Ghana’s the poorer for not ratifying UN’ conventions on culture

Story: Godwin Yirenkyi

Ghana needs to retify the United Nation’s conventions on culture to benefit from then fully”, so say Madam Elizabeth Moundo, the head representative and director of the United Nations Organization (UNESCO)cluster office, in Accra.

She mentioned in particular the convention on intangible cultural heritage, the diversity of cultural expressions, which is linked to the development of cultural industries, and the underwater cultural heritage convention, and suggested to the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture and Chieftaincy to work together to ensure that Ghana benefits from the numerous advantages of these conventions.

Madam Moundo said this during the presentation of 230 posters of various sizes depicting Ghana’s culture heritage to the Ministry of Tourism to help project the country to the outside world.

She noted that cultural diversity offers opportunity to those who visit the country to understand the diverse cultures within Ghana’s borders and therefore, calls for tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Commission and produced by the UNESCO cluster office under the generic name, “Ghana, Land of Culture and Tradition,” the posters focus on various indigenous industries such as beads making, goldsmiths, artisanal fishing, textile weaving, fanciful coffins, drums and other traditional handicrafts.

The UNESCO covers Benin, Cote d’Iviore, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana.

Receiving the poster, the Deputy Minster of Tourism, Kwabena Owusu Acheampong, thanked UNESCO for the donation and said the ministry will ensure that the poster are distributed and showcased in public places and Ghanaian missions abroad.

He said, as the head of the tourism sector the ministry was excited about the initiative by UNESCO because the poster will serve as a platform to serve not only as an advocacy tool but also attract both local and foreign investments into the tourism sector. They will also market Ghana’s tourism to the outside world, he said.

The deputy Minister added that the traditional techniques linked to the creative industries right down to the community level will help promote a sense of shared identity for greater social cohesion among Ghanaians.

Ms. Moji Okuribido, Regionial Adviser for Culture at the UNESCO cluster office and director of the project, said that when placed at airports the posters will help heighten awareness among visitors and prospective tourists about some of the places to visit and enhance their travel experience.

*Source:

            Times Weekend          Page:   11        Saturday, February 27, 2010