Vice President John Dramani Mahama yesterday appealed to traditional authorities to promote positive traditional values by constantly educating the youth against the negative cultures they acquire from modern technology.

He said: “Although some of the traditions and cultures are now seen as inimical to development and humanity and therefore need to be abolished, there is also the need to maintain the positive ones such as respect for elders and civility in language among other examples.”

Vice President Mahama made this appeal during a durbar to climax the annual Asafosa festival of the chiefs and people of Mamfe-Akwapim in the Eastern Region.

The festival brings together sons and daughters of the place who bring palm wine from all families and pour into a common pot to be redistributed to all to drink.

The mixing and sharing of the palm wine symbolises the renewal of unity among all the families and households of the traditional area.

Vice President Mahama expressed concern about the fast eroding traditions and cultures, through westernization and modern education, but maintained that traditional authorities had the power to re-instate the good values through constant social gatherings such as festivals, funerals and traditional marriages.

He said chieftaincy disputes all over the country had reversed the development needs of affected communities and called on all regional houses of chiefs to find amicable settlements to disputes to open the floodgates for social and infrastructural development.

“We cannot continue with constant litigation to the detriment of our own development and that is why I want to appeal to all regional houses of chiefs to find lasting solutions to chieftaincy disputes in their various areas”, he added.

Vice President Mahama who also cut the sod for the construction of a new by-pass road in Mamfe, and school buildings at the Mamfe Methodist Girls Senior High and the Mamfe Presbyterian Junior High Schools called on parents to support teachers to educate their wards.

He said while government will provide the necessary environment such as building of schools and provision of teachers, parents also had the responsibility of taking care of the needs of their children to enable them to learn comfortably in school.

Osabarima Ansah Sasraku III, Paramount Chief of Mamfe appealed to government to establish a Vocational Institute to engage the youth, especially the boys, to acquire skills to become self-reliant and self-employed.

He explained that the current state whereby most of the boys are idling in the area is not helpful and that a vocational school can put an end to bad behaviour among the youth of the area as it will occupy their time profitably.

Dr Akyem Appiah-Kubi, Eastern Regional Minister appealed to chiefs and landlords in the Region to willingly release lands for development projects.

Source: GNA

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