Gidifon

Why the yam waits

New crops are believed to carry a power that belongs to the Efuroko stool and the ancestors, so eating new yam before the rites is taboo, and tradition holds that it brings calamity on anyone in Adele land, stranger or not.¹ The festival renews the blessing of the stool and the ancestors and gives thanks. It is also a time to deal with community matters and to give to orphans, the elderly, widows and others in need.¹

What happens

The chief priests meet at Dadiase to set the date. They gather yams and climb to the shrine at Dikpogo, on a mountaintop, to honour the ancestors with a mashed yam called ego or aposie, in two colours: white for the living and red for the ancestors.¹

Back home they repeat the rite: they prepare aposie, pour libation, slaughter animals and make yam fufu, and the aposie is spread to every corner of the town. In the evening come the dances, among them ogyege, atrikpe and didutebye.¹

Good to know if you go

• Where: the Adele towns are in the Nkwanta South area; the paramount seat is Tutukpene. See the Oti page for places nearby.
• New yam: don’t eat new yam in Adele land before the rites are done.
• Check the dates: the traditional council sets them each year. Local radio and the national press carry the announcement.
• Respect the rites: some rituals are sacred and not for cameras. Ask before photographing chiefs, priests or anyone taking part, and follow what the ushers ask.