Abdul Mumin- Issah interacting with the media
A transnational cultural festival dedicated to the arts and crafts players in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis will soon take place in Sekondi, the administrative capital of the Western Region.
The event, dubbed “Sàkeva Transnational Cultural Festival,” will be used to develop and promote the artworks of local artists, the heritage sites, artefacts, and cultural celebrations in the metropolis.
The event, which is on the theme “Projecting Sekondi-Takoradi through Creative Arts,” will be organised through the Twin-Cities Sustainable Partnership Project and in collaboration with the Centre for National Culture.
The festival would serve as a platform to highlight the critical role played by the arts and crafts sector to create employment and promote tourism and the creativity of artists.
It is also intended to encourage cultural exchange and dialogue between Sekondi-Takoradi and its sister-city, Palermo, in Italy.
At a press briefing on the event which will commence on Thursday, June 27, 2024, the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Abdul Mumin-Issah said ‘Sakeva’ is an Ahanta word, which is similar to ‘Sankofa’ in Akan, meaning “go back and get it”.
He noted that the significance of the arts and crafts sector to local economic development in any city cannot be overemphasised.
“However, artists in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis continue to face numerous challenges, including inadequate workspaces, insufficient capital, high cost of lending, limited governmental support and exploitation by middlemen,” he pointed out.
He said recognising the need for multi-sectorial effort to address the challenges, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) is collaborating with identifiable departments and agencies to reposition the arts and crafts sector as a pillar for local economic development.
He noted that a Technical Team comprising representatives from the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Ghana Association of Visual Artists (GAVA), Takoradi Technical University (TTU), Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), and Ghana Export Promoting Authority (GEPA) was constituted to organise the Sàkeva Transnational Cultural Festival.
“The Sàkeva Festival would, therefore, serve as an opportunity to showcase to the world the creativity of our local artists, the employment and tourism opportunities in the arts and crafts sector in the metropolis,” he added.
He disclosed that the festival will officially be opened by the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, with the support of the Western Regional Minister and MP for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah.
He mentioned some of the highlights of the event as Arts and Crafts Exhibition, Cultural Performances, Symposium, Drawing and Cooking Competition.
He said the Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, will chair the occasion.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Sekondi