By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, Dec. 28, GNA – The 2024 edition of the AfroBeach Festival has been opened to promote cultural diversity and create awareness about the need for environmental sustainability.
The five-day event would serve as a platform to showcase the rich heritage of Africa through captivating performances, cultural displays and exhibitions.
Scheduled to end in January, 1, 2025 at the Laboma Beach Resort, Accra, the event would promote the celebration of African music, culture and entertainment.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Accra, Dr Albert Tetteh Botchway, a Board member of the Festival said the event was not based on artistes but experience.
“This year, we decided to do AfroBeach Festival to protect our culture and this is not only about music and dance but the type of food we eat and traditional activities across the 16 regions of our country.
“Some of the cultures we see on television are too foreign but AfroBeach Festival is purely local,” he explained.
The opening ceremony begun with libation at the beach, and Dr Botchway explained that the move was to honour the gods of the land.
“The last time we did rituals was 10 years ago and we asked our gods to bless the beach, indeed if you look at 10 years back, our gods did very well.
“So today we libated, slaughtered animals and fowls to affirm what we promised the gods,” he said.
Madam Hilda Combla, one of the organisers of the festival, said the programme aimed to project African values through beaches.
“There would be a lot of programmes such as robotics, horse riding competition, fireworks, carnival fun and many more to be performed,” she explained.
She invited the public to go and experience real Ghanaian cultural heritage at the Laboma Beach Resort.
GNA