2019 Kwahu Paragliding Festival takes off

The 2019 Paragliding Festival took off smoothly on Good Friday atop the Odweano Mountain at Kwahu Atibie as part of activities marking the Easter festivities.

Away from the Odweanoma Mountains at Atibie, many towns on the Kwahu Ridge are buzzing with music and entertainment activities, as Easter revellers warm up into the ecstatic atmosphere that characterises the occasion.

The large number of people visiting Kwahu has resulted in a business boom for hotels, restaurants, commercial vehicles, drinking bars and mobile telecommunication operators, as they cash in on the windfall.

There is heavy security presence in Kwahu, as police officers, especially, are seen at vantage points, either directing traffic or parading the streets with the view to maintaining law and order, reports Graphic Online’s Seth J. Bokpe.

Accident at Kwahu Obomeng

Meanwhile, Graphic Online’s Seth J. Bokpe reports that the Kwahu Easter celebrations on Friday recorded its first accident at Obomeng when the driver of a Mercedes Benz Saloon car run into a ditch.

There were no injuries but the front of the vehicle was damaged.

The driver of the vehicle with registration number, GT 1780 Z claimed the chippings on the newly constructed road tossed him off the road.

Police officers at a nearby checkpoint rushed to the scene to help pull out the driver and his passengers out of the vehicle.

It took more than 40 minutes to lift the vehicle out of the drain with the help of mechanics who brought a metal bar to help lift it out of the drain.

Church activities at Kwahu

Seth J. Bokpe also reported that in spite of the heavy commercialisation of the Easter festivities in the mountainous towns in Kwahu, there were church activities in celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Good Friday.

Some church leaders who spoke to Graphic Online insisted the locals knew the real value of Easter celebrations.

They said the number of people that turn up in their communities offered an opportunity for evangelism to win souls for Christ.

At the St Paul Catholic Church in Mpraeso, scores of celebrants turned up for the Good Friday Morning Mass known as the Station of the Cross.

Wooden crosses were erected all over a park in front of the church where the congregants mediated and prayed on their knees.

Most of the congregants were in sorrow reflecting the sombre moment preceding the death of Christ.

Station of the cross

The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ’s last day on Earth as a man.

The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini-pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station.

At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ’s last day.

Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.

Reflection

A member of the Church’s finance committee, Mr Isaac Obeng Manu, said the service offered an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices Jesus made to save mankind.

He said although the church expected moderation in the celebration of the Easter festivities, it also believed that the thousands of people who visit the area was a great opportunity to win more souls for Christ.

“We can’t stop people from coming here but our churches can work to win more souls. It is an advantage to us. The only challenge is the heavy drinking and other immoral activities, “ he said.

Last 7 words

At the Wesley Society Methodist Church in Obo, the congregants marked the day with a service anchored on the last seven words of Christ on the cross.

In a sermon, the Circuit Minister of Obo Circuit of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Very Rev Daniel Agyeman, said Christ’  s death and resurrection showed that Satan had no control over Christ.

He said Jesus at all times had his fears, hopes and frustrations in Christ.

“Let’s not put our hopes in stones, water and trees but Christ, who conquered death,” he said.

He told Graphic Online that the local council of churches was forced to organize its crusade a week earlier because the interest is more into the fun rather than the significance of the occasion.

Across the various towns, the Church of Pentecost also mounted tents and canopies for its conventions.