Tema, Mar 24, GNA – SOS Children’s Village Tema, has held its 2022 “Talento Expo”, a talent and creativity building programme in Tema.
The aim of the Talento Expo 2022 – Season 13 programme, in line with this year’s theme “Appreciating Ghanaian Culture” was to showcase the talents of children from various schools within the Tema Metropolis as they explore and build on their understanding and appreciation of our rich Ghanaian values and culture in commemoration and celebration of Ghana’s independence.
Some of the participating schools in the event include SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Bethel Methodist School, New World School, Community Eleven Complex JHS 5, Star Basic School, St Paul Methodist Primary and St Paul Methodist JHS.
Mr Brobbey Okai, Head of School, SOS Children’s Village Tema, in his address noted that the programme sought to help children unearth their talents, as well as retrain their minds and heart.
He said it was on their school’s calendar over the last 14 years to be hosting the Talents Kids for their children.
He said the 2020 edition was organised just before the COVID19 outbreak in the country, however they could not organise the 2021 edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So, we have resumed our talent hunt this year and we are not only doing this for students in our school but we’ve also invited students from other schools to participate in this programme,” he said.
Mr Okai said in this year’s edition, their little ones would be displaying beautiful Ghanaian fabrics through modeling.
“It is my desire that going forward, we should display more on Ghanaian culture and so, this year, we nicknamed this event “Celebrating Rich Ghanaian Culture”,” he said.
“We are going to ensure that in the coming years, we are going to really display most of the Ghanaian dances and songs that we are missing.”
He noted that most of their children do not know many of their Ghanaian folkloric songs; adding that they don’t know Ghanaian dances.
“And it is dying, when we die, we die with it and our children would be lost to this culture,” he said.
He said they were making it more or less from this moment a point to launch rich Ghanaian culture in their schools, and to ensure that children learn their culture.
“If you travel to other places, you would see beautiful culture displayed, we need to ensure that our culture stays.”
The first SOS Children’s Village in Ghana was opened in Tema in 1974.
Today, the SOS Social Centres in Tema provide a family strengthening programme to members of the local community in need of support.
The programme ensures that children have access to essential educational, nutritional and health services.
It provides guidance to parents in the areas of income generation and parenting skills and strengthens support systems for vulnerable children and their families within the community.
SOS Children’s Villages Ghana has four centres in the country, namely Tema, Asiakwa, Kumasi and Tamale.
GNA