By Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, June 29, GNA – Ghana and Jamaica have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cultural cooperation and exploring opportunities for collaboration between the two countries.
This was made known following a courtesy call by Madam Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister for Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, on Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.
The meeting, which focused on leveraging culture as a tool for diplomacy, economic growth, and sustainable development, also sought to explore opportunities that are mutually beneficial to both countries.
Welcoming Madam Grange to the Ministry, Madam Gomashie said the longstanding historical and cultural ties between the two nations provided a strong foundation for deeper collaboration in the creative arts sector.
She also disclosed plans to organise a musical festival that would further promote cultural exchange and strengthen the bonds between Ghana and Jamaica through music and the arts.
Underscoring the importance of cultural collaboration and partnership, the Minister extended an invitation to Madam Grange to participate in the upcoming Afro-Gastro Festival, which seeks to showcase Africa’s rich culinary heritage and creative industries.
“The move forms part of efforts to strengthen this partnership,” she said.
Madam Grange, who expressed optimism about the collaboration, highlighted the importance of culture as a diplomatic instrument capable of fostering mutual understanding, promoting tourism, creating jobs, and advancing socio-economic development.
She noted that increased collaboration in the areas of music, arts, culture, and heritage would further strengthen relations between Ghana and Jamaica while creating opportunities for cultural practitioners in both countries.
Besides her role as Jamaica’s Minister for Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Madam Grange, a founding member of the Jamaica Association of Composers, is widely recognised for her contributions to the Jamaican music industry and the country’s cultural development.
Ghana and Jamaica share deep historical and cultural links rooted in the transatlantic slave trade and the Pan-African movement.
Ghana was the first African country to gain independence in 1957 and became a key destination for members of the Jamaican diaspora, including Marcus Garvey’s followers and later Reggae icon Bob Marley, who was buried in Ghana symbolically in 1992.
Enduring traits of that connection include shared musical traditions, from Reggae and Dancehall to Hiplife and Afrobeats, as well as continued exchanges in arts, heritage, and tourism under the “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” initiatives.
GNA
Nii Martey M. Botchway
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong