Letter To The Ghana President With Prekese Ghanamedia -Part Ii-The Importance Of Our Culture

YOUR EXCELLENCY,
How are you doing today? We hope you are doing fine. Today we want to bring your office's attention to some important national issue that we all tend to overlook. The important roles of Culture and Arts especially the performance arts in rallying people together (Unity), preserving our culture, connecting the new generation to our history and heritage and the economic advantages cannot be overlooked.

Is Culture Important Your Excellency?
Well, for your information, your honor, it is very important because it is that which distinguished a Ghanaian from Chinese, Nigerian, Kenyan, Turkish,Indian etc. In 1959 , soon after our Independence, Dr. Nkrumah, our first President, established the National Arts Council to foster, improve and preserve the traditional arts and culture of Ghana and to examine practical ways and means to encourage a National Theater Movement ( NTM).

The NTM was an affort to promote Ghanaian culture and unity through the performance arts. This project was contracted to an eminent African Studies guru, Professor Emeritus Nketsia and the late Professor Mawere Opoku, the originator of Professional dance choreography, dance companies in Ghana. Through this project, the Ghana Dance Ensemble ,the National Dance Company, was started in association with the Institute of African Studies,University of Ghana.

Incidentally, another important person who supported this national efforts using our arts and culture to bridge the gap was Dr. Busia who worked for African Studies and made many good recommendations before he became the Prime Minister of Ghana. We are all witnesses to the great potential of our culture. This is the reason why we want to draw your attention to this "small" photo.

If you pay particular attention to this photo many inferences can be made from it. The kids seem like they are playing around but they show the potential natural skills that many Ghanaians have, how to IMPROVISE. They are giving us a message about POTENTIALS AND LACK OF RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITY. Do you know how many kids have similar skills in our various communities?

Making of the wooden guitars, not only require just using cutlass to cut some woods but the kids are showing early signs of knowledge in measurement which is a Math skill. Do we have to say anything about LIFE SKILLS.....leadership roles, management, organising and getting things done. Can you see early signs of business management skills by their being in the market playing for donations.

If we look at the artistic aspect of it, these kids are demonstrating that we all have potentials but we need to practice to become perfect. Perfecting our whatever potentials require us having strong CRITICAL thinking skills which these kids are naturally displaying.

Take a look carefully at the improvised instruments they have. These kids are teaching us that when we do not have the right stuff, we can improvise. How many of us do these in real life?

There is something about this photo which we believe many readers will not pay attention. We are talking about an IMPORTANT citizenry skills that the kids are teaching us.......TEAMWORK: If we have the opportunity to talk to these kids, chances are they might not all come from the same town, village or city. They might belong to some of the numerous ethnic groups in Ghana.Can U see the special TOLERANCE message they are given Ghanaians? Why can't all of us work together at this critical time of our national history and practice democracy as RESPONSIBLE, PEACE-LOVING AND PATRIOTIC CITIZENS of Ghana instead of the usage of abusive languages because of party politics?

DID THE ELDERS SAY: A Word to the Wise is Enough?
Thanks Your Excellency:
PREKESE GHANAMEDIA(c)