Festivals & Events
The Sacred Tree That Holds a Kingdom Together: Odunkwaa Festival in Abura Dunkwa
The drums don’t just announce the festival. They wake the ancestors. It’s Easter Monday in Abura Dunkwa, Central Region, and the air has already thickened with promise—dust rising from dancing feet, the jangle of royal regalia, and the low hum of libation prayers poured onto sunbaked earth.
Children chase goats through the crowd. Elders sit on wooden stools under shade trees, their faces calm but watchful. Somewhere near the centre of town stands the Odum tree—towering, ancient, and about to be wrapped in a fence of swords and ritual purpose.
The Odunkwaa Festival stretches across a full week, but its soul lies in two moments. The first is the durbar of chiefs: a magnificent procession of gold ornaments, velvet palanquins, and umbrella symbols that tell stories of war and peace. Paramount chiefs and sub-chiefs arrive on horseback or in a slow, deliberate walk, each step weighted with history.
The ground vibrates with fontomfrom drums, and the gyama horn cries out in a language only the initiated fully understand. For the people of Abura Dunkwa, this is not performance. It is governance, memory, and belonging all at once.
Then comes the act that gives the festival its name. The sacred Odum tree—believed to house protective spirits of the Abura state—must be ritually fenced.
Not with wire or wood, but with a circle of traditional swords and spears planted point-down into the earth around its trunk. Only the highest-ranking chiefs and fetish priests may approach. As the weapons form their ring, the crowd falls silent.
Prayers are whispered. An egg is broken at the roots. The tree is now “closed” for the year—guarded against harm, blessed for another cycle of rain and harvest.
Why fence a tree? Because in the Abura tradition, the Odum is no ordinary plant. It is a covenant. A witness to oaths. Some say it once hid warriors from invading armies. Others believe it carries the breath of the founding ancestors.
The fencing is both a protection rite and a renewal of allegiance—the people promising to defend the land, and the land promising to yield.
Today, Odunkwaa draws Ghanaians from Accra, Cape Coast, and beyond, alongside travellers who’ve heard rumours of a festival where Christianity’s Easter meets indigenous spirituality.
But there’s no clash here. The week includes church services, clean-up campaigns, and a vibrant food fair. The fencing simply reminds everyone that some commitments outlive any single religion or government.
You leave Abura Dunkwa smelling woodsmoke and palm wine, ears still ringing with drums. And you realise: this festival isn’t just watched. It’s felt. For anyone traveling Ghana’s Central Region, time your visit for Easter week. The Odum tree will be waiting.
Festivals & Events
Ideas, AI and Entrepreneurship Take Centre Stage at Accra’s Brilliant Books & Business Summit
Every successful business begins with an idea, but turning that idea into lasting impact requires more than inspiration.
\On 18 July 2026, Accra will welcome entrepreneurs, writers, creators and aspiring business leaders to the Brilliant Books & Business Summit, a two-hour gathering designed to help participants transform their knowledge, personal experiences and creativity into meaningful opportunities.
Hosted at Buro in Osu, one of Accra’s bustling creative and commercial neighbourhoods, the summit reflects a growing movement across Ghana where storytelling, entrepreneurship and technology are increasingly intertwined.
As more Ghanaians embrace digital innovation and creative enterprise, events like this have become valuable spaces for learning, collaboration and professional growth.

Rather than focusing solely on motivation, the summit centres on practical strategies. Participants will hear from experienced speakers and thought leaders discussing business development, marketing, artificial intelligence, confidence building, and personal branding.
The programme encourages attendees to recognise that their life experiences, professional skills and unique perspectives can become books, digital products, consulting services, speaking engagements or successful businesses.
Artificial intelligence will be a major topic of discussion, highlighting how creators and entrepreneurs can use emerging technologies to expand their visibility, create engaging content and reach wider audiences.
The conversation reflects the rapid transformation taking place across Africa’s creative economy, where digital tools are opening new possibilities for authors, coaches, consultants and small business owners.
Visitors can also expect a lively networking environment where conversations continue beyond the stage. Entrepreneurs exchange ideas with authors, creators meet potential collaborators, and experienced professionals connect with people taking their first steps into business.
These interactions often become one of the event’s greatest strengths, creating relationships that extend well beyond the summit itself.
For international visitors, the event offers an opportunity to experience Ghana’s energetic entrepreneurial culture firsthand. Accra has become one of West Africa’s leading centres for innovation, attracting startups, creatives and investors eager to shape the continent’s future.
Spending time in a room filled with ambitious local talent provides valuable insight into the city’s growing influence within Africa’s knowledge economy.
Whether you are planning your first book, preparing to launch a business or simply searching for fresh ideas, the Brilliant Books & Business Summit promises an experience built around learning, collaboration, and possibility. It is a reminder that every great venture begins with a story—and the confidence to share it.
Festivals & Events
Bontungu: Five Days When the Heartbeat of Anomabu Echoes Across the Coast
As dawn breaks over the fishing town of Anomabu on Ghana’s Central Region coastline, the steady rhythm of drums begins to roll through the streets.
Dancers dressed in colourful traditional cloth gather in open spaces, elders exchange greetings, and families return home from distant cities.
For five unforgettable days each August, the quiet seaside community is transformed by the Bontungu Festival, a celebration where faith, culture and community come together in joyful harmony.
Bontungu is one of Anomabu’s most cherished traditional festivals, bringing residents together to seek God’s blessings for the year ahead. While its celebrations are filled with music and movement, the festival carries a deeper purpose.
It is a time of thanksgiving for the past year, reflection on the community’s journey, and collective hope for prosperity, peace and abundant harvests.
Throughout the festival, the sound of traditional drums provides the pulse of every gathering. Dance performances unfold across the town as cultural groups showcase generations-old rhythms and choreography that have been carefully preserved.
Every beat and every step reflects the identity of the people of Anomabu, reminding younger generations of the customs that continue to shape their community.
The celebrations also create an opportunity for reunion. Families living elsewhere in Ghana and abroad often plan their visits around Bontungu, filling homes with laughter and strengthening bonds that stretch beyond geography.
Chiefs, elders and community leaders play important ceremonial roles, reinforcing respect for traditional authority while encouraging unity among residents.
Beyond its spiritual significance, Bontungu has become an important cultural showcase. Visitors experience the warmth of Ghanaian hospitality while discovering local cuisine, traditional attire, music, and storytelling.
The festival also supports local businesses as artisans, traders, and food vendors welcome increased numbers of guests during the celebrations.
In an era of rapid urbanisation and changing lifestyles, festivals such as Bontungu remain powerful reminders that culture is best preserved when it is lived rather than simply remembered.
The annual gathering keeps traditions active while creating new memories for each generation.
For travellers seeking an authentic cultural experience, Bontungu offers far more than colourful performances.
It provides a rare opportunity to witness a community celebrating its shared history, expressing gratitude through music and dance, and welcoming visitors into traditions that have endured for generations.
It is an experience that captures the enduring spirit of Ghana’s coastal heritage.
Festivals & Events
Experience She Builds 2026: A Celebration of Women, Innovation and Impact in Ghana
Some journeys begin with a passport stamp. Others begin with a conversation that changes the way you see the world.
This September, the She Builds Conference 2026 invites women from Ghana and beyond to gather in Accra for a day of inspiring dialogue, meaningful connections, and fresh ideas about leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
Hosted at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), the conference is organised by the Academic Woman Foundation and builds on the momentum of its successful inaugural edition in 2025.
While many professional conferences focus solely on career advancement, She Builds takes a broader view. It encourages women to pursue success that balances ambition with wellbeing, purpose, and lasting social impact.
The event reflects a growing movement across Ghana where women are taking increasingly influential roles in business, education, public service, technology, and community development.
By bringing together established leaders, entrepreneurs, students, and aspiring changemakers, the conference creates a platform for exchanging ideas, sharing practical experiences, and strengthening networks that extend far beyond a single day.
Visitors can expect an energetic atmosphere featuring keynote presentations, interactive discussions, networking sessions, and opportunities to learn directly from women shaping industries and communities.
Conversations are expected to explore leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, resilience, and strategies for creating sustainable change.
Beyond the conference halls, attending She Builds offers visitors another reason to experience Accra, one of West Africa’s most dynamic cities.
Guests can sample Ghanaian cuisine at nearby restaurants, discover local arts and crafts, and enjoy the city’s welcoming hospitality before or after the event.
For international visitors, the conference offers a window into Ghana’s rapidly evolving professional landscape, where tradition and modern ambition coexist.
For Ghanaians, She Builds is equally meaningful. It offers a chance to reconnect with a growing community of women committed to supporting one another, sharing knowledge, and inspiring the next generation of leaders. The event demonstrates how collaboration can strengthen communities and create opportunities that extend well beyond the conference stage.
Whether you are travelling to Ghana in search of meaningful cultural experiences or looking to expand your professional horizons at home, the She Builds Conference 2026 promises a day filled with ideas, inspiration, and connections that could shape the future long after the final session ends.
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