Aboakyer: A traditional festival in decline

Abstract

Over the last two decades, events have assumed increased significance in Ghana’s tourism industry as new events are added every year. Meanwhile, centuries-old festivals such as Aboakyer, face decline even before a systematic framework for analysing events as tourism products is propounded. This study proposes the ‘festivals-as-products’ framework and applies that to investigate the underlying causes of the decline of Aboakyer and the chances of its revival, using qualitative data. Loss of habitat, protracted chieftaincy feud and demise of the asafo institution were the key causes. Two suggestions to stem the tide were either devising a new mode of appeasing the gods or using reared but still hunted game for the rituals. In either case, Aboakyer, literally, ‘animal hunt,’ loses its excitement but there still remains a festival to be celebrated.