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March 11, 2016
Durbar marks opening of NAFAC at Wa
Wa, Nov. 18, GNA - Over 500 artists from all the ten regions
of the country on Saturday displayed the nation's rich
culture with colour and pageantry at a durbar to mark the
opening of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC)
at the Wa Secondary School park at Wa in the Upper West
Region.
The festival is the single largest cultural event in the
country that gives the chiefs and people the platform to
showcase their rich cultural diversity and foster unity for
national development.
Dubbed NAFAC 2005 with the theme: "culture, a vehicle for
wealth creation", the festival should have been held last
year but due to financial constraints at the time, it was
rescheduled for this year.
The well-attended gathering witnessed a variety of
activities that included, drumming and display of various
dance forms, choral music and a plethora of cultural
performances by cultural troupes including the Ghana Dance
Ensemble.
Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Harbours
and Railways delivered the opening speech on behalf of the
Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.
He said the cultural sector held the key to the realization
of the government's objective of tapping all natural and
human resources for the development of the country.
Government, he said, was aware of the immense contribution
of arts and culture to the national economy as cultural
goods and services constituted a viable part of
non-traditional export that could bring a lot of foreign
exchange to the country.
He urged all Ghanaians to use forums such as NAFAC to
re-dedicate themselves to the task of nation-building,
reminding them that, "our strength as a nation lies in our
unity and collective achievement".
The Vice-President said traditional architecture,
traditional textiles, dance forms, music and traditional
culinary arts that abound in the Upper West Region could be
effectively harnessed for socio-economic development.
He noted that there were a lot of cultural practices
associated with the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and called for
collective work towards the absolute eradication of such
practices to check the spread of the disease.
Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minster requested for
the establishment of a Regional Museum in Wa to conserve the
region's numerous artifacts and cultural collections to
promote tourism and research.
"My information is that large collections of artifacts from
this region are packed in several huge containers and can
fill an area three times the size of the National Museum".
The establishment of a Museum, he said would also be a
legacy of NAFAC and a clear demonstration of the nation's
commitment to develop its cultural heritage.
Naa Sohamininye Danaa, chairman of the Festival's planning
committee appealed to the government not to put the
construction of an amphitheatre on ice since such a facility
was greatly needed in the region for future national
international festivals.
Other dignitaries who attended the ceremony were, Mr
Boniface Gambilla, Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alban
Bagbin, the Minority Leader, Mr Issah Ketekewu, Deputy
Northern Regional Minister and the Zimbabwe High
Commissioner in Ghana.
GNA
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