The La Traditional Council has officially launched the 2025 Homowo Festival, urging peace, mutual respect, and community cooperation as key drivers for development.
Themed “Respect for All: The Foundation for a Stronger Society,” this year’s celebration will take place from Monday, August 11 to Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Festival activities will include a homecoming float, street carnival, health screening, educational quiz, Kpaalamo (festival song performances), and kpokpoi cooking competitions featuring the traditional maize dish.
Traditional rites will be performed both before and after the main festival period. In accordance with custom, a ban on drumming and noisemaking will be enforced across La and surrounding communities under the Traditional Council in the lead-up to the event.
Speaking at the launch, La Shikitele Nii Adjei Kofeh IV emphasized the cultural richness of the Homowo celebration and urged residents to uphold peace and mutual respect.
“Let us all conduct ourselves peacefully and celebrate as we always have. It’s time to showcase the beauty of La’s traditions to the world,” he said.
Mr. Jefferey Tetteh, Secretary to the La Homowo Planning Committee, highlighted the festival’s potential to attract business and investment through its side attractions.
“We aim to use this year’s celebration to boost local tourism and economic activity,” he noted.
Homowo—meaning “hooting at hunger”—is a historic Ga festival commemorating the end of a devastating famine and the celebration of a bountiful harvest. Its roots trace back to the Ga people’s migration from Israel through Ile Ife in Nigeria to their present settlement.
The celebration includes the planting of maize, a quiet period of reflection, cultural displays, traditional music and dance, and the sharing of kpokpoi, the festival’s signature meal.
Observed annually from May to September, Homowo is celebrated in Ga Mashie, Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, Tema, Ningo, and Prampram.