By James Amoh Junior
Accra, May 20, GNA – The Embassy of Israel in Ghana has marked Israel’s 75th anniversary with a magnificent reception and thrilling stage concert at the National Theatre in Accra.
The reception at the foray of the National Theatre, preceded by live drum and dance concert, was attended by a vibrant audience including the Diplomatic Corps, some Ministers of State, Israeli Community, and the media, were given a worthwhile treat.
The electrifying performances choked them with adrenaline pumping happiness as they sang and clapped along to non-stop stage drum and dance deliveries from the Tararam Ensemble from Israel who had traversed the Eastern Coastline of the Mediterranean to Accra.
The Tararam Drum and Dance Ensemble, in all black costumes, were at their best as they thrilled the expectant audience to over an hour of performance filled with laughter, unending applause and a surge of emotion and excitement altogether.
Tararam is a creative ensemble of performing artists who produce extraordinary sounds from ordinary objects, including industrial and household tools, a variety of percussion instruments, and the most basic instrument of all, the body.
Their performance was interactive and full of rhythm, music, movement, and wit interwoven with choreographed body drumming, amusing sounds, and theatrical antics.
The group lived up to its name, which in Hebrew means hubbub or commotion, as it assaults senses and awakens natural impulse to tap feets, clap hands and basically beat on anything and everything found on the way out of the theatre.
Another prominent feature of the night was the assemblage of the Tararam Group and the Ghana Dance Ensemble who delivered a stunning performance to the admiration of the cheering audience.
The jubilee, celebrated on the theme: “75 years of Creating a Climate of Innovation,” was an acknowledgement of Israel as a leader in a variety of industries, including Agritech, Watertech, Cybertech, Fintech, Med-tech and renewable energy.
The State of Israel was born on May 14, 1948, fulfilling a 2,000-year-old dream of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland.
Since then, Israel has grown and flourished into a vibrant democracy, a hub of innovation and technology, and a loving home of Jews from all over the world.
Ghana was one of the first African countries to establish formal diplomatic relations with the State of Israel as far back as 1958.
Madam Shlomit Sufa, Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Seirra Leone, speaking at the anniversary reception in Accra, Ghana, said in recent years, Israel had been making efforts to deepen its ties with African countries, recognising the continent’s strategic importance and vast potential.
She said Ghana, with its stable democracy, growing economy, friendly people, and warm friendliness with Israel, had emerged as a key partner for Israel in Africa.
“Israel and Ghana may seem like an unlikely pair, with vast geographical and cultural differences, but our shared values, interests, and the friendship between our peoples have brought us together,” she added.
In the last year, as in previous years, the Ambassador said, both countries had worked tirelessly together on the level of government-to-government, business-to-business, and people-to-people all aimed at strengthening closer ties.
Most of the engagements have been in the fields of agriculture, fintech, education, innovation, health, cybersecurity, renewable energy, and women empowerment, among others.
Madam Sufa said the economic and trade engagements of both countries kept growing exponentially as this year marked the 5th year of the Economic and Trade Mission’s operation in Ghana and the only Israeli Trade Mission in West Africa.
“Within these five years, we have been able to hold over 100 events, which consist of B2B events, incoming delegations, exhibitions, outgoing delegations, as well as professional seminars. The Mission has assisted and worked with over 450 Israeli companies and 2000 Ghanaian companies and agencies…” She said.
Those activities, she further stated, had led to an unbelievable record of over $140 million worth of business deals and investments between Ghanaian and Israeli communities and strengthened Israel’s ties with Ghana.
The Ambassador said Israel had made remarkable progress in the past 75 years, overcoming enormous challenges and achieving unprecedented success in many fields, explaining that from its vibrant democracy to its cutting-edge technology, Israel had much to offer.
Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, Eastern Regional Minister, who led the Government delegation, said in the past 65 years, Ghana and Israel had maintained warm and friendly relations and the bonds of friendship had been further strengthened and characterized by high-level visits.
He said the strategic location of the headquarters of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Ghana offered many trade and investment opportunities.
He, therefore, urged Israeli investors to partner with Ghanaian businesses and take advantage of the continent’s market of 1.3 billion people.
In addition to investing in the Government’s flagship initiatives such as the Planting for Food and Jobs, One-District One Factory, amongst others, for the mutual benefit of the two countries, while creating employment for Ghana’s youth, he said.
He commended the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Madam Sufa and her team for their efforts in strengthening bilateral, economic and trade relations, between Ghana and Israel and looked forward to working with the Government of Israel at the multilateral level to advance global peace and security.
GNA