Homowo: 2 Dead, Several Injured after Shooting at Teshie Kpokpoi Sprinkling Ceremony

• Two deaths were recorded after recent violence during the Homowo festivities in the Teshie Traditional Area
• The Municipal Security Council of the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly has said it is investigating the incident
• The violence was reportedly sparked when two rival groups clashed early on the morning of August 26, 2025

Two people died and several others were wounded following violent clashes during the Homowo Kpokpoi Sprinkling Ceremony in the Teshie Traditional Area.

The violence on August 26, 2025, reportedly left 30-year-old Eddy Blessing and 27-year-old Patrick Maamah Martey Fio dead.

Adom News reported that they were confirmed dead on arrival at the Lekma Hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds.

Some of the injured persons were said to be in critical condition.

The Municipal Security Council of the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly said the disturbances erupted during the early morning festivities.

Rival groups reportedly disrupted the ceremony with projectiles being hurled, and gunfire was recorded, forcing police to intervene.

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Calm was briefly restored to allow Paramount Chief Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akonfra III to perform his traditional rites, but clashes resumed afterwards.

The local government has said investigations into the incident are underway.

The Teshie Obediben Mantse, Nii Martey Dzata Obrempong I, addressed the press on the matter and broke down in tears during the briefing.

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.

The period of silence leading up to the festival serves as a time of reflection before the joyous celebrations commence.

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In 2024, there was also a 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.

His performance was seen as a message about his recent legal challenges, with social media users praising his stage energy and others hailing him for turning his personal issues into art.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh