Festivals & Events
Beyond Awareness: How the Menstrual Hygiene Festival Is Empowering the Next Generation
On a warm Friday morning in Ghana’s Eastern corridor, the grounds of a rural basic school in the Shai-Osudoku District will transform into a vibrant space of learning, creativity, and courage.
Laughter will mix with poetry recitals, art displays will sit beside educational workshops, and hundreds of young people will gather for a purpose that is both deeply personal and socially powerful.
The Menstrual Hygiene Festival 2026, hosted by the NeedBe Foundation on 29 May, is more than an event—it is a movement reshaping conversations around menstrual health in Ghana.
For generations, menstruation has remained a quiet subject in many communities, often surrounded by stigma or misunderstanding. Yet across Ghana, grassroots organisations are helping shift the narrative by promoting education, dignity, and open dialogue. The Menstrual Hygiene Festival stands at the heart of this effort. This year’s theme, “Raising Menstrual Peer Educators for Menstrual Empowerment,” reflects a growing belief that lasting change happens when young people themselves lead the conversation.
The festival aims to train and inspire students who will become peer educators—young advocates equipped with accurate knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene.
These students will return to their schools and communities not only with new information but with the confidence to support classmates, challenge myths, and encourage healthier attitudes toward menstruation.
While the final host school is yet to be confirmed, organisers are considering Huapa D/A School, Agbeko Tsekpo D/A Basic School, and Agortor D/A Basic School as potential venues. Wherever it takes place, the festival promises an atmosphere that blends learning with celebration.
Visitors can expect a lively programme designed to engage both the mind and the imagination. Educational workshops will offer practical knowledge on menstrual hygiene and reproductive health, while hands-on sessions will teach participants how to make reusable sanitary pads—an important skill in communities where access to menstrual products can be limited.
Art and storytelling will also play a central role. Poetry performances will give young voices the chance to express their experiences and hopes, while film screenings will spark conversations about health, identity, and empowerment. Games, music, and group activities will ensure that the day carries the joyful spirit of a festival rather than the formality of a classroom.
For international travellers exploring Ghana beyond the usual tourist routes, the event offers a rare opportunity to witness community-driven social change in action. It reveals a side of Ghana where activism, education, and youth leadership intersect with local culture and hospitality. For Ghanaians, especially those from urban centres, the festival provides a meaningful way to reconnect with grassroots initiatives working to improve everyday lives.
As preparations begin—mobilising volunteers, partnerships, and community support—the Menstrual Hygiene Festival 2026 invites people from all walks of life to participate. It is a gathering where education meets creativity, where silence turns into dialogue, and where the next generation of menstrual health advocates begins to rise.
The first beat of the drum carries across Bawku long before the dancing begins. Courtyards fill with people dressed in brilliantly woven smocks, elders gather beneath the shade of trees, and children weave through the crowds with contagious excitement.
By the time the traditional horns join the rhythm, the town has transformed into a living celebration. This is Samanpiid, one of the Upper East Region’s most cherished festivals, where gratitude for a successful harvest becomes a shared expression of culture, memory and hope.
Held in November or December, after crops have been gathered from the fields, Samanpiid is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Kusasi people.
For generations, the festival has marked the end of the farming season, offering thanks for the rains, fertile land and the hard work that sustains families throughout the year. It is both a thanksgiving ceremony and a reminder that prosperity has always depended on community.
Throughout the festival, Bawku comes alive with performances that celebrate local identity. Traditional drummers set the pace as dancers move in colourful formations, their movements echoing stories passed down through generations.
Men proudly wear beautifully embroidered smocks, while women brighten the streets with vibrant fabrics and intricate jewellery. The result is a striking display of heritage that feels both ceremonial and welcoming.
Beyond the music and dancing, Samanpiid strengthens family ties and honours traditional leadership. Chiefs, elders and community members gather for customary greetings, blessings and cultural ceremonies that reinforce respect for ancestors and shared values.
Visitors can also enjoy local cuisine prepared for the celebrations, turning every gathering into an invitation to experience northern Ghana’s renowned hospitality.
Today, Samanpiid continues to carry special meaning as younger generations reconnect with their cultural roots while visitors discover a side of Ghana that extends beyond its bustling cities.
It reminds everyone that harvest is more than food—it’s resilience, gratitude and belonging. For travellers seeking an authentic cultural experience, witnessing Samanpiid in Bawku offers a memorable glimpse into one of Ghana’s enduring traditions.
Festivals & Events
From ECOWAS to the African Union: Accra Becomes the Centre of Global Migration Talks
Every journey tells a story, and this November, thousands of those stories will converge in Accra.
From researchers tracing migration patterns to policymakers shaping the future of free movement across Africa, the Metropolis International Migration Network Conference 2026 promises four days of conversations that extend far beyond lecture halls.
Taking place from November 17 to 20, 2026, at the University of Ghana, the international gathering carries the timely theme “Rethinking African Mobility: Past Lessons, Present Realities, Future Possibilities.”
The conference brings together scholars, government officials, humanitarian organisations and development practitioners from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas to examine how migration continues to reshape communities, economies and identities.
The event arrives at a significant moment for Ghana. Long regarded as a crossroads for trade, education and the African diaspora, the country has become an important meeting place for conversations about movement, belonging and regional integration.
Discussions will explore issues ranging from labour mobility within ECOWAS and migration governance to health, forced displacement and diaspora engagement, with representatives from organisations including the African Union, ECOWAS and the World Health Organization expected to participate.
Beyond the formal sessions, visitors will experience the welcoming atmosphere of the University of Ghana’s leafy campus in Legon, one of West Africa’s most respected academic institutions.
Coffee breaks, networking gatherings and cultural exchanges create opportunities for meaningful conversations with people whose personal and professional experiences span continents.
For international visitors, the conference offers an ideal reason to explore Accra’s lively food scene, creative arts spaces and historic landmarks after each day’s programme. For Ghanaians, it presents a chance to engage with global perspectives while reflecting on the country’s own migration story—from internal mobility to the far-reaching influence of its diaspora.
Early-bird registration remains available until August 25, 2026, with discounted rates for Africa-based scholars and students, making this one of the year’s most accessible international conferences.
Whether you arrive as a researcher, practitioner or curious traveller, Accra is preparing to host a conversation that could help shape Africa’s future of movement.
As evening settles over Larabanga, the ancient town grows quieter. In the air is the anticipation of Jintigi, a significant observance held one day before the community’s famous fire festival.
While drums, gatherings and celebration will soon fill the town, Jintigi begins from a more solemn place: prayer, reflection and a search for guidance about the year ahead.
At the heart of the observance is the Chief Imam, who consults the Qur’an to seek indications about what the coming year may hold.
For the community, this is not simply an act of prediction. It is a spiritual moment that connects religious leadership with the hopes, concerns and expectations of the people.
A Tradition Rooted in Community
Larabanga, in Ghana’s Savannah Region, is renowned for its historic Islamic heritage and its centuries-old mosque, one of the country’s most recognisable examples of Sudano-Sahelian architecture.
Jintigi belongs to this wider cultural setting, where faith, community memory and local tradition have long shaped everyday life.
The observance also serves as a bridge between generations. Elders carry knowledge of the tradition, while younger residents experience and inherit its meaning.
Families and community members gather around a shared spiritual purpose, creating a sense of unity before the more public festivities begin.
More Than a Festival
What makes Jintigi compelling today is the balance it preserves between celebration and contemplation.
In an age when festivals can easily become spectacles for visitors, Jintigi retains a deeply personal dimension: people looking beyond the present and asking what the future might bring.
For travellers exploring Ghana’s cultural heritage, experiencing Jintigi offers a glimpse into a tradition where spirituality and community life meet.
It is a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful festival moments are not the loudest ones, but those spent listening, praying and looking towards tomorrow.
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