Stories and facts

The Fiok Festival, sometimes spelt Feok, is an annual event celebrated by the Builsa people of Ghana’s Upper East Region, primarily in Sandema and the surrounding Builsa Traditional Area. This festival marks a significant chapter in the history of the Builsa, combining gratitude for a bountiful harvest with remembrance of their resilience against external threats.

It originated as a series of household thanksgiving rites for successful crops but grew into a public festivity that honours the community’s collective spirit. Central to the celebration is the remembrance of the Builsa’s victorious stand against Babatu, a notorious slave raider of the 19th century whose attacks once imperilled their lands. The festival commemorates the unity and courage that led to this triumph, preserving this memory through ritual and performance.

The festival is observed mainly by the Builsa, a people descended from diverse ethnic groups, including Kasena, Mamprusi, and Nankana, who settled in the area from the 16th century onwards. Today, the festival acts as a unifying force among the various clans in the Builsa North and South districts.

Participants wear traditional attire featuring smocks and pantaloons woven locally, complemented by headpieces crafted from calabash or grass, often decorated with animal horns symbolising bravery and ancestral connection. Warriors don weapons such as bows, arrows, axes, shields, and spears, performing war dances that recreate the battles fought against Babatu’s forces. These dances serve as a vivid retelling of history, ensuring that the spirit of resistance endures.

The festival begins with libations to honour ancestors and seek blessings for peace and prosperity. Women play a central role by preparing traditional drinks, leading songs, and instructing younger generations in the festival’s cultural significance. These acts nurture community ties and facilitate the passing down of heritage. Beyond its ceremonial aspects, the Fiok Festival plays an important role in preserving the Builsa’s cultural heritage, reinforcing social unity, and supporting economic growth.

It draws visitors, fostering local commerce through sales of crafts and attire, and provides a stage for leaders to encourage development initiatives. For Builsa descendants abroad, the festival offers a chance to reconnect with their heritage and renew ties to their place of origin.

Leaders use the occasion to promote principles such as sustainable development, education, environmental stewardship, and the empowerment of women within the community. Thus, the Fiok Festival stands as both a celebration of historical victory and abundant harvest, and a foundation for the future. Through its expressive dances, emblematic garments, and solemn rituals, it binds the Builsa to their shared history, embodying their enduring spirit, unity, and pride.

Thanks to Todd Poulter, who has served for four decades with Wycliffe Bible Translators in various leadership roles across Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, and globally, and who generously provided original images documenting the festival as it appeared during the 1980s, we gain valuable insight into the celebrations of that decade in the timeline below.