The Okere Youth Association has rejected an alleged directive from Akropong seeking to impose a ban on noise-making, known locally as “Addae Butuw,” across the entire Akuapem enclave.
In a statement signed by the Acting Secretary of the association, George Darko, the group said it had seen notices circulating suggesting that Akropong had issued an order banning noise-making across Akuapem, although it had not seen any official statement confirming the directive.
The association’s concerns intensified following reports that some settlers at Akropong allegedly attacked natives of Abiriw over claims that they had breached the supposed noise-making directive.
The Okere Youth Association described the reported incident as shocking and said it stood with the people of Abiriw.
“We want to place on record that a settler has no powers to issue directives or instructions to natives,” the statement said.
The association further argued that Akropong, which it described as a settler community within Akuapem, had no authority to issue directives covering the entire Akuapem enclave.
It therefore called on chiefs and citizens across Okere to disregard what it described as directives coming from Akropong and to continue with their daily activities in accordance with the law.
The association also used the statement to present its version of the history of Akuapem, claiming that the entire Akuapem land is owned by the people of Okere and Larteh, whom it identified as Guans.
According to the group, Akropong, Aburi and Amanokrom were communities whose people were permitted to settle on the land by the indigenous people.
The association questioned why Akropong holds the Akuapem Paramountcy if, according to its account, the people of Akropong were settlers.
It alleged that the Paramountcy was created during the colonial period as part of the British administration’s “divide and rule” system, arguing that the colonial authorities supported the establishment of a Paramountcy involving settlers.
The group also rejected accounts suggesting that Akyem people became Paramount Chiefs because they were not paid after assisting the Guans in a war against the Akwamu.
The statement argued that other groups, including people from Krobo and Ga, also assisted in the war but returned to their respective communities afterwards.
“We know Akropong has been peddling a lot of falsehoods for so many years so people think what they have been saying is true but what we want people to know is that it is not the settler who tells the story of the natives,” the association stated.
“When you come help me fight a war, you are not the one to tell my story to the world,” it added.
The Okere Youth Association said it rejected the Akropong Paramountcy and anything it described as directives emanating from it.
“We the Youth of Okere stand together and we will resist any attempts to impose Akropong on us and we are asking our Chiefs to desist from having anything to do with Akropong henceforth,” the statement said.
The group called for an Okere that governs itself rather than being ruled by what it described as a settler community.
It, however, stressed that it did not want conflict with any group.
“We don’t want a fight with anyone, but if we are attacked we will respond,” the association warned.
The group further alleged that the reported incident at Abiriw occurred after people from Akropong entered the territory of Abiriw and attacked natives over the alleged noise-making violation.
It maintained that the various communities within Okere have their own territories and systems of governance and argued that Akropong should not impose its will on communities it considers separate from it.
The association also expressed concern over what it described as previous instances of humiliation, provocation and disrespect directed at the indigenous people of Okere and Larteh.
It specifically referred to a recent comment allegedly made by one of the Akropong chiefs concerning the Kyerepongs, describing the statement as false and unsupported by facts.
The Okere Youth Association concluded by calling on all Okere chiefs and citizens to disregard any directives or instructions from Akropong and to go about their daily activities normally and within the law.
The statement was signed by George Darko, Acting Secretary of the Okere Youth Association.
Full Press Release
OKERE YOUTH ASSOCIATION
PRESS RELEASE
STATEMENT ON BAN ON NOISE (ADDAE BUTUW) ALLEGEDLY ISSUED BY AKROPONG TO COVER ENTIRE AKUAPEM
Recently, we have seen some notices flying around that Akropong has issued an order banning noise making within the entire Akuapem enclave and whilst we have not seen an official statement to that effect, we have heard such information flying around.
Then a day or two ago we heard that some settlers at Akropong attacked some natives of the State of Abiriw claiming that they were breaching the noise making order of Akropong (Addae butuu).
Not only did this come as a shock to us but we were taken aback by the disrespectful manner in which natives of the land were attacked by settlers.
Okere Youth Association is the mouth piece of all the Youth of Okere and we stand by our brothers and sisters at Abiriw who were needlessly attacked.
We want to place on record that a settler has no powers to issue directives or instructions to natives.
Akropong is a settler community within Akuapem and it has no powers to issue instructions or directives to cover the entire Akuapem enclave.
We therefore, issue this notice to all the Chiefs and citizens of Okere to ignore such directives coming from Akropong and to disregard it.
We will not allow settlers we’ve permitted to live on our land to be dictating to us.
For the record, Akropong has no powers over anyone in Akuapem.
We realize that this notice from us may surprise some people who don’t know anything about Akuapem and so we will use this opportunity to educate the entire Ghanaian public about the facts of Akuapem.
The entire Akuapem land is owned by the people of Okere and Larteh who are Guans. We are the ones who broke the virgin forest and converted the land to our use.
Subsequently, and due to our friendly and warm nature, we permitted Akropong people who are from Akyem to settle with us. We also permitted the Aburi people and the Amanokrom people to also settle on our land.
People may ask why Akropong is the Paramount Chief if they are settlers and that is a very good question.
The fact is that the Paramountcy was a creation of the colonial government using divide and rule tactics so the British found it convenient to create a Paramountcy within the natives using the settlers.
Our forefathers on so many occasions tried to fight it but each time the colonial government would back the settlers making it difficult to change it.
Unfortunately, even after the introduction of democracy and constitutional rule as far back as 1992, our own government hasn’t made any effort to change and correct such a wrong perpetuated on us by the colonial government.
We know that a lot of stories have been peddled around claiming that we the natives could not pay off the Akyem people who came to assist us fight the war against the Akwamu people hence they became our Paramount Chief but we want to place it on record that, that story is a made up story to divert attention from the wrongful imposition of the settlers on us the natives by the colonial government.
The fact remains that it was not only the Akyem people who came to assist us with the war but our brothers from Krobo came to assist us.
Our brothers from Ga also assisted us and all of these our brothers left back where they came from after the war so did they also not ask to be paid? And if they were not paid then why did they not also stay to rule us?
We know Akropong has been peddling a lot of falsehoods for so many years so people think what they have been saying is true but what we want people to know is that it is not the settler who tells the story of the natives.
When you come help me fight a war, you are not the one to tell my story to the world.
We want the whole world to know that everything Akropong says about Akuapem they have no right to say it because they are settlers and a settler has no rights to tell the story of the natives. When you come and live with me you have no right to tell my story to the world.
Everything Akropong has told the world about Akuapem should be rejected as they are not the ones to tell our story.
We reject Akropong Paramountcy and anything that comes from it.
We the Youth of Okere stand together and we will resist any attempts to impose Akropong on us and we are asking our Chiefs to desist from having anything to do with Akropong henceforth.
We need an Okere that rules itself and not ruled by a settler.
On this note, we ask all Okere Chiefs and citizens to ignore any directives coming from Akropong and to go about their daily lives as normal and in accordance with the law as they have always done.
We the Guans are very peaceful people and luckily each State within Okere has its own territory, its own land and its own set of rules that governs them.
Also, Akropong people live on the land given to them which is separate and distinct from the land on which the Okere citizens live on.
In essence, each entity lives on its own land and so it is wrongful for Akropong who lives on its own land to try to impose its will on the Okere and Larteh people who live separately from them since time immemorial till today.
We want to make it clear that any attack or violence that is occasioned by this needless and unwarranted directives can only occur if settlers of Akropong move from their land to the land of Okere which is exactly what they did when they entered the State of Abiriw to attack the natives there.
We don’t want a fight with anyone, but if we are attacked we will respond.
We want the whole world to know that all the troubles that go on at Akuapem is caused by the Akropong people who always want to dominate and subdue we the natives.
It is their disrespectful and bad behavior which is the source of all troubles at Akuapem.
Recently, and from nowhere, we the natives of Okere and Larteh were publicly humiliated when one of the Akropong Chiefs openly stated that we the kyerepongs are kyereton because we were captured during the days of slavery which is a blatant lie unsupported by any facts.
We have always been subjected to incessant attacks, humiliation, disrespect, provocation and abuse in the hands of these settlers who have no regard for us and think that they can do as they please on our land.
Now that they have decided to enter our territory to attack we the natives, we are advising ourselves going forward.
We ask all Okere Chiefs and citizens to pay no regard to any directives or instructions from Akropong.
A settler has no rights over a native the same way even the dead body of the landlord is more powerful than the living body of the tenant.
Thank you.
Sgd.
George Darko
Ag. Secretary
+233242232801
Contact persons:
Richard Donkor
Adukrom Executive Member
+233247719449
Daniel Adu Richard
Awukugua Executive Member
+233249366776
Mathew Larbi
Abiriw Executive Member
+233244118807
Isaac Owusu Asamoah
Dawu Executive Member
+233249558163