ABNORMAL! In This Ghanaian Festival, Men Dress As Women And Vice Versa To Rid People Of Social Evils

Ghana is home to a vast range of tribes including the Akan, Ga, and Ewe people. Numerous cultural festivals take place throughout the year and give opportunities to see ancient rituals performed in the modern age.

The Ga people’s Homowo Festival, held in commemoration of serious famine, begins with a ban on stereo music. The tribe does this in appeasement to the traditional gods.

However, one of the most unusual of festivals in Ghana would be in Techiman during the Apoo Festival where men dress as women and vice versa in a celebration meant to rid people of social evils.

Apoo festival is usually celebrated in the month of March but extends into the month of April. Apoo comes from the root word ‘Po’, meaning ‘to reject’.

In context, Apoo means the rejection of evil, abominations, calamities, curses, worries, and other forms of social menaces. During the celebration, the people concentrate on purifying themselves and the land of their sins.

The significance of the festival is to gain favour from the royal ancestors to ensure a bumper harvest at the end of the year.

There is a period set aside when anyone from the area provides feedback to whoever has offended him or her; insinuations are cast on the evil doings of some of the citizens. The Chief and his people are also brought under scrutiny and are provided with ideas for improvement.

The festival is climaxed with Nananom of Techiman Traditional Council dancing to Apoo music.

One of the highlights of the festival is ‘Hyereko’ (Collection of white clay). This is when white clay collected from the Aponkosu River, is used to decorate the shrines in the traditional area, while the priests/priestesses also use the clay when they are possessed by spirits.

The Apoo Festival is celebrated annually in Ghanaian towns like Techiman, Nkoranza and Wenchi in April/May. Like most Ghanaian festival, it is also a time that citizens both home and abroad come together to undertake community projects.