The Aboakyir festival is a bushbuck hunting festival celebrated by the people of Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana.
The name ‘’Aboakyire’ translates as ‘hunting for game or animal’ in Fante dialect as spoken by the people of the Central region.
The institution of the festival was to commemorate the migration of Simpafo (tradition name given to the people of Winneba).
The people migrated from the North-eastern African town of Timbuktu in the ancient Western Sudan Empire to their present land in the central coast of Ghana.
It has been alleged that every year there are two clans, differentiate by Dentifo and Tuafo in their white and red colors, to go into the forest to capture a live deer and each team that wins attains the benedictions directly from the king.
Nevertheless, the Tuafo (white) clan regardless the effort of the red team to fuel their battle, went into the forest since last night to capture the live deer.
They made it a success and the king was allowed to step on it after their return to signify the glory of the Winneba culture and the true people of the town bolted from all corners of the town to see the beauty of such festival.
Meanwhile, the police have assured of the best security during the festive program.There are a lot of barriers to ensure the safety of the people during and after of the ceremony.
People from all walks of life are present to witness the respective festival and the atmosphere is more than fun; fueled with spiritual embracement of the true culture of the people of Winneba.
