One of the cultural activities of the Agbamevor Za, the annual Kente festival of the Agotime Traditional Area, is Asialetorme, traditionally described as the Maidens’ Water-Fetching Rite.
The ceremony sees women from the community make their way to the riverside to fetch water for visitors attending the festival.
The practice is regarded as a demonstration of the hospitality of the Agotime people.
According to accounts of the tradition, it was formerly an activity for older women and maidens, particularly associated with the passing of great men and women. It has since become part of the annual Agbamevor Za celebrations.
The return from the riverside is one of the spectacle’s defining moments. The women walk back in single file, dressed in colourful Kente fabrics and carrying water in bottles. The water is subsequently poured into a traditional pot at the forecourt of the paramount chief’s palace for visitors, accompanied by music and dancing.
Asialetorme is an important cultural expression of the Agotime people and a notable part of the annual Agbamevor Za celebrations.
