The Executive Director of National Commission on Culture Madam Jane Edna Nyame has called for a conscious effort to inculcate confidence, respect and dignity in the youth.
This, she said would serve as a catalyst for the youth to aspire to greatness and realize their potential for the development of their communities and the society as a whole.
Madam Edna Nyame said in realizing the potential, the youth should venture into the creative arts and tourism industry.
She said the sale of artifacts and crafts as well as the promotion of tourist sites would put money in the pockets of the youth while earning the country some foreign exchange.
Madam Jane Edna Nyame was speaking at the Upper West Regional Cultural Festival at Wa the Regional Capital.
She explained that “we could not have chosen a better theme for this years’ festival than this; that is Empowering the Youth through Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts for Employment Creation.
The theme significantly emphasizes on the potential commercial viability of the elements of our rich cultural heritages and utilizing them for our maximum benefit.”
She added that while the youth could take advantage of the tourism and creative arts sector, it would also help to boost the national economy since the sector remains one of the largest revenue contributors to Ghana’s economy.
“The youth in visual arts can using the weaving, the sculpture, painting among others to make ends meet by enrolling to learn these artifacts and selling their beautiful products locally or internationally, to boost the economy.”
The Regional Festival of Arts and Culture is used to portray the culture of people of the region. It attracted cultural troops from the municipalities and districts who performed various dances.
There were also on display cultural artifacts of people of the region.
The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister Amidu Issahaku Chinnia speaking at the gathering said as custodians of the culture and tradition, Chiefs and Queen mothers must take centre stage in promoting and ensuring the continuity of the culture of the people in the traditional areas saying “let me also appeal to the Chiefs and Queen mothers, that you are the custodians of our culture and traditions and in all this you must take a centre stage in trying to mobilize our people to maintain our culture and our tradition.”
“Modernisation and religion is fast eroding our own culture and if we are not careful, a time would come that the children who would come after us would not know our culture, would not know our tradition and that would be a very big disaster for generations unborn,” he added.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Center for National Culture, Mark Dagbee was unhappy about the poor state of affairs of the Centre in the Region stressing that “the Centre for National Culture as it is now is not the Centre for National Culture I planned to leave behind; [but it] is due to circumstances beyond the control of management.”
He said the Center still lacked staff in certain districts as well as its own office building in the regional capital.
“The Upper West [Region] was five administrative districts when I started. With 11 administrative districts today, the Centre is challenged as to how staff all the districts in the current circumstances,” he explained.
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive Tahiru Issahaku Moomin said Wa Municipal as a hub of creative arts and culture and the gateway to the Upper West Region must up it game in the creative arts industry.
He cited the Wa Naa’s Palace, Nakore Mosque among others as tourist sites that could be exploited to bring revenue to the Municipality.
The Upper West Regional Festival formed part other regional celebrations which served as a prelude to the national event expected to take place in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
This year’s celebration focuses on “Empowering the Youth through Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts for Employment Creation”.
Story by Mark Smith and Dennis Bebane
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