GHANA TO EXHIBIT AT PAN-AFRICAN CULTURAL SHOW

By Kingsley Asare & Samuel Amoako Asiamoah

The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture yesterday mounted an exhibition of Ghanaian artifacts to herald the Second Pan-African Cultural Festival slated for Algeria in July.

The festival, the second to be held in Algeria in 40 years is dubbed “Rites of Passage.

Ghana has been invited to participate in the festival to be held between July 5 and 20 at the instance of Algeria.

Objects displayed were artifacts and pictures on the initiation ceremonies performed for a new born child from birth to death, namely birth, puberty, marriage and death.

Briefing the press on the Second Pan-African Cultural Festival, Ms. Lillian Bruce –Lyle, Chief Director of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture, said the objective of the exhibition was to introduce to citizens objects to be showcased by Ghana at the Algeria festival.

She said the festival would offer Ghana the opportunity to strengthen its bilateral relations with Algeria and other African countries which would be participating in the festival.

Ms Bruce –Lyle added that the festival would also offer Ghana the opportunity to showcase its rich cultural heritage.

“The exhibition seeks to showcase the authentic representation of our rites of passage,” the Chief Director stated.

Ms Bruce –Lyle said Ghana would participate in all the activities outlined for the festival.

The activities include symposia and conferences, heritage and art crafts exhibitions, cinema comic strip, choreography and theatre performances.

The Director of International Relations at the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture, Madam Gladys Boateng, later in an interview with the Times bemoaned the perception among citizens that the Ghanaian culture was “paganism”.

She particularly criticized pastors who mount the pulpit to attack the Ghanaian culture and describe it as “pagan”.

“Culture is the way a group of people live which involves the way they eat, drink, dress and dance,” she said

Madam Boateng concede that although some cultural practices such as the widowhood rites, female genital mutilation and “trokosi” were crude and needed modification, it was absolutely wrong for people to demonize the Ghanaian culture.

She said often, people criticize the puberty rites ceremonies organized for young children who have reached the stage of puberty because the private parts of the girls are exposed.

She therefore, wondered why those people did not have any problem with the numerous beauty pageants on television during which the contestants are almost naked.

Madam Boateng said there was the need to get every citizen on board to promote the Ghanaian culture, stressing that was the way Ghana could “develop because in patronizing made in Ghana goods we would be promoting the Ghanaian economy”.


*Source:
             The Ghanaian Times                    page 11                   Wednesday, February 25, 2009