Recently, the CENTRAL PRESS news team was fortunate enough to be given special access to watch this year’s Cape Coast Festival boat race. However, from the vantage point on the jetty it was easy to notice the multitude of police officers walking among the crowd. Was this a necessity, or an authoritarian overreaction to a problem that never occurred?
Festivals are always charged with emotion, and the Cape Coast Festival of 2011 has been no exception. Crowds gather in large numbers in often cramped surroundings, all eager to see the main attraction and, at times, tempers can fray leading to trouble. Despite these potential causes for trouble, there was very little crowd disturbance at the boat race, which pits four teams from the Cape Coast area against each other. Therefore, the high number of police officers at the race did seem to be largely disproportionate to the problem posed. Officers used heavy handed tactics to move through the crowd and to jostle members of the assembled press and associated media who were simply trying to record the day’s events. In one incident, a woman and her children were roughly pushed past the press section as they simply tried to cross from one side of the observation stands to the other. At CENTRAL PRESS, we ask, is this level of force necessary? All of the problems we saw take place on the day of the race were started by over reacting police officials who were clearly jittery that some problems might take place. Indeed, it seems that we were not the only ones who noticed as between rounds of racing one of the local chiefs came down to talk to the police to urge restraint.
Despite these problems, the race was a huge success. In the end, hundreds, if not thousands of people turned out to see the race and support the teams that were racing and to take part in the day’s festivities. The race involves rowing in teams, as quickly as possible, from one side of the lagoon to the other, and back again. The boats themselves are similar in size and shape to the boats that the local fisher folk use to make their daily catch. Observing the race were people from all over Ghana, the Cape Coast area, Chiefs and many different representatives from the media.
Over all, the day was a good; people were able to enjoy the race and a large turnout helped to create a fantastic and excited atmosphere, as vibrant as the festival costumes that were present at the boat race. The police did a good job over all but need to remember that people don't go to these events to cause trouble - festival problems can be solved with a kind word and firm advise. Physical force should be, and must be, a last resort.
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