By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Sept 24, GNA – Professor Mumuni Eliasu, Dean, Faculty of Media and Communication Studies, University for Development Studies, has urged journalists to move beyond narratives that reduce Northern Ghana’s tourism and cultural heritage to poverty, wildlife and festivals.
He said Northern Ghana possessed diverse historical, cultural and documentary heritage that required more nuanced, accurate and culturally sensitive media coverage.
Professor Eliasu made the call while making a presentation at a two-day training workshop in Tamale for selected journalists in Northern Ghana.
The training workshop was organised by the UNESCO Accra Office as part of the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme.
The programme is being implemented under the “Advancing Preservation of African Documentary Heritage at Risk” project, funded by the Japan Fund-in-Trust.
Professor Eliasu said the media had a significant role to play in preserving and promoting documentary heritage by documenting the histories, traditions, knowledge systems and experiences of communities in ways that respected their dignity, identity and ownership.
He cautioned journalists against portraying Northern communities as primitive or exotic saying such narratives could reinforce stereotypes and fail to reflect the richness and complexity of their cultural heritage.
He said journalists should also exercise caution when reporting on sacred places, traditional institutions, rituals and ceremonies, particularly where cultural or religious protocols restricted access, recording or publication.
He advised journalists to seek appropriate permission from custodians and relevant authorities before recording or publishing sensitive cultural practices.
Professor Eliasu said treating sacred places merely as entertainment spaces could undermine their cultural and spiritual significance and affect the relationship between communities and the media.
He urged journalists to adopt responsible language when reporting on sensitive historical and social issues citing the Gambaga camp as an example.
He said women accused of witchcraft should not be described in media reports as actual “witches” but as women, who had been accused of witchcraft, to avoid reinforcing harmful labels.
He also urged journalists reporting on slave-history sites to provide adequate historical context rather than presenting such locations as cheerful entertainment spaces.
Professor Eliasu touched on oral history, saying it remained an important source of knowledge particularly in communities where historical information had traditionally been transmitted orally across generations.
He, however, cautioned journalists against presenting oral accounts as established historical facts without appropriate attribution and corroboration.
He encouraged journalists, particularly those working with digital platforms, to use multimedia storytelling, photography, documentaries, podcasts and other digital formats to make heritage stories accessible to younger audiences.
GNA
Edited by Albert Futukpor/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Solomon Gumah
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]