Avenor Tutudoza is the rebranded and rejuvenated festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Avenor State under the auspices of the Avenor Traditional Council, and the patronage of Torgbui Dorglo Anuma VI, the paramount Chief and President of the Avenor Traditional Council, with support from the Akatsi South and North District Assemblies.
The festival is preceded by a line up of pre-festival activities that starts from June. The Main festival is however a week long program, celebrated in the last week of November every year. This year’s festival will be climaxed with a Grand durbar on the 24th of November, 2018.
The Festival is literally, a call to every one to come and see what Avenor is made up of and support in building a better Avenor. It is an avenue to showcase and promote all assets of Avenor, and a platform to brand and market the Avenor land, in the bid to attract investors and tourists to Avenor, boost economic activity and also forster a high level of unity and pride in the hearts of the natives of Avenor.
The news of Avenor attaining a traditional council status is deemed a good fit for Avenor.
We appreciate our traditional leaders and all who have fought hard for us to attain this height.
We believe Avenor can rise up to the challenge through a massive strategic branding and marketing to position it as a destination conducive for habitation, trade, tourism and other possibilities.
One Key activity that helps to brand and market a destination is events or festivals. However, even though many attempts have been made over the years to create a festival for the Avenor land such attempts are mostly stalled half way and sometimes doesn’t get the buy in and support from all stakeholders and youths.
It is based on this background that we believe a second critical look at a festival is key at this time.
Having been established by a Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2165 since March 15, 2012, the Akatsi South District, as many other districts of its kind has been struggling to provide good living environments and sustainable livelihoods for its indigence through Government of Ghana’s support, administered by the District Assembly.
As much as, a lot has been done under the leadership of the various District Chief Executives, the Members of Parliament, many prominent chiefs over the years, there is obviously more room for improvement in ensuring that the district stands tall amongst all other districts.
However, we believe that these cannot be achieved, if we keep doing same things. Innovative approaches are required in the management of the district in odder for us to move forward as a people.
The strategic geographical location, land area, road network, proximity, low levels of crime rate and population amongst other key socio cultural and ecological factors of the district give it a high level of cutting edge advantages in boosting trade and ensuring low investment risks but high levels of return on investment for existing and potential investors.
We are therefore optimistic, that with a forward vision, strategic planning and a collective action, Akatsi South District can become a unique district that can provide conducive living conditions for its people through developing and exploiting the following unique Selling Prepositions of the District among others;
The Akatsi South District is very peaceful and stable as it has only one Traditional Council, known as Avenor Traditional Council with a traditional Capital located at Avenorpeme, which is the original home of the people. Avenor’s since the dawn of generation has a paramount chief, Awadada who doubles as the head of the Middle Wing, the Right Wing chiefs as well as the Left wing chiefs. The Avenors are divided into Thirteen (13) clans with their clan heads who are also chiefs and function as the custodians of lands in the District.
The vegetation of the District is made up of coastal savannah with marshy and sandy portions.
The black berry (velvet tamarind’) locally called “Atitoe” is unique to the district and can be found in most parts of the areas surrounding Akatsi town.
In the far northwest, around the Avu lagoon and its creeks are large track of reed locally known as “Keti” and used in weaving mats.
The vast savannah grassland is ideal for irrigated mechanised farming and livestock rearing.
The majority of the people in the District are engaged in agriculture. The District has substantial agricultural resources, which include large expanses of land which are suitable for the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals. The major agricultural products include black berry (Atitoe), sugar cane, pineapple, mangoes and staples such as maize, cassava, rice and sweet potato.
With the introduction of mobile phone services on the Ghanaian market; the District, sub- districts and most communities in the District can now be reached on mobile phones through telecommunication networks
Almost all the major towns in the District have access to electricity. The major sources of drinking water in the District are pipe borne (A Community initiative project), mechanised boreholes, boreholes with hand pump, traditional hand dug wells, rain harvesting tanks, streams etc.
Akatsi districts boasts of a major popular market that attracts traders from the whole country, and other countries like Benin, Togo, Nigeria etc who patronise the market to ply their trade in mainly food produce, livestock and other commodities.