CULTURE

The Kwabre East Municipal is made of people with a homogenous culture.  The people are mainly Akans of Ashanti origin and the predominant occupation of the people is farming.  Aside farming, Kente Weaving, Adinkra making and carving of handicraft is a major source of secondary occupation.

TRADITIONAL SET UP

Traditional Authority which is embedded in chieftaincy institutions is perhaps the oldest and much revered institution in the country.  The traditional status and sphere of influence of chiefs in the Kwabre East Municipal unlike other areas, present a complex interwoven web-like phenomenon.

Some of the traditional rulers are ‘Abrempong’ who fall directly under the Asantehene as exemplified by the chief of Adanwomase whilst other chiefs come under the jurisdiction of Kumasi Traditional Chiefs and owe much allegiance to them, for example Swedru.  The third category of the traditional rulers falls under some paramount chiefs such as Mampong and Nsuta. The situation presents much problem in terms of mobilization of the people for development through the chiefs, because it appears they are not regarded as a unified factor around which the people could be rallied together as a result of their differences in interest and allegiance.

In spite of these seemingly tracheotomy of traditional interest, the chiefs and people of the area have in common traditional festivals such as ‘Akwasidae’ and ‘Awukudae’ which are basically ‘stool cleansing’ and renewal of allegiance to the Golden stool.  Under the auspices of the District Assembly the chiefs and their Queen mothers in the District have been brought together to form Chiefs and Queen mother’s association as a first step for development intervention.

ETHNIC DIVERSITY

With regard to ethnic diversity, the District to a large extent is homogenous with the Akans with the forming about 83.5%. In all about 10% of the entire District Population come from Northern Ghana.  

COMMUNAL SPIRIT

The communal spirit within the most communities is high.  This is depicted by the contribution of these communities to donor funded programmes like Rural Water and Sanitation Programme.  Under Community Water and Sanitation Programmes, communities are expected to contribute 5% towards the provision of boreholes.  Aside this donor funded programmes; some communities initiate their own programmes and ask the Assembly for help.  

CHIEFTANCY DISPUTES

Most communities are peaceful due to the absence of chieftaincy and other conflicts. This peaceful situation has helped the development process of the district. Few of the communities in the District are saddled with chieftaincy disputes which do not augur well for development.  Because the people are divided along traditional lines, it becomes very difficult for the people to unite in order to embark upon any development programme.  

IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

The ethnic structure and its predominately homogenous nature have contributed to the stability of the District. Again, the absence of a specific festival which would serve as a rallying point for the people in the District hampers development.  There is therefore the need to put in place a festival that portrays the culture of the people. An Adikra festival to showcase the rich Adinkra cloth is being pursued to serve the purpose.

The high communal spirit when sustained can enable the communities’ contribute positively to the development of the communities.

Tourism

Kwabre East District is renowned for its high tourism potential. The main tourism attractions are the manufacturing and sale of traditional textiles such as kente and Adinkra, woodcraft and artifacts. Ahwiaa is noted for wood-carving, Ntonso is also noted for Adinkra- making and Adanwomase, Wonoo, Bamang and others renowned for the rich kente-weaving.

These handicrafts are heavily patronized by tourists especially the foreigners. An average of 50 tourists a day visits these sites. The sites also serve as training centres foreigners who are interested in learning these handiworks.

In spite of these potentials, basic infrastructure which can boost the tourism industry is lacking. The District Assembly can initiate policy and create the enabling environment for investment in areas such as hotels, restaurants and resorts.

Another important tourist attraction site is the Antoa Shrine at Antoa which brings not less than 100 people daily to the place. This site offers a huge potential which the traditional authority can collaborate with the District Assembly to exploit to the benefit of the people.

All these sites are less than 10 km from Kumasi, the regional capital