Homowo Ban on Noisemaking: Ga Traditional Council Sets Restrictions for May 4 to June 4
- The Ga Traditional Council has shared the dates for the noisemaking ban ahead of the Homowo Festival
- Religious activities will be limited to premises, while loudspeakers and roadside evangelism are now off-limits during the ban
- A joint task force will enforce the ban, ensuring adherence to this cherished cultural tradition across the Ga State
The Ga Traditional Council has announced the 2026 ban on noisemaking within the Ga State.
The ban will run from Monday, May 4, to Thursday, June 4, 2026, ahead of the annual Homowo Festival.
President of the Ga-Dangme Council Nii Ayikoi Otoo announced the dates on March 26.
Source: UGC
Otoo, a former Attorney General, explained to the press that the use of microphones, clapping, tambourines and other musical instruments will be prohibited.
Religious institutions have also been directed to confine their activities within their premises, while the use of loudspeakers outside churches and mosques, as well as roadside evangelism with megaphones, has been banned for the period.
The directive applies within the Ga State. Areas like Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, Tema, Prampram and Kpone will announce their own specific dates for similar bans after May 4.
A joint task force working with the Regional Security Council and the Ghana Police Service will enforce the directive and prosecute offenders.
What is the Homowo festival?
The Homowo Festival commemorates the resilience of the Ga ethnic group during a famine that ravaged their region and the subsequent harvest. Homowo means 'hooting at hunger'.
The festival is normally preceded by a ban on noise-making. During the ban, clapping, the use of tambourines, loudspeakers and other musical instruments is prohibited.
Funeral rites and related activities are also suspended until one week after the ban is lifted.
Source: Twitter
The period of silence leading up to the festival serves as a time of reflection before the joyous celebrations commence.
In 2024, there was also a special pre-Homowo clean-up exercise. That was a one-month campaign themed 'Let’s Keep Accra Clean', and it was aimed at promoting sound waste management practices.
The Ga Mantse King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has warned against politicising the exercise and emphasised that sanitation affected everyone in Accra, regardless of political affiliation.
For the 2025 Homowo, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II visited the ancestral burial grounds of Ga traditional rulers at the King Tackie Tawiah Royal Mausoleum at Tesano.
The sacred ritual, known as 'Maamε', means 'a journey to the ancestral burial grounds'.
It is a royal tradition reserved for the Ga Mantse and is performed exactly one week after the celebration of the Ga Homowo festival.
Shatta Wale performs during Homowo Festival
YEN.com.gh also reported that dancehall superstar Shatta Wale set the crowd ablaze at the 2025 Homowo Festival when he boldly performed his viral track I Am Not Going to Jail This Year.
The artiste's performance was seen as a message about some of his legal challenges, with social media users praising his stage energy and others hailing him for turning his personal issues into art.
Source: YEN.com.gh
