While the maiden Gomoa Easter Carnival has been hailed as a landmark success, experts have cautioned that the festival’s future hinges on a critical transition from political to traditional and private sectors.
Speaking in an interview on Joy Prime on Saturday, 4th April 2026, historian and legal practitioner Yaw Anokye Frimpong and media expert Francis Doku argued that for the carnival to achieve the legendary status of the Kwahu Easter Festival, it must outgrow the influence of its initiator, the Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare Obeng (A Plus).
Mr Frimpong drew a sharp contrast between the Gomoa initiative and the Kwahu Festival, noting that the latter was built by businessmen rather than politicians.
He warned that a politician’s life, not their natural life but their tenure in office, is “very, very short” and often subject to partisan sabotage.
“A politician’s life is always very shaky. Even when you are re-elected, it comes to a point where one faction will say, ‘we won’t go there,’ because he belongs to party A and we belong to party B,” Mr Frimpong observed. “It becomes very much important for the chiefs and people of the area to own this festival and then just let the politicians stay in their wings.”
He suggested that the role of political figures like A Plus should be limited to marketing and high-level networking—such as bringing the Speaker of Parliament or Majority Leader to the event—rather than central planning.
Mr Frimpong called on the Ministry of Tourism and various tourism organisations to “move in to own it” so that the festival is protected from the whims of political transitions.
The goal, the experts agreed, is for the youth, local businessmen, and chiefs to form a coalition that makes the Gomoa Easter Carnival a “purely national” event that survives regardless of who sits in Parliament.
Media consultant Francis Doku echoed these sentiments, stressing that the festival must be institutionalised.
He pointed to the current involvement of certain individuals, questioning what happens to that leadership role in subsequent years.
“There must be some level of sustainability planned into it,” Mr Doku stated. “It would be good if the traditional authorities found a way to engage A Plus and the people who planned this year and saw how to be a bit more involved in the planning and production of the event subsequently. Otherwise, somebody leaves, and then that would be it.”
Mr Doku praised the fact that the carnival is branded as “Gomoa” rather than being restricted to a single constituency, a move that allows the Omanhene’s dominance to unify the entire region under one cultural banner.
The experts noted with satisfaction the presence of high-profile traditional leaders from across the Central Region, including Nana Osabirima Kwesi Atta II of Cape Coast and the Omanhene of Agona Nyakrom, as well as representatives from the Ashanti region.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com