Scene from the event
The Ghana Culture Forum, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, the National Commission and Culture (NCC) and the National Theatre, on Tuesday, March 17 held the fifth edition of the Ghana Culture Day at the National Theatre in Accra.
Ghana Culture Day celebration is aimed at establishing a platform that brings together civil society organisations and individuals involved in the field of culture.
The event, themed ‘celebration 60th anniversary of Ghana’s independence: cultural re-orientation for the birth of a new Ghanaian’, attracted stakeholders within the Ghanaian culture fraternity and a section of the general public.
Some selected cultural music and dance groups that were invited to grace the occasion thrilled patrons with musical and cultural dance performances, drama, spoken word, readings and storytelling.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku, said government would review the 2004 Ghana Cultural Policy document to make it even more relevant and purposeful in the face of current modern trends.
According to her, the policy review would take into account such objectives as culture for the youth, culture in education and culture as part of leisure.
She mentioned that the government is determined to see to the completion of all abandoned regional centres of National Culture and commence a programme for establishing fully functional centres for National Culture in all the regional capitals.
“National cultural institutions such as the National Theatre, the Du Bois Memorial Centre, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and others will receive concentrated attention for refocusing the various programmes run by the ministry,” she added.
Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy, Convener, Ghana Culture Forum (GCF), said the forum is a network of cultural practitioners, activist and organisations united around a common goal of affirming the cultural foundations of development and enhancing the cultural sector.
She stated that the GCF seeks to ensure the recognition and mainstreaming of issues of culture in national development, monitor and intervene in developments in the cultural sector and co-ordinate and present the views and voices of members, ensuring that they are heard and ventilated.
The forum, she disclosed, is also to support cultural activists and their organisations to promote the best Ghanaian creativity and heritage and to promote Ghanaian identity through its cultural diversity.