Maamɛŋ is not just another Ga ceremony. It is the sacred day when the King of the Ga people communes with the departed Ga Monarchs, royals and ancestors who have crossed into the ancestral world. A week after the Ga Mantse celebrates Homowo on Saturday, the following Saturday is reserved for Maamɛŋ. It is a ceremony of great spiritual and historical importance to the Ga State. The King dispatches from Ussher Town with his entourage, Asafo and a long convoy, passing through the markets. As the King approaches, thousands of people from different tribes and walks of life can be seen chanting, appellating and praising him. The atmosphere is magnificent, and witnessing the King move through the people in this manner is something truly beautiful. When the King arrives at the Ancestral Mausoleum of Ga Mantse Tackie Tawiah I at Tesano, you begin to witness Ga spirituality in its deepest form. The King sprinkles kpokpoi on the graves of the departed royals and past Ga Monarchs, then goes from grave to grave. A representative of the departed person stands beside the grave with schnapps and a traditional club, and when the King arrives, he uses them in praying for the departed, the family and the Ga State. This is where the spiritual dimension of Maamɛŋ becomes very profound. At this moment, the King is believed to be communing with the ancestors, and the words he utters are regarded as coming directly from the ancestral realm. He can commend those doing good and speak directly to those who are doing wrong. The atmosphere can become so spiritually intense that people may experience what they understand as ancestral possession. When the Tesano rites are completed, the King proceeds directly to Accra Brewery, where the 20th Ga Mantse and members of his family were buried. There, he performs the same sacred rites on their remains. Some may ask why the King uses a club when performing rites connected to the Ga Mantse Stool. This is because the club has become a distinctive part of rites associated specifically with the Ga Mantse Stool. When those buried there are consulted in connection with rites of the Ga Mantse Stool, the club is used. It is not an object that just anyone is permitted to use in such rites. After completing the rites at Accra Brewery, the King moves around the area with his Asafo and the royals who accompanied him, sprinkling kpokpoi and continuing the sacred observances. From there, the King walks as the landowner towards the Tackie Tawiah Statue at Rawlings Park, where thousands of people from all walks of life gather to chant, appellate and praise him. The King does not sit in a palanquin during this part of the journey. He walks on the earth because he is connected to Mother Earth. There is a symbolism in that walk that cannot be explained merely by what the eyes see. It represents the relationship between the King, the land, the ancestors and the Ga State. Yesterday, I witnessed part of Maamɛŋ myself, and honestly, it was amazing. Kwabenya Asafo were on full heat, firing their Asafo songs with tremendous energy. They are really men with balls! Their performance made the entire ceremony even more powerful, meaningful and beautiful. Eventually, the King completes the rites at the Ga Paramount Stool House. What we witness in Maamɛŋ is not simply a procession or a gathering. It is history, tradition, kingship, ancestral communion and Ga spirituality coming together. Let those who think they can become like the King continue wasting their time. They can try a billion times, but they can never be the Ga Mantse. No one is like him, and no one can ever be like him, except his Creator and the ancestors who continue to give him strength. Long Live The King - @ga.mantse.ii