All over the world, many great men have lived and died. Their heroic deeds saved others – people, families, tribes, nations. The story of Egya Ahor is one of such heroic stories. He was from the Fante tribe of the Akan ethnic group in Ghana, an African country. And he saved the Fantes from a dreaded epidemic.
Some years, about three decades, after the Fantes settled in Mankessim, adaptation to the coastal weather, and rapid population growth resulted in occasional outbreaks of diseases. One such outbreak happened during the time of the hero Ahor. The epidemic was contagious, deadly, and unstoppable.
Nothing could be done to stop the spread of the disease. Herbalists exhausted their knowledge of herbal treatment, but no solution was found. Libations were poured to the ancestors, but no response was returned from the ancestral spirits. Families and people of all statuses died.
The only hope left was to consult ‘Akyen’, a Fante deity, and his fetish priest, Okomfo Amona. When the result of the consultation was announced, the whole of Mankessim became silent because a royal man was needed to be sacrificed to stop the epidemic.
The situation seemed hopeless, because, obviously, no one was going to give himself up to be sacrificed. But when all hopes seemed lost, a selfless brave man called Ahor gave himself up to be sacrificed to save his people. Accordingly, Ahor was led to the altar of Akyen, his throat was slit, and the royal blood was used for the sacrifice – this happened at 3:00 pm on Friday, May 3 at Mankessim.
The strange disease stopped soon after he was sacrificed. The Fantes instituted an annual festival called “Ahobaa” to remember the sacrifice Egya Ahor made for his people. Ahobaa is celebrated in the towns and villages across the Central Region of Ghana including Abeadze, Enyan-Kakraba, and Gomoa Fetteh. The festival is celebrated every year in May or early June.
Egya Ahor’s story now inspires others towards courage and selflessness.
