THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS DERIVED FROM FESTIVALS. A CASE STUDY OF ASOGLI YAM FESTIVAL IN GHANA
Keywords:
Socio-economic, Asogli, traditional festival, cultural, art and craftAbstract
In this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the socio-economic prospects of the Asogli traditional festival (a festival celebrated in the Volta region of Ghana). A multi approach data collection technique was employed which included participant observation (30), interviews (32) and administration of questionnaires (560). The results indicated that 500 respondents representing 89.2% of the accessible population accept that the celebration of the festival possesses some social, cultural and economic values. Furthermore, the main finding of the study is that, the festival creates a platform for social cohesion and the launch of developmental projects such as school buildings, toilet facilities, road construction and good drinking water. This study also revealed that farmers derive a lot of economic benefits from the sale of yam which is the staple crop on which the celebration is founded. Additionally, art and craft dealers, food vendors and the hospitality industry benefit greatly from the sales of their products and services. It is hoped that this study will serve as an eye-opener for more researches to be conducted into our culture.
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