The ban on drumming and noise-making is an ancient ritual with far-reaching restrictions on dwellers of the land, whether natives or immigrants.

It may be one of the very few ancient decrees that have survived the so-called modernism on the continent of Africa, and so whenever the Ga state declares the ban, it is embraced with joy and jollity, particularly by persons suffering from phonophobia and other head conditions.

During the 30-day period of the ban, residents of the Ga state, irrespective of their residential status, permanent or visiting, are obliged to strictly comply with the prohibition on drumming and making noise.

The ban is extended to churches too.

Not even mobile preachers who spread the word through megaphones are given exemptions. Disk jockeys (DJs) are also banned from carrying out their trade, which is arguably the leading contributor to noise pollution. Also during the ban, tipper truck drivers are barred from needlessly honking within a mile radius.

The only group that has an exemption from the ancient decree is Muslims.

Muslims are given the exclusive privilege to carry out the call to prayer aspect of their five times daily prayers.

The gods have good reasons for the exception.

Noise pollution, though largely overlooked in this part of the world, has consequential effects on the health of those who deliberately or inadvertently expose themselves to it.

It disrupts sleep, causes hearing impairment, and stress. Some have even suggested that noise pollution causes high blood pressure and heart disease.

It’s even worse.

Noise pollution has been identified as the main trigger of panic and anxiety among persons suffering from phonophobia (when loud noises can feel overwhelming and cause panic and anxiety).

The ancient gods of the Ga state may have taken a note of wisdom from their medical journal to decree and uphold centuries ago the ban on drumming and noise-making.

As someone still healing from the head injury I suffered in 2018 in the line of duty, which I guess is public knowledge, I always count down to the period and am always elated when it’s in effect because the pub that sits adjacent to my house across the street, which denies me sound sleep on off days and weekends, religiously adheres to the order throughout the period, and I love it.

The problem, however, is that the moment the thirty-day ban is lifted, it is as though the noisemakers want to make up for all the days they were compelled not to make noise.

Pub operators, mobile preachers, and information centers/community radio stations try to reach their crescendo within the morning of the first post-ban day.

Some rascal tipper truck drivers needlessly honk on the streets just to show off and make up for the lost time.

Although Muslims are exempted from the ban and are allowed to call worshippers to prayers using their public announcement systems, some of the mosques out of reverence, tend to reduce the volume on their PAs. Some of them are quick to amplify to pre-ban levels when the ban is lifted.

As a non-Christian, I could tell that the energy level and enthusiasm of worshippers, particularly instrumentalists, on the first Saturday or Sunday after the ban in churches within the mile radius of the ancient decree goes a notch higher.

I can speculate and say that the drummers, having missed the drums for thirty days, were beating their drums harder and with much more energy than usual; and understandably so.

Because I could tell, sitting under the mango tree in my house, that the sound level of the instruments being played in the churches that surround my house was higher than the usual sound before the ban.

That said, if I were there in the days of old when the gods of the Ga state assembled to draft the decree on drumming and noise-making, I would have offered additional tons of cowries, eggs, local gin, and sprinkled more kpekple to the gods to motivate them to look deeper into their medical journal. I am certain they would have found additional justifiable reasons to increase the period of the ban beyond thirty days to about a hundred days.

How therapeutic it would have been.

The traditional leaders announced six weeks ban ahead of the Odwira festival celebration on the 12th to 18th September.

However, a one-week funeral observation of the family head of the Queen mother for the Okuapem Traditional Area was held amidst drumming.

The event was disrupted by the Baamuhene of Akropong, Nana Afari Bampoe, who marched his traditional warriors to the venue.

This led to a violent confrontation and one of the celebrants was shot in the leg before the police arrived at the scene to ensure calm.

The victim was rushed to the Tetteh Quarshie Hospital before being referred to the 37 Military Hospital.

Meanwhile, there is still tension in the traditional area after some groups of men besieged the premises of the Baamuhene for attempted revenge but the Police were in control of the situation.

The court presided over by Mr Festus Fovi Nukunu slapped the fine on the accused after he pleaded guilty to the charges of failing to obtain a sanitation report.

The prosecution, led by Issah Al-Hassan, said the accused is the founder and Head Pastor of God’s Shield Gospel Ministry at Adjei Kojo Kanewu.

On June 18, 2021, a complaint of noise nuisance was lodged by some aggrieved residents against the accused person.

The prosecution told the court that a team of Environmental Health and Sanitation Officers (EHOs) was tasked to investigate and take appropriate action.

On the same day June 18, 2021, a team of EHOs commenced an investigation into the said allegation

According to the prosecution, the fact of the case was that the church, a rented temporal structure without soundproof, was sited within a residential community.

The prosecution explained that the church had been organising weekday and weekend church activities with loud sounds emanating from a public address system to the annoyance of residents in the neighbourhood.

The prosecution said it was operating without Suitability Health Report and Sanitation permit covering the church and its activities from the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit.

The accused person’s attention was drawn to the breach and he admitted the offence.

Statutory notice was served on the accused person to abate the nuisances but failed to comply with an order to suspend the weekday church activities as well as stop the use of the sound system and regulate Sunday church activities and report for further inquiries and discussions.

The Head Pastor reported on June 21, 2021, and told the team that they had stopped making noise.

However, a few days later the residents came back to the office with a documented petition which was submitted to the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Tema West Municipal Assembly’s Administration Office on August 11, 2021, emphasizing the failure of the church to adhere to local authority’s advice.

Hence, the court summons was applied for and served on the local pastor to appear before the court.

The churches include the Abeka and Odorkor branches of the Church of Pentecost, the Darkuman branch of  LightHouse chapel among others.

The task force took the instruments of the churches away after they stormed the worship centres on Sunday.

The one-month ban in the Ga state is on any form of noisemaking, including the use of loudspeakers, drumming, playing of all other musical instruments and clapping of hands.

The ban is a very significant event in the run-up to the revered annual traditional Homowo festival of the Ga people.

According to the custodians of the Ga customs and traditions, during this period, the Ga state fasts and prays for rainfall, a bountiful harvest and good tidings.