Oguaa Fetu Afahye 2025: Inside Cape Coast’s Tradition And Orange Friday

Each September, the historic Ghanaian city of Cape Coast comes alive with the Oguaa Fetu Afahye, one of the nation’s oldest traditional festivals. The week-long celebration, which culminates on the first Saturday of the month, combines ritual, history, and community.

Having lived in Cape Coast since 2021, my experience of the festival had long been limited to secondhand accounts and social media. Experiencing it firsthand in 2025 revealed not only its depth and energy but also its enduring relevance in the cultural calendar of the Central Region.

The Origins of Fetu Afahye

The origins of Oguaa Fetu Afahye are rooted in a period of crisis. Historical accounts suggest that a devastating epidemic swept the city in the 19th century. In their desperation, the people appealed to their deities through purification rituals, ending the plague and restoring hope. From this deliverance came the name Fetu, derived from efin tu, meaning “to clear dirt” or “purification.”

Over the centuries, the festival evolved into an annual commemoration to thank the gods for life, pray for a bountiful harvest from the sea, and honour the seventy-seven deities that watch over the Oguaa Traditional Area.

This year marks the 61st edition of the Oguaa Fetu Afahye, held under the theme “Innovate to Elevate: Harnessing the Creative Economy for Sustainable Growth.” Officially launched in February, the festival features a series of activities leading up to the grand durbar in September.

At the launch, the Oguaamanhen, Osabarimaba Dr. Kwesi Atta II, emphasized that the festival’s benefits must extend beyond spirituality to social and economic life, underscoring its dual role as both sacred observance and social institution.

Bakatue

My first encounter with the Fetu Afahye was during Bakatue, a ritual held on a Tuesday afternoon during the festival week. Literally translated as the “opening of the lagoon,” the ritual lifts the seasonal ban on fishing, granting fishermen access to the sea once more. Beyond its practical role, Bakatue symbolizes the Oguaa people’s ecological and spiritual bond with the ocean.

Interestingly, I learned Bakatue shares its name with a major festival in nearby Elmina, reflecting the interconnected maritime traditions of Ghana’s coastal communities.

Orange Friday

If Bakatue anchors the festival in tradition, Orange Friday has become its most visible modern expression. On this day, Cape Coast’s streets transform into a sea of orange as thousands of revellers dance, chant, and march toward Chapel Square. Locals told me the street carnival began in Abura, moved through the city’s main streets to Kotokoraba, where I stood watching, before converging at Chapel Square.

At Kotokoraba, I overheard an elderly woman remark on how cheerful the Orange Friday celebration was, her face glowing with pride and nostalgia. Yet, she also noted soberly that not everyone in the crowd would live to see the next year’s celebration. Her words struck me deeply, reminding me that festivals like this are as much about joy as they are about the fragility of life.

The procession halts traffic and fills the city with music, performance, and colour. Beyond the carnival atmosphere, striking cultural displays recall Cape Coast’s layered history. Re-enactments of the transatlantic slave trade confront collective memory, while daring stunts by skaters and artistic performances highlight contemporary creativity.

Still, the name left me wondering: Why “Orange” in Orange Friday? Some say it’s tied to sponsorship by companies, while others believe the colour holds a deeper symbolic meaning within the community. Whatever the origin, the sea of orange unified strangers and locals into a single, vibrant identity.

The Festival Economy & MoMo Fest

Orange Friday also drives the local economy. Food vendors, artisans, and traders see booming business as they serve festive crowds. The day climaxed at Chapel Square, near the Cape Coast Castle, where telecommunications giant MTN hosted the MoMo Fest, blending gaming and live music.

The celebrations continued into Saturday evening, when renowned artists, including Dope Nation, Kwaw Kese, O’Kenneth, and Keche, electrified audiences at MTN’s MoMo Fest concert. The performances stretched into Sunday, blending cultural celebration with Ghana’s contemporary entertainment scene, and showcasing how tradition and modern creativity now coexist.

Final Thoughts: A Festival of Dual Character

Experiencing the Oguaa Fetu Afahye for the first time, after years of watching from afar, revealed the festival’s unique dual character. It is both a solemn remembrance of survival and a joyous celebration of community.

The purification rituals root the people in their past, while the carnival spirit of Orange Friday shows how tradition evolves with the times. Together, these elements affirm Cape Coast’s resilience, a community that honours its history, celebrates its present, and embraces its future with confidence.

Have you experienced Orange Friday or another Ghanaian festival? Share your thoughts in the comments.