HE Simone Giger (Swiss Ambassador to Ghana) being adorned with a customized Kente by Mama and other Queen Mother’s Women’s Celebration Day
By Desmond Tinana
The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Simone Giger, has insisted that the contribution of women must be celebrated and their stories heard in all works of life, including in agriculture, as they play a vital role in strengthening communities and building society.
The Ambassador who was speaking at the Asogli Women’s Celebration Day held in Ho as part of the ongoing 2024 Asogli Yam Festival mentioned that “women have long been the backbone of agriculture in Ghana, including in yam cultivation and their efforts in developing agriculture and beyond have played a key role in protecting families, strengthening communities, and building societies. Whether in preparing fields, planting, or nurturing families back home, women’s influence is critical – yet often overlooked.”
Deeming the celebration as both timely and essential, she urged every woman to embrace the celebration and to make full use of such platforms to tell their stories.
A cross-sessions of some Queen Mothers at the Asogli Women’s Celebration Day
“It is no longer time to be modest—this is your time to shine. Your contributions must be celebrated, and your stories heard.” HE Giger charged the women.
She went further to suggest that the Women’s Day Celebration becomes a permanent feature of the Yam festival urging them to make a deliberate effort to network and support each other through the celebration so that the works that they all do in their corners with their valuable experiences can be useful to their fellow women.
The Swiss Ambassador also called for women to be empowered through better access to resources and opportunities charging women not to only celebrate the past but look forward to a future where women take their rightful place as leaders and innovators.
The brain behind the Asogli Women’s Celebration Day Mama Bobi III who is one of the Queen Mothers from the Asogli State told journalists in an interview that the celebration aims to create a platform where up-and-coming women of the Asogli State can meet with older and accomplished women in their various fields of work to impact them as well as groom them since women and girls’ issue has become center stage nowadays
She emphasized that “sometimes all somebody needs is an advice, …someone to look up to, …someone to see that it is possible.” the reason she puts together young women who have been born and bred in Asogli State and have achieved something to impact the up and coming.
Mama Bobi, who is also a judge, shared her personal experience as a woman who was born and bred in Ho, went to Ola secondary school, and ended up becoming a judge. She said not too many of the indigenous women end up climbing the success ladder to realize their potential so she thought that they could groom the women and empower them to also become successful.
The female judge explained that even though the Women’s Celebration has always been part of the Asogli Yam Festival, she took the initiative to repackage the event when she became a Queen about two years ago leveraging on the accomplishments and renown of Torgbe Afede who is a household name all around Ghana and beyond enhance the lives of the people as she noticed that previous editions were something that was left for the outside towns to handle with no seriousness or pomp associated with it.
Mama Bobi added that the celebration was also organized to help raise funds so that whilst grooming young girls and
speaking to mothers on how to take care of their children and how to invest in them, there can be a fund that can take care of people who don’t have anyone to fund their education and support market women and women entrepreneurs.
The Asogli Yam Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the Asogli people of Ho in the Volta region of Ghana.
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