By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, May 31, GNA – About 100 artists within the performing and visual artists domains across the northern part of the country have attended a training to improve their knowledge on existing relevant policies and legal frameworks governing the culture and creative space in the country and beyond.
The two-day training, which has ended in Tamale, was to develop and implement a comprehensive training programme that empowered artists to cultivate cultural policy and legal understanding underlining their craft.
It was also to provide them with the tools and knowledge needed to create high quality productions, with protection and freedom, that spoke to the times and reflected their cultural heritage, while addressing contemporary sociocultural issues.
It was organised by the National Commission on Culture in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of the UNESCO-ASCHBERG Programme for artists and cultural professionals.
The training also offered an opportunity for participants to make contributions for consideration in the new cultural policy document, which is under review by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
The policy is expected to consider better ways to enhance the status of the artists, ensure freedom of the creativity of artists, protection of the rights of the artists and their works amongst others and to create a friendlier and more peaceful environment for creativity to thrive.
Nana Otuo Owoahene Acheampong, Executive Director, National Commission on Culture, speaking during the training, said similar training programme had been slated for the middle, coastal and southern sectors of the country to train additional 300 artists within the performing and visual artists domains.
The creative industry is an essential component of the global economy, and its contributions are critical to the success of the country as the sector employs a large percentage of the working class, especially young people.
However, many creative artists in the country, especially emerging ones, lack knowledge and understanding of policies and legal frameworks that affect their work leading to challenges in navigating through the industry successfully.
Other issues confronting artists include appropriate remunerations, freedom of expression, access to institutional support and guidance, hence, the training.
Nana Owoahene Acheampong said the talents in the industry were enormous, especially in the northern part of the country, adding they needed coaching and mentoring as well as building their capacity and confidence to make it big in the industry.
He emphasised that “There is so much talent in northern Ghana, raw peculiar talents that we need to tap. What they are doing, they are on the right track. They just need to motivate themselves. We as a government agency, will do our best to organise periodic coaching and interactive sessions with them that will spur them on to be their best.”
Dr Benjamin Oduro Arhin Jr, National Expert, UNESCO-ASCHBERG Programme, who was a facilitator, expressed the need for all to understand their culture and that of others to relate well with them.
GNA