Art and Culture in the Dwira Festival of the People of Adansi, Ghana: Purification Ritual for Ancestral Protection

Abstract

This study focused on the role of art and culture in celebrating the Dwira festival by the Adansi people, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Fomena is the seat of the paramount chief of Adansi and New Edubiase towns, which were the centre of the festival and the study. Ethnography research under the qualitative research design was used to unveil the art and culture of the Dwira festival through structured personal interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation. Various stages of the Dwira festival celebrated by the seven provinces of the Adansi, including Fomena and New Edubiase townships, were emphasised. The major artistic elements used to celebrate the festival were captured and described by the researchers. A central artistic element unique from the other known arts is the human footprints in rock, which are believed to be the footsteps of the creator of the Adansi, referred to by the people as Adansi Bona. The study recommends building a typical museum in Adansi to preserve relics of the Adansi land, and developing the Bona shrine in the Bona forest as a tourist site for cultural preservation, as well as income generation and employment for the host communities. The study contributes to scholarship on preserving cultural heritage in Ghana Keywords: Cultural Festival, Art and Culture, Dwira Festival, Adansi, Purification Rites