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IT is that time again of the year and as expected, the Ga Traditional Council has announced to the general public the ban on drumming and noise making in the capital, Accra, to mark the commemoration of their annual Homowo festival.

DURING this period, every citizen and foreigner living in the Greater Accra Region are expected to observe with absolute silence, the strict adherence to the decrees of the traditional rulers during this sacred period within the Ga State to give meaning to their most revered festival.

A caution during the announcement by the Ga Traditional Council is evident of the fact that the council has declared a zero tolerance on any form of insolence, rudeness and resistance that often accompany the observation of the period and has therefore called on churches, businesses and any institution or individual engaged in practices that fall contrary to the directive.

THESE directives, of course, have always had consequences on business activities within the capital because most business, especially those in the informal sector, depend on public announcement gadgets to create awareness on their products and services.

CHRISTIANS are also denied their right to sing and praise their God in the way that best fits their mode of worship while Muslims are barred from using their loud speakers to call their members for prayer sessions but as the age-old adage goes ‘when you go to Rome you do what the Romans do.’

IT is in this vein that we are at Today are calling on the general public—especially churches—who had often had problems within this period—to follow through with this directive to ensure peace despite the cosmopolitan nature of Accra.

IT is worthy to note that the ban is not a religious act but a custom, which needs to be observed by everyone who resides within the jurisdiction of the Council and that is why we at Today are advising all and sundry to cooperate with the authorities to rid the capital of all the infractions that often accompany the ban.

Today also calls on the law enforcement agencies through the ministry of interior to harmonise the traditional norms and cultural practices on a constitutional footing to reduce the misunderstanding and conflict of interest that erupt when the task force is deployed to enforce the laws.

WE would also like to urge the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to take effective measures to enforce the ban on noise making to bring about religious tolerance and understanding within the populace.

WE would also like to urge the Ga Traditional Council (GTC) to ensure that apart from an identifiable task force which consists of AMA personnel, the Police Service and representatives from the traditional council with identity cards, no other person or group of persons should be seen or found enforcing the law during the period.