A participant prepares traditional food during Homowo festival celebrations in Accra, Ghana, Aug. 8, 2026.

NNA News - The streets of Accra came alive on Saturday as Ghana’s Ga community gathered for the annual Homowo festival, bringing together traditional rituals, music, colourful clothing and communal celebrations. Thousands of Ga people, including members of the community living outside their ancestral homeland, returned to Accra for the festival, which honours ancestors and commemorates the community’s triumph over hunger and adversity.

The name Homowo literally means “to hoot or jeer at hunger” in the Ga language. The festival is rooted in the history of the Ga people, whose ancestors are said to have experienced famine and hardship while migrating from Ile Ife in present-day Nigeria to their current homeland in Ghana.

According to Ga tradition, the hardships were associated with the displeasure of a god or deity. The community responded by offering livestock, praying and pouring libations in an effort to restore harmony. Over generations, these traditions have become central to Homowo, with food playing an important role in the celebrations.

Among the most recognisable traditions is the preparation of kpekple, a dish made from maize, red palm oil and fish. During the festival, the food is ceremonially sprinkled around homes as part of a ritual of remembrance and thanksgiving."'Kpekple' is a traditional feast that is prepared yearly during the celebration of the Homowo for all to feast on. So, kplekple is prepared to celebrate the festival and not hunger," said Janet Mootso Adotey, a native of Ga Mashie.

A participant prepares traditional food during Homowo festival celebrations in Accra, Ghana, Aug. 8, 2026.

The ceremony also provides an opportunity for the community to remember its history and ancestors. Addoteye Bediako, a traditional warrior, or Asafoatse, of the Sempe quarter of the Ga State, explained the significance of the rituals and traditional clothing worn during the celebrations. "We are all in red, and everyone is wild. Those of us who are Asafoatse, or warriors, wear our war dress, which signifies our seriousness. The rationale behind sprinkling the 'kpekple' is to remember our ancestors," Bediako said.

For the Ga community, Homowo is therefore more than a cultural gathering. It is a way of preserving historical memory and passing traditions from one generation to the next. Naa Ayorkor Yomiyo, queen mother of the Asene quarter, said the festival provided an opportunity to honour the courage of earlier generations while encouraging unity among Ghanaians. "Homowo is a festival used to remember our ancestors for the war they fought for us. I will urge all Ghanaians to stay united and ensure there is peace, as there is no need for family disputes," she said.

Participants carry and prepare kpekple during Homowo festival celebrations in Accra, Ghana, Aug. 8, 2026.

The festival has also attracted visitors interested in experiencing the cultural traditions of the Ga people and learning more about the community’s history. Homowo traditionally begins towards the end of April and continues into May, when crops, particularly millet, are planted ahead of the rainy season. The celebrations form part of a broader cultural calendar through which the Ga community maintains its connection to agriculture, ancestry and communal identity.

For those gathered in Accra, the festival offers a link between the past and the present, bringing traditional food, ritual and collective memory into the heart of Ghana’s capital.