By Naa Shormei Odonkor
Koforidua, Nov. 01, GNA – Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, the Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, has urged parents to take the initiative in preserving Ghanaian culture by teaching their children to values, traditions, and customs.
He said the rich culture of Ghana could never be abandoned because it offered the Ghanaian people their identity regardless of their location.
Daasebre Boateng III was speaking at the Eastern Regional Festival of Arts and Culture, which was organised by the Eastern Regional Centre for National Culture in partnership with the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council on the theme: “Reviving patriotism, peace and unity through cultural diversity for sustainable development.”
Several signatories, including heads of departments, the police regimental band, and some 16 basic and senior high schools, as well as cultural groups from Akuapem Akropong, Somanya, and other areas, to showcase their traditions.
Using his own life as an example, Daasebre Boateng III remarked, “My mother used to speak to me by making signs with her eyes, but today’s youth have lost that effect,” adding that, it was now time for parents to return to the conventional methods of raising children and instilling discipline in them.
Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, Eastern Regional Minister, stated that the region was made up of 11 traditional areas, namely Anum, Boso, Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo, Akuapem, Kwahu, Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Bosome, Akyem Kotoku, Akwamu, and New Juaben.
He stated that the cultural diversity of the areas brought people together and must be preserved to build peace and harmony in the region.
Mr Acheampong said the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) acknowledged Somanya and Koforidua as having the largest bead markets in West Africa.
As a result, he urged the Ministry of Tourism and the Center for National Arts and Culture to work with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority to expand the bead market internationally.
“Expand the markets for the industry by linking producers of the craft in the region to international markets and offer them opportunities to participate in their open days,” he said.
Dr. Akosua Abdallah, Director of the National Commission on Culture, said the arts and culture festival allowed Ghanaians to showcase their rich culture to the world despite the influx of foreign cultures into the country.
“This is a period to do some stocktaking about our culture and customs,” she added. “We have to do a deeper thinking about who we are, where we are and where we are going as a nation.”
As a result, she said that this year’s National Festival of Arts and Culture required the involvement of all citizens, and that the event would take place in Cape Coast, Central Region, from December 09 to December 16, 2022.
The Eastern Regional Centre for National Culture aims to harness the region’s diverse artistic resources to promote heterogeneous regional culture.
GNA