Prof. Adomako Ampofo recieves a citation
Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, a lecturer at the Institute of Africa Studies, University of Ghana, has called on Ghanaians to uphold their national identity instead of copying traditions and norms which are alien to the country.
“It is sad to mention that as a result of this new wave of lifestyle, government is spending huge amounts of our earnings to import all sorts of foods, cosmetics and other products to the neglect of indigenous ones,” she stated.
Prof. Adomako-Ampofo, who was speaking on the theme, “Who Are We and Where Are We? Identity and Transforming the Nation’ during the inaugural lecture of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) last Friday, warned that such a trend could lead to a situation whereby the citizenry would have nothing to be proud of in the future.
She commended the efforts of successive governments since independence for their respective roles in introducing initiatives and policies aimed at creating awareness of our heritage.
The lecturer praised successive governments for the creation of a Ministry of Chieftaincy, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), as well as the construction of edifices such as the National Archives, National Theatre, Arts Centre and Museum and Monuments Board, among others.
“We have a lot to be proud of if it comes to identifying who we are and what we stand for in the global family, its time government sits up to this challenge so that succeeding generations will not have to blame us for the lost of identity,” she stated.
Prof. Adomako Ampofo, who is a professor of African and Gender Studies, wondered why colonialism should continue to enslave us as a people.
She lauded President Nana Akofo Addo for the introduction of a number of policies such as “Planting for Food and Jobs,” among others, which could encourage Ghanaians to appreciate locally made foods and clothing.
While calling on government to implement the recommendations of the National Transformation Project (NTP), she stressed the need to introduce art and music into the school.
She added that it was appropriate to encourage the use of the local languages to teach children in their formative years.
GAAS is Ghana’s premier Learned Society founded in November 1959 by government with the aim of bringing together intellectuals, experts, professionals in the country to constitute a think tank in the arts and sciences for national development.
By Solomon Ofori