The 2025 Homowo festival, meant to be a joyous celebration of abundance and thanksgiving among the Ga people, has instead been marred by bloodshed, with violent clashes in Teshie and Sowutuom in the Greater Accra Region leaving at least five people dead and several others injured.
Three people were confirmed dead in Teshie, while two fatalities were reported in Sowutuom, following disputes over traditional sprinkling rites of Kpokpoi, the Homowo festival’s sacred cornmeal dish.
Chaos in Sowutuom: Chief’s son and Obrafor killed
The Sowutuom violence erupted on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Two people lost their lives in the clashes, which are said to include the Obrafor of Sowutuom and the son of the local chief.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the disturbances began when residents of Dwenewoho attempted to sprinkle Kpokpoi in Sowutuom, a move that the local traditional leaders resisted. What started as a disagreement quickly escalated into an exchange of heavy gunfire.
The eyewitness said that after the Chelsea game, they suddenly heard gunshots from the junction, and for almost 30 minutes, bullets were flying everywhere.
Videos circulating on social media showed blood-stained victims lying on the ground, with others rushed to the hospital in the back of a pickup truck.
Several more were injured, though the exact number remains unclear.
Armed men storm community, residents flee
Witnesses further reported that armed men stormed the township, prompting residents to flee for their lives and shut down their shops.
Even after police moved in to restore calm, many businesses in Sowutuom remained closed on Sunday, with residents fearing a resurgence of the violence.
The Sowutuom incident underscores long-simmering disputes over who holds the right to perform sprinkling rites in certain areas—an issue that has repeatedly disrupted Homowo celebrations in different Ga communities.
Teshie clash leaves three dead
In Teshie, three people were confirmed dead after a violent confrontation during the Homowo festivities on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
The deceased were identified as Patrick Marmah Martey, 27, Christopher Osekre Adjetey, 29, and Eddie Blessing, whose age has not been disclosed.
The bloody clash occurred at the Chief’s Palace in Lenshie, near the Manjaanor Shrine, when rival factions met during the sprinkling rituals.
According to the Teshie District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Vincent Adotey, the trouble began around 1:30 p.m. as the Paramount Chief, Gbetsorlor Nii Akonfra III, and his entourage returned from their sprinkling rounds and retired to the palace.
Some of his supporters remained outside when the Atofoatse, Nii Dzata, arrived with his followers to also perform their own sprinkling.
The Paramount Chief’s supporters resisted the move, leading to violent scenes of stone-throwing, bottle-hurling, and eventually gunfire.
Security directive defied
Chief Supt. Adotey revealed that the Municipal Security Committee had previously instructed that each clan restrict the sprinkling of Kpokpoi to their respective houses to avoid confrontation, given previous clashes.
However, Atofoatse Nii Dzata reportedly defied the directive, arguing that he had a spiritual obligation to offer the ritual to the palace deity, Naa Yoomo. This decision sparked the bloody confrontation.
Several people sustained injuries and were rushed to the LEKMA Hospital and the Family Health Hospital, with some reported to be in critical condition.
Rival youth groups fuel tension
Tensions had been building in Teshie long before the fatal clashes.
Chief Supt. Adotey noted that as early as 6 a.m. on August 26, youth groups were already on the streets performing kpashimor, a traditional jog-and-dance procession.
During the procession, two rival youth groups known locally as Ofite and 50 Cent encountered each other and engaged in a violent confrontation.
That incident, which police say happened outside their immediate control, heightened the charged atmosphere in the town and set the stage for the later bloody showdown.
Homowo festival turns deadly
The Homowo festival is one of the most important celebrations of the Ga people, symbolising the end of famine and the arrival of abundance.
Central to the event is the sprinkling of Kpokpoi, an act of thanksgiving and remembrance.
But in recent years, what should be a unifying cultural festival has increasingly been marred by chieftaincy disputes, youth rivalries, and power struggles over where and how the sprinkling rites are performed.
This year’s Homowo fatalities in Teshie and Sowutuom underscored the urgent need for stronger mediation by traditional councils, security agencies, and government authorities to prevent annual celebrations from descending into violence.
