Pictorial of HRM Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
Pictorials from the BBQ contest
Pictorials from the Great American River Run Half-marathon
THE ROLE OF NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CULTURE:
A two member delegates were nominated to represent the commission at the 2022 edition of the Memphis in May International Festival held in the United State of America. The team organised beautiful wearable metallic Ghanaian adornments from the Takoradi Technical University (TTU), The Kumasi Center for National Culture and Nana Anim Obiri the Culture Ambassador for the Commission. Also the team mobilized all the exhibits with a detailed research on the adornments to aid the public understand the exhibits. The exhibits were used as an educational work peace and where displayed at one of the renowned Metal Museum in Memphis Tennessee for awareness creation.
Pictorial exhibits from NCC
Pictorial exhibits from NCC
Pictorial exhibits from NCC
Pictorial exhibits from NCC
Conclusion:
The month of May treated the city of Memphis with a display of Ghanaian beautiful Culture heritage such as exhibits, great talents in Music and dance. The month-long salute was experience through a variety of way around the city, from independent film series in area theaters, to multiple art and photography exhibits in local galleries to a series featuring artists, business leaders and government delegates from Ghana. However, the international focus was most prominent during the international week with cultural performances at the Orpheum Theater, local elementary schools, and culinary masterpieces created by chefs preparing their country’s traditional dishes.
The NCC team participation in the event would not have been possible without the support of the Commission’s Executive Director who facilitative efforts contributed immensely towards making the teams participation richly.
SNAPSHOTS FROM THE EVENT:
Performance by Okyeame Kwame
Clothing is an essential descriptor of our culture and this evident in the diverse ethnic clothing styles of the ethnic groupings in Ghana. The promotion and preservation of this aspect of Ghanaian culture has led the National Commission on Culture to curate the event “Wear Ghana”, which is commemorated in the month of March.
As part of the activities for this year’s celebration, a puppetry performance was to be the main highlight for the Wear Ghana Kids Edition at the La Wireless Cluster of Schools. Community Education and Youth Development, a directorate under the National Commission on Culture that has an active puppetry department were engaged to stage a show.
Community Education and Youth Development transmitted a puppetry show to the enthusiastic pupils who were so excited to witness the puppetry show. The show captured why there is the need to dress decently and appropriately and to also find the value in using Ghanaian print fabric which has significant and relevant symbolism. The pupils actively participated by sharing their opinions on the show they witnessed.
The 21st of March was UNESCO World Puppetry Day, therefore CEYD maximized the opportunity to also commemorate the day with the transmission at the La Wireless Cluster of Schools. The World Puppetry Day celebrations for this year focused on SDG 14 and how puppetry transmissions can help address the challenges and offer some solutions to how to curtail the exploitation and degradation of Aquatic Life.
CEYD is committed to nurturing young generations with interactive programs that conserve, preserve and promote our culture.
The National Commission on Culture as part of its “Wear Ghana Festival” campaign has educated the pupils of La Wireless Cluster of Schools on some “Adinkra” symbols and their meaning.
The Commission in collaboration with the National Folklore Board, aside the education on the “Adinkra” symbols also exhibited some locally prepared food to the pupils and engaged them with some childhood games such as chaskele, pilolo and antoakyire.
The Commission believes this conscientization will guide and shape the pupils to accept and appreciate the traditional values and standards of the rich Ghanaian culture as the foreign assimilated customs and cultures have today taken over ours.
The National Commission on Culture (NCC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has set aside the month of March as ‘Wear Ghana’ month to promote the wearing of made in Ghana clothes and accessories.
This initiative is to promote Ghana’s cloth culture and heritage by encouraging Ghanaians to wear Made in Ghana clothes and other fashion accessories that are produced locally for both corporate and social functions.
Speaking at the event, the Director of Community Education and Youth Development Madam Akosua Abdallah (PhD) said, the month of March every year has been designated as “Wear Ghana” with the idea of promoting the rich cultural heritage and the local textile industry.
She added that, as Ghanaians, we must adopt the habit of patronizing in our locally produced fabrics and encourage the eating of our indigenous food such as “fufu”, “kelewele”, banku and many others.
The Director beseeched all Ghanaians to actively patronize in our local games, food and made in Ghana products as this will help increase the productivity of the textile industries and promote our identity both locally and eternally.
The National Commission on Culture (NCC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in collaboration with Ghana Tourism Authority, GTP and the National Theater has launched the 2022 edition of its annual event dubbed Wear Ghana Festival.
The festival which was initiated four years ago was launched under the theme ‘Sustaining Culture to Create Employment through Textiles, Fashion and Style’.
Speaking at the launch, the Executive Director of NCC, Madam Janet Edna Nyame, said the NCC as a cultural institution is mandated to promote and ensure the growth and development of Ghanaian culture and make them more relevant to our development, promote national identity and encourage institutions to patronize local fabrics and all fashion accessories.
The Executive Director reiterated that, Ghanaians must respect, preserve, harness and use cultural heritage and resources to develop a united, vibrant and a prosperous National Comity with a distinctive African identity and personality.
She said, “The first impression created about any person is what you are wearing and this send a lot of message about you. So be decent in your outfit to create good impression about you”.
The Executive Director expressed her excitement on how most Ghanaians have joined the train of promoting Ghana in diverse ways and indicated how Ghanaians have embraced their traditions and cultural values.
She encouraged institutions to adopt local fabric designs and patterns in their regalia, uniforms and paraphernalia and urged Ghanaians to continuously project and promote our cultural heritage by eating our indigenous foods and speaking our mother tongue.
The Indian High Commission in Ghana has invited a 14-member cultural troupe from Ghana to participate in the 35th Surajkund International Craft Mela 2022 in Surajkund District Faridabad Haryana, India.
This is the second time the High Commission has extended such invitation to the National Commission on Culture. The 14-member troupe were carefully selected from the Regional Centres for National Culture. The team consist of Drummers, Dancers, Chorographers and Exhibitors.
The Surajkund festival brings together over 30 countries from Africa and Asia to exhibits their crafts, culture and traditions. The Mela is scheduled to take place from the 18th of March to 4th of April, 2022 in Faridabad Haryana in India.
The Leader of the team from Ghana, Mrs. Rosemond Amuzu indicated that, the troupe will be performing all dances from all the 16 Regions of Ghana and also exhibit items that truly represent Ghana. On the part of the team, they promised to give off their best and give a good representation of Ghana at the Mela.
The Executive Director of National Commission on Culture Madam Janet Edna Nyame, encouraged the troupe to do well to put Ghana on top of the Mela’s map so as to enable them extend another invitation come next year.
She added that, their Regional Directors selected them because of their professionalism and competence, so they should go out there and make their Regions, the Commission and Mother Ghana proud. The team left Ghana on the 17th of march and is expected to be back on the 5th of April 2022.
Due to globalization and migration, multilingualism has become both a reality and an aim of education globally of which Ghana is not exempted. However, the aim for multilingualism can best be achieved when all stakeholders are technologically inclined. Thus, the theme chosen to mark this year’s event is not only appropriate but befitting for social discourse.
For the sustenance of our culture (language) as a country, there is the need for multilingualism in our educational system despite the prevalence of one nation, one language. Technology has equipped both learners and teachers in communicating in both oral and written forms through countless learning applications such as zoom, duolingo, memrise, google classroom among others. An evident display of technology was clearly experienced at the interim stages of COVID19 as most learners were engaged on virtual applications globally.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to enhance the role of teachers in promoting quality multilingual education. Facilitators in the educational industry must receive professional training periodically to enhance their language skills. Additionally, teachers must engage learners in communicative language activities to revive their reading, writing and speaking skills for eloquence and fluency in the various languages.
Albeit the need for technological advancement amidst multilingualism, technology poses some challenges to teaching and learning in our educational industry. The use of technological tool as a medium of communication and learning may pose threat on the behavioral characters of some learners as they will gratuitously surf the internet and associate with ignoble individuals. Technology may also incur additional cost for data usage by both learners and teachers. Finally, the instability in the internet connectivity due to its limited coverage nationwide will leave some learners and teachers handicapped and deprive them of receiving adequate information for teaching and learning. The use of technology for integrated learning and teaching of languages in Ghana will help to enhance the educational system as language is the main instructional tool in all schools. As Ghanaians, let us all embrace the technological tools for learning the various languages to connect us to job opportunities and business contracts through effect communication around the globe. As David Warlick opines, “we need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” With a sober reflection on the above quote, the National Commission on Culture admonishes all stakeholders especially the Education industry to help promote multilingual learning by furnishing educational institutions with technological tools for learning and inculcating the multilingual study in the curricula.
As today earmarks the International Mother Language Day, we are making a clarion call to all Ghanaians to go for their cultural heritage which is their mother language and speak it as it is an element for cultural identity.
For further information, Contact afariclare@gmail.com, NCC, PRME Directorate.
Happy International Mother Language Day.
Chief Executive Officer of Ceejay Multimedia, and the brain behind the iconic Akwaaba frame, Mr. Joseph Osae, has unveiled a new face to replace the old one which captured Angelina Nana Akua Oduro which has existed over two decades.
The Akwaaba portrait, which means welcome in the Ghanaian Twi language, is the most popular image that welcomes visitors in homes, offices, hotels and tourists at large in Ghana. According to Mr. Osae, the new face is said to continue the unmatched hospitality which accompanies the project.
He stated that he intended to replace the previous frame as a measure to give opportunity to other budding talents to also get the kind of exposure that the model in the first frame got.
The Executive Director of National Commission on Culture Madam Janet Edna Nyame, who was invited to speak at the event said, the iconic image will continue to propagate Ghana as the gateway to Africa, as the image is found in many offices including the embassies.
Madam Nyame added that, she was so much enthused to have met Mr. Osae and the lady whose portrait was on the previous frame last year and was wondering why they had not come out since that time to claim the glory of the viral photo but realized it was part of the challenges.
She further expressed her excitement for the idea of a new face for the Akwaaba frame and took advantage of the event to congratulate the photographer for such a wonderful work done and also encouraged Ghanaians to welcome, cherish, appreciate and market the new iconic face.
A culturally centered critical comparative look at Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Ghana; A survivor’s take.
There are diverse cultural practices scattered across Ghana. Cultural practices in any community have the ability to cause both negative and positive effects on social development in that community or society. Culture is one of the many factors that has over the years influenced the pace of development propelling it or otherwise leading to its decline. It is the wheel that determines where a people are headed and how they choose to get there. As some anthropologists and philosophers assert, no one can develop beyond the boundaries of their culture. Kwasi Wiredu in his book, Cultural Universal and Particulars: An African Perspective equally made the assertions about the immense influence of culture in carving individual identity , as such each aspect of it must be critiqued and appraised from a non-condescending stance in order to experience it in all of its fullness. Culture cannot be trivialized. Yet like many other factors that influences a given society or community, it requires a systematic approach in its application. Indeed, culture is of no relevance without properly laid systems and channels. Though many know culture to be dynamic not static , without these in place , no people can actively progress. Despite, the progress of culture should be guided for it to grow sturdily in the right path to meet a peoples set goals on development. In Ghana , there are such cultural practices that cannot exist along the path of the nations developmental plan and few of these include , child labour, early/forced marriages and Female Genital Mutilation. Many of these cultural practices have been uncovered to impact negatively on the social development of the community and all persons involved. Some of these can be categorized as gender based violence and infringement on human right, specifically right to freedom and education.
In the wake of cultural relativism, many are yet to question; why certain cultural practices are appalling to multiple groups of people. One of such culturally inappropriate practice, which has over the years taken on different forms, is ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ (FGM). Here , we will examine the practice, the philosophies associated with the phenomenon and its effects on the people practiced on. Likewise the intentions /reasons associated with it from the perspective of indigenous practitioners. Most importantly, we will give attention to the social development aspects of it and its ramifications to the survivors. In continuation, lets us ask ourselves, is FGM a bad cultural practice ? if so , why does it persist till date ? Why has it survived decades after its declaration as an illegal practice? One may wonder why, why in the midst of supposed development even at these times of globalization leading to some level of cultural adaptation, such practices exist. As these questions lingers on minds, it gives credence/evidence to the power of culture and its impact thereof; much so when one decides to uphold his ,her or their heritage. For this matter , it is important for all concerned to apply a much more tactical albeit dialogic approach in order to curb such practices.
A recent report issued by National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) discussed the severe health implications associated with some cultural practices such as FGM. It stressed especially on its psychological effects. In a descriptive cross sectional survey which used a Multi indicator cluster Survey (MICS), it was discovered that in disregard to its illegal status , an overall 11.7 % was recorded in Ghana with the Upper West region being the highest.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes FGM as the practice of cutting parts or complete removal of female external genitalia for non-medical reasons. Though there are many fears, objections and opinions associated with it, the practice of FGM is prevalent and is a serious cultural practice centered specifically in certain areas of Ghana including the Northern and Upper regions.
Many survivors of Female Genital Mutilation have recounted their experiences to family members, researchers, journalists and to law enforcers though scarcely. However, it is of much relevance to note that not all persons involved, (both victims and practitioners) see it with a negative lens. For such reason, it is important to address such cultural practices with all tact and empathy.
While speaking with Madam Atiga Asiglu , she shared some thoughts about FGM, yabika as it is called in Frafra her native language. She stated some reasons why this practice may not be suitable for todays woman. Citing the over indulgence in artificial food ingredients, spices and additives as leading to poor health and minimal strength. She stressed on the matter that women of today are not as fit or strong as women of her time. One may find it a thing of humour but that notwithstanding, these views expressed are likely to be shared by many others. She was very concerned however, about the trauma they underwent during child birth and the excessive bleeding and pain they experienced. She explained quite vividly how some of her counterparts also suffered hemorrhage and post natal pains.
Madam Asiglu is 80 years now and is a grandmother to many other women whom according to her would not recommend FGM to be practiced on. Some decades ago precisely sixty four (64) years , as a sixteen-year old (16) girl, Madam Asiglu underwent the mutilation of her genitalia at that stage. When asked what she felt that fateful hour , she calmly explained through her granddaughter who was serving as interpreter that ‘she had never seen so much blood before’. She further explained how the barika the special tool for cutting was used. She narrated how her mother often boiled water to tend to her now sore/wounded genitalia until it was healed. She added that there are some women specially trained for this purpose.
To Asiglu , FGM at the time was a most suitable way to curb teenage pregnancy as “ young girls will not go about feeling for sex and consequently indulging in acts of promiscuity ”. She added that it would have been preferable to do so medically, that is by a medical professional. This view should be recognized since it has become the new norm in recent times, to have medically conducted Female Genital Mutilation. It has become widely acceptable by many groups across the country.
This leads us to the very serious discussion of legalities associated with FGM. The 1960 Criminal Code which was amended in 1994 prohibits the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Ghana. Section 69A states that FGM is illegal and carries a minimum sentence of three years imprisonment (Ghana 12 Jan. 1961, Sec. 69A. However, the practice of FGM still occurs in Ghana even with the consent of key community stakeholders. In June 2006, approximately 4000 women were recorded to have undergone partial or full FGM (Ndubuisi, 2007).
To conclude, it behoves on all stakeholders to take a neutral stance in order to wholly address such cultural issues. Yes, it is equally our responsibility to make our opinions heard when confronted with such cultural practices which can easily be categorized as harmful, backward and an infringement on fundamental human rights. It is very important as stakeholders and persons concerned not to take the aggressive stance in this matter. This is necessary because practitioners of such cultural practices may not see their actions in such appalling light and any such non -dialogic approach can attract the negative outcome.
For many years, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSO) have been working on ensuring that the set laws be enforced to its last letter. From 2006, they begun lobbying for stricter and proper legislation on issues concerning Female Genital Mutilation. It is therefore commendable that UNESCO has made an initiative and is striving to eliminate FGM by the year 2030.
Albeit it lingers, the wheel of culture as we know keeps spinning carrying with it all forms of practices, indoctrinations and perceptions. Likewise, migration has played its own role in filtering certain cultural perceptions as migrants often now see the world and specifically their environment through the lenses of their new locations. Education, sensitisation , awareness creation and citizens participation can greatly affect the decline and the complete end to such cultural practices. In this case, victims can be more willing to divulge information concerning FGM. Persons can report practitioners for sanctions and prosecutions to be made; that in itself can help minimize or abolish the very grievous cultural practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
References
Eke, Ndubuisi et Kanu E.O. Nkanginieme. June 2006. Vol. 367, No. 9525. “Female Genital Mutilation and Obstetric Outcome: WHO Collaborative Prospective Study in Six African Countries.” The Lancet. (World Health Organization Web site). [Accessed 3 Oct. 2006]
Ghana. 12 January 1961 (last amended 2003). Criminal Code, 1960. (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees/Refworld).
Female Genital Mutilation in Ghana: Prevalence and Socio-economic Predictor. National Centre for Biotechnology Information NCBI, Abdul Rauf Alhassan John Nyaaba Anyinaam – Adolipo
Kwame Gyekye , 1997 .Tradition and Modernity :Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience . USA .
Kwasi Wiredu – 1996 Indiana Press. Cultural Universals and Particulars : An African Perspective
Mail and Guardian [Johannesburg]. 20 August 2004. Boureima Hama. “When I Had Finished, They Didn’t Even Bleed.” [Accessed 22 Aug. 2006]
United Nations (UN). 5 September 2006. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). “Ghana: Increased Penalties for Female Genital Cutting Proposed.” [Accessed 11 Sep. 2006]
_____. 2 February 2004. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). “Ghana: Women Call for Stiffer Female Circumcision Law.”
United States (US). 8 March 2006. Department of State. “Ghana.” Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2005. [Accessed 22 Aug. 2006]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Madam Asiglu Atiga, victim of FGM sixty-four years ago (64).
Dr Winnifred Atiga , (interpreter) granddaughter to the respondent.
For further details and correspondence
Contact : appreyefua@gmail.com
COVID-19 have ravaged countries and economies affecting the daily routines of most populations. Though governments and private institutions have tried to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, it has been trying and some successes have been attained, though some challenges still persist.
It was therefore, very heart-warming when the staff and management of Goldstar Air a new skyline that will be in the skies of Ghana and the global air spaces soon, Goldstar Air, donated PPEs that are very essential to fight against the covid19 pandemic. The items were donated on behalf of Mr. Eric Bannerman, CEO of Goldstar Air.
The operations manager who accompanied the team mentioned that when Goldstar Air completes all processes and starts operations, they will be landing and transiting through major airports across African destinations; Abidjan, Monrovia, Conakry, Freetown, Lagos, Dakar and the world including Washington, Rhode Island, Banjul, London, Guangzhou and Dubai.
The donations were received by Dr. Akosua Abdallah the Director of the Community Education and Youth Development, formerly (CYCC) who was very grateful to Goldstar Air for recognizing and appreciating the efforts of the Centre using the puppetry transmissions. She acknowledges that the PPEs will not only be beneficial to the department but all COVID-19 outreach sites that the Community Education and Youth Development will be visiting under the “Mask Up COVID DOWN” campaign.
Ghana’s Cultural Ambassador, Her Excellency Georgina Opoku Popularly known as “Asor” has advised the general public not to drive autistic people away but rather embrace such people and get the best out of them.
According to Her Excellency Georgina Opoku, autistic children have great capabilities. she explained that persons with the disability can be highly focused and so embracing them will help them realized their dreams.
She added that, a lot of people assume that the condition is a spiritual problem and most parents turn to spiritual centers instead of sending their children to see professionals who can guide them.
She said, children with autism have impaired social interactions, communication and learning difficulties as well as behavioral issues.
“Despite an increase in awareness in the country, parents of autistic children still feel the burden of coping with a child with the condition”
Parenthood, which should be a joyful experience, becomes a frightening one when a child is diagnosed with any defect or illness. The pressure piles on when the diagnosis is for a complicated condition such as autism; a complex neurological disorder which affects a child’s social development.
Autism is difficult enough to deal with in developed countries, where the condition is better understood, but for parents in Ghana, the response to a diagnosis is not always the best. Some parents have confessed to wishing their autistic children dead.
Mrs. Mary Amoah Kuffour, a Special needs teacher and a mother of an 18-year-old girl Nana Yaa with autism commends Georgina Opoku for her support and kind gesture towards her daughter.
Nana Yaa is a very beautiful young model who has broken the rule of a disability and sailed through the hardships of living with Autism.
Her mother, Mary Amoah has been a pillar of strength in her life, guiding her through every step and managing her career.
The Community Youth Cultural Centre, an implementing agency under the National Commission on Culture was recently invited to the 18th edition of Festival Internationale du Theatre Marionettes Ouagadougou / Festival au Burkina (FITMO/FAB) by the kind courtesy of the organizers led by Dr Hamadou Mande. The festival was scheduled to span from 25th October to 31st October, 2021. A cross section of excellent creative expressions was billed up for an enthusiastic audience as the schedule attached shows.
CYCC as the only outfit under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the National Commission on Culture that has a puppetry department which have been used for the advocacy campaigned to get the Ghanaian public to adhere to the covid-19 protocols funded by the National Covid Trust Fund and some NGOs. The invitation was honoured by the Centre and sent three staffers, the director of CYCC, Akosua Abdallah, Dr, Mr Prince Nicholas Haligah senior puppetry master and manipulator and Mr Elijah Vanderpuye Cunnison assistant, who worked under the puppetry department of the Centre to attend the festival and workshop to experience first hand the other forms of creating and transmitting puppetry to all range of audience.
The two staffers were warmly welcomed on Monday evening in Burkina Faso by the host after a drilling road trip from Accra on Sunday evening. A grand opening ceremony was held at the Espace Gambidi, a creative space built by Dr Jean Pierre Guigane a great writer, now managed by the son with some funding from willing donors. The opening had the key organizers welcoming all participants, performers and imploring them to lit up the festival with amazing performances and exciting ideas that will grow the performing arts industry in the sub-region of West Africa. Post the addresses, the night was indeed lit up with amazing performances of folk music, folklore and drama.
The subsequent days followed the same format with a series of workshops on the stated themes of “Art Against Violence” and “Puppetry Transmissions”. The two staffers from the Centre engaged in all the workshops where possible because they were all happening simultaneously. They focused largely on their expertise of puppetry and engaged in acquiring more insights on miniature puppetry creations and manipulations and other forms of transmitting puppetry with the aid of multimedia, a really fascinating concept.
The Director of CYCC Akosua Abdallah, Dr presented on the themes as the special guest of honour, from Ghana. She was engaged with mostly meetings and deliberations on the themes and further expansion of the festival and other incubating innovative initiatives that will grow the performing and creative arts spaces in the sub-region.
It was a really eventful festival which was climaxed well with amazing performances on 31st October,2021. Inspiring connections between artists, participants and other stakeholders in the creative and performances industry in the sub-region especially notably between Ghana and other French speaking countries were made that will be a mutually beneficial relationship if explored to it fullest by both parties. The mutual similarities in our crafts and arts as Africans must be harnessed well to feed the next generation with narratives that unites the continent against various mediums that propagate violence and conflicts. These narratives must encapsulate the African cultural identity that young Africans residing in the various countries on the continent and over the shores of the continent will be excited to be associated with.
The National Commission on Culture has appointed the Adukrom Abontendomhene, Nana Anim Obiri as Cultural Ambassador for the promotion of culture in the country. The ceremony was held to climax this year’s Odwira Festival at the Okuapehene’s Palace. The executive Director for National Commission on Culture Madam Janet Edna Nyame said the appointment will assist the commission and its centres in promoting the Ghanaian culture both local and international. She said Nana Obiri is the third to be appointed by the commission as a cultural ambassador.
Madam Nyame stated that Nana has proven beyond doubt that he can help promote the Ghanaian culture and traditions since he is already a traditional leader, conferring a cultural Ambassador tittle on him is in the right direction. The Executive Director further indicated that all the cultural ambassadors appointed will have to come up with programs and activities targeting the youth who seem to be losing touch with our culture. Most tourists come to Ghana because of our culture and traditions, so why should our youth lose sight of such rich and beautiful culture.
In his response, Nana Anim Obiri expressed his gratitude to the National Commission on Culture for the honour done him and promised to fully commit to the task ahead. He said the appointment will give him bigger opportunities to do more to educate and reach out to more Ghanaians on the rich traditions of the people of Akuapem and Ghana as a whole.
The Akuapem Abontenhene however called for support of the chiefs in the Akuapem traditional area as well as other chiefs to enable him execute well the task ahead of him.
The Executive Director for the National Commission on culture and the United States of America Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Stephanie S. Sullivan officially launched the 2022 world Junkanoo Festival yesterday in Accra (Ghana).
The Junkanoo festival is celebrated each year in two spectacular parades, on Boxing Day (26th December) and New Year’s Day. The root of Junkanoo is found in the continent of Africa, it often had Slaves hiding their faces under a flour paste during it’s celebration.
The festival is one of the Caribbean’s street parades with music, it is often celebrated with colourful costumes to exuberant dance routines, participants spend months preparing for the pageantry of this street parade accompanied by the steady beat of whistles, cowbells, horns, and drums hours after midnight.
History has it that, the origins was named after John Canoe, the theory surrounding the name is that, John Canoe was an African trader on the West African Coast during the era of slavery and was often portrayed as a rebellious slave, while at other times as a successful Black merchant in West Africa whose story was carried over to the Bahamas through oral tradition (Sands, 2008).
The Festival was originally celebrated in the evenings, after the slave owners had gone to bed. Today, Junkanoo is seen as the celebration t of costumes, music, and dance to reunite Africans lost culture and a step towards conserving our heritage.
An advisory board of the National Commission on Culture has been sworn in to help improve, promote, and preserve the Ghanaian Cultural Heritage in order to make it more attractive to the youth, generation yet unborn and to the outside world.
It is expected of the board to strive in promoting Ghana’s diverse Cultural identity and make Culture the center of National development.
The board, which is chaired by the sector Minister, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, is constituted by the following:
| No | Name | Organization/Institution | Position |
| 1. | Madam Janet Edna Nyame
|
Executive Director, National Commission on Culture | Member |
| 2. | Hon.Gifty Twum-Ampofo
|
Ministry of Education | Member |
| 3. | Hon. Fatimatu Abubakar | Ministry of Information | Member |
| 4. | Madam Dzifa Kemevor | Ministry of Gender | Member |
| 5. | Osagyefo Kwame Akonu X | National House of Chiefs | Member |
| 6. | Dr. Lawyer Christine O.Asare | EPA | Member |
| 7. | Nana Ama Serwaa Bonsu | Queen-Mother | Member |
| 8. | Mr. Kwaku T.Danso -Misa | President’s Nominee | Member |
| 9. | Mad. Shirley Nana Akua Frimpomg-Manso | President’s Nominee | Member |
| 10. | Sheikh Zakaria M.Seebaway | President’s Nominee | Member |
| 11. | Mr. Alex Lucky Mensah | President’s Nominee | Member |
| 12. | Mr. Felix Otis Tsibo-Darko | President’s Nominee | Member |
| 13. | Mr. Issiah Kwadwo Ampong | President’s Nominee | Member |
The National Commission on Culture in collaboration with COVID-19 Trust Fund organized a Covid-19 awareness campaign at the Kaneshie market to sensitize the public on the need to keep to the safety protocols of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Executive Director of National Commission on Culture, Madam JANET Edna Nyame in her address indicated that, COVID-19 has really dealt negatively with people all over the world, but recently with the introduction of the vaccines, things seem to be coming back to normal. Miss Nyame pleaded with the market women to always wear their mask, and ensure that their customers also wear theirs before they attend to them. She said, they meet a lot of people within the day, so if they begin advocating for the wearing of mask and use of the sanitizers, they will go a long way to save lives.
She also added that the GPRTU should also make sure people who board their vehicles, wear their mask throughout the journey. Most drivers have nicely embossed “No Mask, No Entry” on their cars but even the drivers do not wear the mask.
The Executive Director also appealed to all Ghanaians to adhere to safety protocols of COVID-19 outlined by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Services and also take the vaccine when it gets to their community and ignore all the myth around it.
The Executive Director of the Covid-19 National Trust Fund Secretariat and Former Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Sophia Akuffo, used the opportunity to thank all Ghanaians who have in one way or the other contributed to the fund and urged them to do more since covid-19 is still with us. She advised Ghanaians to wear the mask well and also not to get too physically close to friends and family because COVID-19 is real and with a lot of people and organizations facing challenges, very soon the fund will not be able to support people so it’s important we protect ourselves and stay home if we do not have anything to do outside.
