Accra, Dec 2, GNA- Councillor Maria Ampah Lovell, a former Mayor of Luton and Founder of Ghana Society UK (GSUK) in the United Kingdom, has called for the institutionalisation of a National Kente Day in Ghana.
“Having organised Kente Festival for more than a decade now, and having observed how this treasured Ghanaian cultural heritage is enamoured around the world, I think it is about time the Government of Ghana and the traditional authorities in the country stepped up strategic efforts to promote the Kente cloth, internationally,” she said at the end of this year’s Kente Festival dubbed: “Kentefest ‘21” in Luton from October 29 to November 28.
The former Mayor said this in a statement signed by Mr Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, GSUK Country Representative.
Councillor Lovell, who is of Ghanaian descent and became the first African woman to be elected Mayor of Luton in the 2020’s, said “When I was growing up as a child in Ghana, I remember there used to be a special day around Easter where Kente was worn by almost everyone to church.
“As children, it was always a momentous occasion we feverishly looked forward to on the calendar each year.
“In those days, the world was not as commercially connected as it is today. And so we could not do much to put this special cloth on the international market. However, things have evolved now and we need to take advantage of the new global opportunities it presents and harness this cultural heritage.”
Touching on how this could be achieved, Councillor Lovell said, “charity begins at home, and so I would like to propose the institutionalisation of a National Kente Day in Ghana to celebrate our pride in this symbolic cloth, which is now worn globally. On this special day, Ghanaians, both home and in the Diaspora, must be encouraged to adorn themselves with the Kente fabric in its vibrant colours.”
She said there were enormous benefits that could accrue to Ghana through the promotion of the Kente cloth.
The former Mayor said it would create employment for artisans and also generate foreign exchange for the country.
The Kente Festival has been running in the UK since 2009.
The theme for this year’s celebration was “Harnessing the Kente Heritage: Enhancing Inclusivity of Indigenous and Diasporan Communities towards Participatory Socio-Economic Development and Global Peace.”
Each year, the festival’s gala and dinner dance is used to raise funds to support a charity cause.
This year, the patronage was in support of the participation of the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana (NPC-Ghana) in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which would be held in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
There are ongoing discussions led by Councillor Lovell, who is also the Kente Nkosuohemaa, also known as Nana Abena Asantewaa I, to be adopted as the Games Village for the Ghanaian contingent to the Commonwealth Games.
The Festival was attended by guests, including Madam Rita Tani Iddi, Ghana’s Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, Police and Crime Commissioner, Rachel Hopkins, MP for Luton North, Cllr Farzana Kharawala, Mayor of Leighton-Linslade, as well as Councillors and Traditional Chiefs and Queen Mothers from Ghana.
Earlier in the month, there were activities like drumming and dancing workshops in schools and exhibition of Kente and other arts and crafts made in Ghana at the Luton Shopping Mall.
The activities were highly patronised by Ghanaians and other Africans in the Diaspora as well as residents of Luton.
GNA