Cape Coast-Ghana, Sept. 14, GNA – Ghana needs to adopt and stringently enforce the customs and traditions of AKAN’s to ensure sustainable environment.
Traditions like ‘Akwasidae’, ‘Awukudae’, ‘Fofie’, ‘Fodwo’ and among others were respectfully obeyed during the olden days, which protected the forest reserves, water bodies, wildlife’s among others unlike these days.
“There is the need, therefore, for policy makers to collaborate with traditional rulers to enforce the laws, rules and regulations of the past to protect the environment from further destructions,” Professor Kwame Osei Kwarteng, Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies has said.
The disregard of the cultural values of the Akan’s had affected the environment hugely through fantom falling of trees for timber, and illegal activities affecting the climate and the rain pattern in recent times.
Professor Kwarteng made the remarks in his professorial lecture on the theme: ”The Ideological Square: A Historian’s Framework for Environmental Conservation” at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).”
Akans had traditions and cultures that protected fishes in some rivers, and conserve wildlife, among others through some of their clans which have animals as their totem.
These clans protected wildlife and no family member for child within the particular clan would dare kill or hurt the animal or wildlife that represented their clan with the animals protecting the environment in their own ways.
He noted that wildlife was relevant to the conservation of forest and had cause havoc on the environment with their absence in the 21st century.
Prof Kwarteng observed that the violation of the Alan customs had immensely contributed to the degradation of the forest and ecological system.
He said that the Akans constituted 45.7 percent of the population and enforcing such laws and values could strictly protect the environment as the family occupied most forest belts across the country.
The Historian suggested that government should implement pragmatic policies based on Akan traditions to safeguard the forests and water bodies for human survival.
“If Ghana as a country adopts Akans culture and values, safeguarding the environment would be easier and more effective.
“The tradition is well respected by all Akans and they are mostly along the forest belt, so it is in a good direction to enforce their traditions with regards to protecting the environment.”
“Traditional rulers and government must collaborate to fight against the destruction of forest and water bodies in the country.”
He noted that if stringent measures were not taken immediately, considering the current speed of the destruction of environment., Ghana was likely to become a desert.
Professor Kwarteng was appointed to teach as assistant lecturer at UCC in 2001 and rose through the ranks to become a professor.
He is currently the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies.
Prof Kwarteng has about 30 articles, written two books and co-authored three books among other achievements.
Additionally, he has supervised two MPhil students, trained two PhDs and eight Master of Philosophy students in his Department.
