The Bakatue Festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana. The celebration, which dates back at least to 1847, always takes place on the first Tuesday of July.

The celebration serves to signal the start of the fishing season in Elmina. The name Bakatue, which means “draining of a lagoon,” is derived from the Fante language. The festival’s celebration was created to honor Elmina’s founding by the Portuguese during the first stages of the Gold Coast’s colonization. Additionally, it is used to thank the gods and pray for a successful fishing year.

It coincides with Ghana’s yearly rainy season. Tuesday was selected because it is believed in the area to be the day of the sea god.  As a result, fishermen in Elmina, like those in many other fishing communities in Ghana, stay ashore on Tuesdays to pay respect to the sea god. 

During the festival, the Paramount Chief, his deputy chiefs, and the entire state of Elmina offer Nana Brenya, the river god, the sacred festival food of eggs and mashed yam mixed with palm oil, along with prayers for peace. The royal family of Elmina takes part in a royal possession comprised of chiefs and stool carriers on the morning of the festival.

In the Elmina paramount region, chiefs of higher towns ride adorned palanquins. The chief priest casts his net into the Brenya Lagoon three times after the procession and addresses from selected chiefs and invited guests.

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