Vice presidential candidate for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has been honoured by the chiefs and people of Sankana in the Upper West Region.
This recognition is due to her significant contributions to the area through her academic work, which has helped uncover and preserve the history, culture, and traditions of the Sankana people.
On June 15, 2024, the Paramount Chief and Traditional Council enskinned her as the Queen Mother of Sankana, bestowing upon her the title Pagnaa Piirima (Mother of Rocks).
They also made her an honorary member of the Sankana Traditional Council. These honours were part of the celebrations for the Kalibi Tigri Festival of the Sankana people.
“Sankana holds sentimental value to me because some of my earliest research was done here. Later, under President Mahama, we improved the educational facilities in the area. I have been given the honorary title of Pognaa Piirima (Mother of the Rocks), a position I hold dear.
“I look forward to contributing even more to the progress of Sankana, and I invite everyone to join me to celebrate these wonderful people,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang wrote in a statement after her enskinment.
The annual Kalibi Tigri Festival of the people of Sankana is celebrated in recognition of the sacrifices of its founders, who went through thick and thin to ensure that Sankana survived and thrived as a polity.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang has done considerable research about the people of Sankana.
An example is her work on slave trade in Sankana and Gwollu: “The Living Experience of the Slave Trade in Sankana and Gwollu-Literary Manifestations and Implications for Tourism” in J. R. Anquandah and N.J. Opoku-Agyemang, Eds.
The Trains Atlantic Slave Trade: Landmarks, Legacies, Expectations, Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2008.”