It is interesting to learn about the historical narrations behind the names of various communities here in Ghana. The names of some communities were derived from the first settlers, others from historical happenings in the particular area.
One such story is the naming of a community called Sowutuom in Ghana’s capital.
Sowutuom translates to “brace yourself” however in literal terms it translates as “hold your gun”
According to folklore, the area referred to as Sowutuom today, was a jungle, inhabited by wild animals, and nobody lived there except hunters. The closest town to Sowutuom called Kwashieman, was miles away. The fertile land in the jungle and the abundant game, attracted people into it.
There are stories about men being attacked and eaten by wild beasts. One such story is about a hunter who had built a rest hut in a part of the thick jungle, one night as he was resting inside his hut, he heard a knock on the door, little did he know it was a hungry lioness scratching the door of the hut, thinking it was a tired hunter looking for a place to rest his head, he opened the door and was fatally attacked by the wild beast.
Nii Kwashie, the King of Kwashieman, the closest town to the jungle, declared the land a no- go area for the young, the weak and especially older folks. The place became known as “Abrewa nkor” which meant “Older folks are not allowed”
Subsequently, the adventurous young folks of the land in their own way nicknamed the area “Sor-wo-tuo-mu” To them, the area was a no go area for the weak but for them they had “braced themselves” for the challenges that lay ahead.
Sowutuom today is a cosmopolitan town, niched under the Ga Central Municipal Assembly contributing to the assembly’s gross population of 117,220people.