Speaking during the festival, Wench Nchiraa Apentenhene Nana Kobi Boateng Nsusumesa used the occasion to deliver a strong message on the role of education in success. He reminded the gathering that “education is not the only key to success,” pointing to the many self-made billionaires around the world who never obtained formal degrees. While stressing that he was not condemning higher education, he urged young people to combine schooling with hard work, creativity, and discipline.
The chief also warned against drug addiction and early teenage pregnancy among school-going adolescents, calling on parents, teachers and traditional leaders to guide the youth more closely. He appealed to women, in particular, to moderate spending on clothing and other luxuries so that more resources could be directed towards their children’s education and future.
Addressing journalists after his remarks, Nana Apentenhene Kobi Boateng Nsusumesa pleaded with traditional leaders across the country to ensure that Ghanaian culture is prominently reflected in all programmes they organise. He argued that the steady erosion of local values in the face of foreign influences was a major threat to the moral fabric of society.
The Taa Mensah Bosomfour Yam Festival, first launched by Nana Effah Boakro Taa Mensah Bosomfo, the chief priest of the Techiman Traditional Council, remains one of the most significant cultural events in the Bono East Region. The Kwafie (Keafie) Yam Festival begins on Monday, with the climax on Friday, drawing thousands of devotees and visitors from across Ghana and beyond for prayer, purification and protection.
The mood shifted from solemn admonition to joyful celebration when King Paluta’s hit “Makoma”, with its popular “Sisi Fia” refrain, blared through the speakers. In a moment that quickly went viral on social media, Nana Kobi Boateng Nsusumesa stepped onto the dancing floor, moving confidently to the rhythm and encouraging the youth to join him.
His energetic performance, captured on numerous phones, drew loud cheers and applause from the crowd, blending traditional authority with contemporary highlife culture. For many, the scene symbolised a chief who is both a custodian of heritage and in tune with the tastes of today’s youth, using music and celebration to reinforce the very cultural values he had earlier urged everyone to protect.
