Abla Dzifa Gomashie
The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has dismissed assertions that the launch of the National Fugu Day was a deliberate action to wipe out the wearing of Kente in the country.
Following the declaration of every Wednesday for the wearing of Fugu, many Ghanaians have raised concerns of the effects of this declaration on Kente weavers. Speaking in an interview with Channel One/ Citi News, the sector minister disclosed that “the promotion of Fugu is not a deliberate attempt to wipe out the Kente market, but we are bringing everything along. Kente is for all of us. But there is a certain ceremonial image that comes with wearing Kente. It is so celebratory in a certain way unlike Fugu, where you can wear it to the office. Promoting it should not diminish the other. And how can it be a competition? Competition about what? Let’s stop thinking of tribe, it’s negative,” she added.
Kente weavers in Bonwire, Ashanti Region, recently called on the government to declare a National Kente Day. The call comes after the Ghana Tourism Authority announced Wednesdays as National Fugu Day, intended to celebrate the northern woven fabric and correct earlier misconceptions that mischaracterised it as merely a ‘blouse’ during President Mahama’s three-day official visit to Zambia.
While commending the initiative to promote Fugu, the Bonwire weavers argue that Kente, which is globally recognised as a symbol of Ghanaian identity, royalty, and tradition, deserves similar national recognition.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke