Daniel Ashite Quaye
The Ghana Norway Foundation which is based in Norway will organise a music and cultural festival in June dubbed ‘Ghanorfest 2017’ in Oslo, Norway, to celebrate Ghanaian music and culture.
The festival, according to the organisers, is expected to create a platform for Ghanaians living abroad to experience Ghanaian culture and traditions.
The festival is expected to bring traditionalists, cultural ambassadors, chiefs, government officials and musicians from both Ghana and Norway on one platform to celebrate and promote culture and tradition to the outside world.
The President and Founder of Ghana Norway Foundation, Daniel Ashitey Quaye, intimated that the aim of the festival is to promote cultures and traditions amongst Ghanaians and Norwegians.
According to him, the hosting of the festival in Norway is a replica of the infamous Homowo festival celebrated by the Ga communities in Ghana.
He further added that Ghanorfest would bring Ghanaians abroad together to foster unity, peace, trade and development.
“The hosting of the festival in Norway will further create a platform for Ghanaian children born outside the country who have never experienced any exhibition of Ghanaian cultures and traditions to experience Ghanaian cultures abroad,” Mr Quaye mentioned.
Activities lined-up for the celebration of the festival in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, include a durbar of chiefs from some Ga communities in Ghana, delegation from the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, officials from the Ghana Embassy in Norway, officials from Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, groups and associations of Ghanaian societies in Europe and general Ghanaian communities in Europe and many more.
The activities also include a procession through some selected streets of Oslo, sprinkling of traditional Homowo food (kpokpoi) and a musical concert to climax the festival. The festival will also exhibit the preparation, display and tasting of some selected Ghanaian foods.
M Quaye hinted that some Ghanaian artistes will headline the musical concert to climax the festival on June 3, 2017.