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Published :12 September 2025
The Chief of Nyankpala Paramountcy, Naa Ibrahim Mohammed has climaxed the 2025 Damba Festival Celebration, riding a horse through the main township road to visit sacred places and destinations in line with the traditional practices and norms, marking significance of the Dagbon Cultural heritage and symbolizing the farewell of the Damba Festival until the following year.
The Damba farewell celebration kick started at the Nyankpala Palace with celebrants including elders, chiefs, sub Chiefs and other subjects under the jurisdiction of the Paramount Chief gathering at the palace to kick the ground running. Residents including the old, Youth, women and children and other onlookers were also gathered to fill their eyes with excitement of the annual event.
Naa Damba ‘Belkulisi’ basically means the chief is bidding farewell to Damba festivities, marking the end of its celebration for the year.
Procession for the Damba farewell proceeded with the Chief, Naa Mohammed Ibrahim riding a horse, accompanied by his wives, elders, and warriors clad in traditional regalias. A record crowd joined the Chief for the celebrations amid singing and dancing to the traditional tunes drummed by the gong-gong beaters.
Majority of the celebrants did not lose sight of the cultural significance of the day as they were clad in smocks symbolizing pride, origin, and rich culture deeply rooted in eternal Dagbon cultural heritage.
The celebration caused human and vehicular traffic in the township of Nyankpala, leaving no one behind with almost every tom dick and Harry joining the crowd to mark the festivities. While others turned into bystanders by the road side to witness the cultural event.
Climaxing the festivities at the Nyankpala Palace, the Chief admonished Dagombas outside the region to prioritize coming home to partake in the celebrations in recognition of their pride and place of origin, stressing that failure to honor the celebration on their home soil is not only a recipe for self inferiority Complex but a complete undermining of their own ethnic culture and background.
Story by: Inusah Dondaliya