focus on agriculture, hard work, and productivity—it has now been reduced to a ritualistic formality. The intent of our ancestors has been overshadowed by ceremony, lacking the vibrancy and depth that once inspired collective responsibility in ancient times. We have failed to harness this occasion for tourism, to encourage entrepreneurship, or to reignite the communal spirit of farming and enterprise that the season once inspired.
Secondly, the festival has become disconnected from the very crop it was instituted to honour: millet. Our ancestors planted millet—not maize. Millet was chosen not only for its adaptability but for its profound nutritional value, offering health benefits such as regulating blood sugar levels and helping to combat conditions like diabetes and hypertension. In contrast, maize—introduced through colonial influence—has now replaced millet in all fields, despite its lower nutritional content and limited alignment with our traditional agricultural heritage. This transition represents more than a change in crops; it reflects a cultural and spiritual shift away from the wisdom of our forebears.
Beyond these two issues lies a broader question of timing and order.
The mini festivals of Apiriba (early harvest or first fruits) and Ijodi (yam festival) are meant to follow Ewudu—not precede it. It is inconsistent with our ancestral calendar to celebrate harvest festivals—Apiriba in June and Ijodi in July—before recognizing the planting season. Doing so is akin to constructing a roof before laying a foundation. Our ancestors developed a well-structured agricultural system culminating in the Akomase festival—a celebration not merely of religious tradition, but of agricultural science, economic principles, and food security.
This distortion of the calendar raises an important question: Should Ewudu be restored to its original season in May, just as our Ga-Adangme and Obutu brothers have maintained? Historically, the festival was observed from May to August, with a three-month ban on drumming to encourage discipline, hard work and community focus. Over time, this period was shortened to three weeks, particularly under the leadership of the late Ipi Kow Nkensenyi Arkaah, who requested the adjustment—a move that was, in many ways, necessary and helpful, and should be maintained.
However, the shift in timing—from May to late July—appears to have been made without full consideration of the ancestral order and the deeper system of which Ewudu was a part—a system that preserved the land and protected the people from famine and hardship.
Most importantly, it must be emphasized that Ewudu was never just a religious ritual. It was a call to hard work, a communal strategy to stir the people into action—planting, planning, and building. It was a season designed to reawaken the economy of the land. This should not only be a time for cultural observance but also one for entrepreneurial engagement. It is an ideal period to host business forums, farming exhibitions, youth empowerment programs, and conferences on innovation and productivity. These contemporary expressions of our ancestral values would restore real meaning to Ewudu in today’s context.
If we truly care about our ancestors and their legacy, then we must honour not only their practices, but also their intentions. Otherwise, we risk turning Ewudu into a beautiful shell with no life inside—like a tortoise without its spirit.
To preserve the wisdom of our heritage, we must ask the difficult questions, revisit our roots, and revive the deeper meanings behind our festivals. Let Ewudu live again—not just as a date on the calendar, but as a season of purpose, discipline, and enterprise.
A concerned citizen:
*Abeiku Okai*
📞 (+233) 024 928 7855
