CULTURAL NEWS
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Emancipation Day held in Tamale
From: YAKUBU ABDUL-MAJEED
ALHAJI Adam Y. B. Ibrahim, deputy director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has urged Africans to discard negative perceptions towards the continent.
He said, “It was unfortunate that we as Africans associate anything originated by blacks as evil and inferior”.
The director explained that the white man created the perception during the pre-colonial or slave trade era and this must stop.
Alhaji Ibrahim said this when he presented a paper at a forum on the emancipation day celebration held in Tamale at the weekend.
The programme which was under the theme, Emancipation, our heritage our strength, honoring our African heroes’ was organized by the Ghana Tourist Board.
According to him, the colonial masters made people from other continents to believe that Africans were not capable of doing anything good.
He said people over the world were also made to believe that Africa was a definition of failure and ugliness.
“Time has come to put an end to the negative perceptions and let others begin to think positive about Africa.
He emphasized that it was time for Africans to produce inner and outer wealth for them selves.
The director also urged Africans to be committed to liberating themselves from diseases, poverty and hunger, since the continent was rich to support any initiative.
Alhaji Ibrahim however, called on African nations to spearhead the development of the continent re-establishing African nations as a continent capable of taking its entire people out of poverty.
He lauded government for launching the Joseph project, which he said when well managed could unite the people of the continent and the Diaspora.
He said the Atlantic Slave Trade remained the worse case of man’s inhumanity to the people of Africa and therefore urged all Africans to ensure that such a thing never occurred again.
The Northern Regional Manager of the Tourist Board, Mr. William Ayambire, in his welcome address, entreated the youth to learn the history of the country.
*Source
The Ghanaian Times - Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Page: 12
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