Photo courtesy Rosemary Rawcliffe
Ghana Together had the pleasure of welcoming Lower Axim Traditional Area Paramount Chief Awulae Attibrukusu III to Northwest Washington, June 29-July 2. Awulae had spent the previous six weeks in California, participating in an intensive training program in Business Administration. His visit gave us a rare chance to visit informally with this dedicated African leader and return in small part the hospitality he always extends to us when we visit Axim.
While in the Puget Sound area, he met with Lawrence Tolliver, Sales Director for Boeing in Africa, South America, and Caribbean. He visited the Swinomish Indian Reservation in LaConner, WA, as a guest of Chairman Brian Cladoosby. He met with the Economic Development Association of Skagit County. Staff of the Mount Vernon Public Library gave him an overview of their children’s programs, since one of his interests is improving children’s services in the modest public library in Axim. He met many friends of Ghana Together at an informal Open House.
Awulae and Brian Cladoosby, Chairman Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
He toured the new Northwest Career & Technical Academy in Mount Vernon, which is funded by several school districts. Since Ghana Together is working with Awulae, Western Heritage Home, and the Axim School District to create a science room that will serve as a central resource for several schools, the Academy, based on a similar model, was of particular interest.
Awulae is the Paramount Chief of the Lower Axim Traditional Council. He is called “King” by his people in the Nzema Traditional Area. It is a hereditary position. Although Ghana is a democracy, it retains its chieftaincy system. Awulae is the Paramount Chief for over more than 40 villages, each having a chief who is under his authority. He also manages many hectares of traditional land on behalf of his people.
Awulae is the Paramount Chief of the Lower Axim Traditional Council. He is called “King” by his people in the Nzema Traditional Area. It is a hereditary position. Although Ghana is a democracy, it retains its chieftaincy system. Awulae is the Paramount Chief for over more than 40 villages, each having a chief who is under his authority. He also manages many hectares of traditional land on behalf of his people.
Awulae leads his people in all cultural traditions, presiding over the local “Kundum Festival” which has been celebrated by the Nzema people every September for centuries, with drumming, reconciliation, parades, and feasts.
Among Awulae’s recent community achievements is leading the 2009 establishment of a new all-girls high school in Axim, the second in the Western Region of some 2 million people. He has served as a founding member on the Board of Western Heritage Home since its inception in 2005 (the Ghanaian community-based non-profit we’ve worked with for about five years now).
He is President of the Western Region House of Chiefs, and currently serves as Vice President of the National House of Chiefs, advising the President of Ghana on traditional matters and development of resources on traditional lands.
He is active in managing the ramifications of the recent discovery of oil off-shore (Atlantic Ocean) in his area of Ghana (Nzema Lands, Cape Three Points). He serves on the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Board. He recently was part of a government-sponsored entourage which visited Trinidad-Tobago to work out business plans for establishing natural gas facilities in the Nzema area. He is involved in overseeing the development by an Australian company of gold mining on traditional lands in the area. He serves on the Board of Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited.
Most importantly, he is a true champion of his Nzema people---he sees himself as “representing his people”, as he said many times. We loved hosting him and he enjoyed meeting us and thanking the many folks who support our mutual projects in Axim.
With Ghana Together Board Members Tom Castor (Vice President) and Louise Wilkinson
With a few Ghana Together friends at Open House
