‘Create pathway for young African creatives to thrive’
Kobina Ankomah Graham, a writer, has urged the country’s cultural activists and practitioners to create the pathway for young Africans in the sector to live and thrive on their creativity.
“It is deeply important that we document our work in ways that our young can consume. It is important that our youth know what has already been done and that they are part of a bigger tapestry,” he added.
Mr Graham said this when he gave the keynote address at the 12th Ghana Culture Day Symposium and 3rd National Delegates Conference held on the theme “Culture, Technology and Current Trends-Making the Youth the Centre of Transformation” in Accra on Tuesday.
It was organised by the Ghana Culture Forum (GCF), an advocacy platform consisting of the widest scope of cultural practitioners, activists and organisations in Ghana.
The Ghana Culture Day celebration is a flagship event of the GCF and it has since its inception in 2012 marked the day on March 14 every year.
Mr Graham indicated that the community-minded cultural practitioner inspired those who would one day follow in their footsteps “simply by existing, doing and succeeding at what you do, making it easier for a young person to point to you and tell their parent that they want to work in culture”.
Mr Graham said it was for that reason he was hosting a show on Oroko Radio – an online radio station dedicated to alternative African music; “a show in which I am exploring over twenty years of alternative Ghanaian music through intergenerational conversation between two guests: one from when the alternative scene was just starting out and another whose time is now”.
He emphasised the need for more cultural research consultations from the youth to enable them share their opinions.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, said all and sundry had a role to play in safeguarding the country’s culture by using technology and social media platforms available for the promotion of the Ghanaian culture.
He said that was because the foundation of every successful thing, be it economy or otherwise, began from culture.
“So I urge you all to believe in Ghana and believe in yourself for together we are the game changers,” he added.
Former Ashanti Regional Minister, Kojo Yankah, said it was important that the country revisited its cultural heritage and honoured it.
He said that was because most Ghanaians had lost their relationships with nature.
“We have lost our heritage. We are delineating ourselves from the heritage we inherited. We are not teaching ourselves about ourselves,” he stated.
Mr Yankah emphasised that culture had been short-changed, particularly because of the kind of channels which give significance to “somebody else’s culture”.
The Country Representative of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to Ghana, Abdourahamane Diallo, congratulated GCF for its resilience over the years and assured of UNESCO’s unflinching support in preserving the country’s culture.
BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR
