All Set For Dumsor Vigil.

It is now certain that the dumsor vigil will take place as planned today, Saturday, May 16 ,2015. This is in spite of the reservations of the Ga Traditional Council that the vigil will contravene the ban on drumming and noise making.

At a meeting in Accra last Wednesday between the organisers of the vigil and representatives of the Ga Traditional Council hosted by the Accra Regional Police Command, it was agreed that the vigil should come off as scheduled.

The legal team of the organisers who represented the celebrities at the meeting assured the Ga Traditional Council that the vigil would not go contrary to the dictates of the ban.

Though the seven representatives of the Ga Traditional Council, led by the Gbese Mantse, Nii Ayi Bonte II, who is also the Adontehene of the Ga State, maintained that the vigil would breach the ban on drumming and noise making, they did not stop the organisers of the vigil from going ahead.

Later in an interview, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mrs Affia Tenge, gave the assurance the police would provide security for the participants.

The vigil

Rapper, Sarkodie, and actress, Yvonne Nelson, have scheduled May 16, 2015 to hold a vigil in support of a campaign to bring pressure on the government to end the power crisis.

The organisers of the vigil run into difficulties because of the objections raised by the Ga Traditional Council.

The month-long ban on drumming and noise-making took effect from May 11, 2015 and is expected to end on June 11, 2015.

The vigil is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and end at the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange at about 6:30 p.m.

It is still not clear where the procession will start.

Meetings

The police has held a number of meetings with the organisers of the vigil since they sought the permission of the police to hold the vigil.

On May 7, 2015, the first meeting was attended by eight representatives of the organisers led by actress Yvonne Nelson.

At the meeting the possibility of the ban on drumming and noise-making in the Ga State affecting the vigil was discussed while the venue for convergence was also an issue.

Consequently, a second meeting was held on May 11, 2015, but ended inconclusively since the Ga Traditional Council which had been invited by the police could not make it to the meeting.

Turf War

The planned vigil ignited a turf war between the La Traditional Council and the?Ga Traditional Council over who had control over lands in the area where the vigil is scheduled to take place.

Though the Ga Traditional Council insisted the vigil would break the ban on drumming and noise making, the La Traditional Council claimed the area was in their jurisdiction and its ban was yet to take effect.

The Ga Traditional Council explained that the ban was not a jurisdictional matter

Following the declaration by the La Traditional Priest,?Nii Yemoh Broni VII, that the area where the vigil would take place was in the jurisdiction of La, the Ga Traditional Council has stated that there was no legislative instrument backing Nii Broni’s claim.

Controversy

The decision of the celebrities to hold the vigil to protest the unending power crisis has attracted mixed reaction.

While a section of society lauds the artistes for this move, some others including some activists of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) have attacked the personalities behind the event.

The latest to join the fray is former President Jerry John Rawlings who has condemned those attacking the celebrities for daring to express their opinions on the power crisis.

Source: Daily Graphic.