Photos from Ga Mashie Twins Festival

The Ga Mashie Twins Festival, also known as Akwele Suma, officially kicked off the 2026 Ga Mashie Homowo celebrations on the Friday before the grand Homowo climax. The festival, held in the historic streets of Ga Mashie in Accra, celebrates the spiritual significance of twins in Ga culture, where multiple births are regarded as a divine blessing associated with fertility, prosperity, and good fortune.

The day begins with traditional rituals led by priests and family elders, including libations and a sacred herbal bath prepared with seawater, schnapps, an egg, and seven traditional herbs. Twins undergo spiritual cleansing before being smeared with white clay, symbolizing victory and long life, and dressed in identical white calico outfits. They are also served Otɔ, a ceremonial mashed yam meal prepared with palm oil and boiled eggs, representing fertility and abundance. The rituals culminate in a colorful procession through the principal streets of Ga Mashie, with twins ranging from newborns to elderly pairs taking part amid traditional drumming, singing, and chants of "Ye Yee Ye." Adomonline's Joseph Odotei was present to capture these scenes.