2016 Kente Festival Launched

Ghana’s tourism industry anticipates an economic boost this September as the Agbamevorza (Kente Festival 2016) is launched. The 2016 line-up of traditional and exciting activities will take place from 4th September to 11th September 2016 and will culminate with the Grand Durbar which will be held at Kpetoe-Agotime in the Volta Region on the 10th September 2016.

The modern day Kente festival which commenced in 1995 is now in its 21st year, was institutionalized as an annual event to promote and conserve the uniqueness of the Kente cloth and its associated technology and creativity. The festival fosters national. Over the years the festival has served as a symbol for cohesion and momentous occasion for the artistic display of the rich Ghanaian culture.

The festival is celebrated by people from 37 towns which make up the Agotime traditional area spanning across the towns situated South East of Ho in the Volta Region and the Agu Mountain in Togo. (Afegame), lost their language to the dominant Ewe language. However, Dangme names are still maintained till date.

This important piece of history was provided at the Launch of this year’s festival by Dr. George Grandy at the who went on to also reveal that, The Agotimes were divided after the First World War by a boundary line that placed roughly two-thirds of their settlements in French Togoland and the remainder, including the capital, Kpetoe, in British Togoland. This act of partition was confirmed when British Togoland was formally absorbed into what became Ghana in 1956-57 and the French Togoland opted for a separate independence in 1960.

At the Launch of this year’s festival, Mr. Eddie Akotey, CHAIRMAN OF THE FESTIVAL PLANNING COMMITTEE said “Kente is an important identity symbol for Ghanaians and Africans in the diaspora. It is a timeless African heritage. Regardless of where we come from, we all identify with it as a fabric of great cultural and historical value. Outside the shores of Ghana, Kente gives us a sense of nationalism and pride as Africans. In the eyes of the world, Kente is regarded as the best hand-woven textile. Rightly so, Kente is often a first choice gift to any important visitor to this country. Right from the seat of government to our homes, Kente is preferred as a gift because of its background and uniqueness to Ghana and Africa. At the international level, Kente is admired for its beauty, patterns and designs. It is not surprising that most Ambassadors wear it when presenting letters of credence to host countries”.

“In Agotime, people directly depend on Kente weaving for their livelihood and we identify ourselves as one people, harnessing our resources for socio-economic development which follows as a matter of natural sequence. It is within this philosophy that we project the Kente treasure. We believe in our abilities as the pacesetters of the Kente festival and we therefore once again call attention to the Kente Village Projectwhich apart from preserving the Kente treasure will also serve as the honeypot for the tourism industry in Ghana.” added Mr. Eddie Akotey

This year’s festival which would be celebrated under the theme “Projecting the Cultural Values of Kente for Unity and Development.” was launched at the Christ the King Hall, Accra on the 22^nd of July, 2016 by Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

The launch comprised beautiful cultural dance performances amidst speeches from Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare - Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts. , Hon Alex Segbefia - Minister of Health, Mr. Alex Bruks of Dalex Finance and, Mr. Eddie Akotey of Edlorm Housing who is also the Chairman of the Festival Planning Committee.

The Chairman of the launch of the 2016 Kente Festival, Nene Mahumasro XIV in his address, expressed his fears that, “Little is being done to document and preserve Kente for the next generation. The background, name, meaning and uses of most antique clothes have been lost and new designs undocumented. If care is not taken, Kente would lose its identity over time. To address this phenomenon, I wish to call for the establishment of a ‘Kente Gallery and Tourist Center’ in Agotime to document and preserve Kente as an important treasure.

This would provide a one-stop shop for everything about Kente and the people of Agotime to any visitor from around the world. As we launch the 21^st edition of the festival, I wish to call on the government through the Ministry Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to adopt the Agotime Kente Festival as a National Festival of Culture and help promote is around the world. To the business community, I wish to encourage them to take advantage of the booming tourism industry in the Agotime Traditional Area to setup tourism related businesses, particularly in the accommodation and hospitality sector.”

In her speech, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts reiterated that, the mandate of her ministry has been realigned and expanded to provide a firm, stable policy environment for the effective mainstreaming of Ghanaian Culture into all aspects of national life and to ensure the emergence of a vibrant create economy which will improve and advance the tourism industry.

Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare added, “I also promise that, the on-going development of the Tourist Information Office and Visitor Reception Center at Kpetoe will be completed next year”

“We’re anticipating strong interest and participation from across Ghana and all over the world as many people will visit the wider area while enjoying the range of events which we have planned. We entreat everyone to visit Agotime, 25kms from Ho in the second week of September to experience the rich Ghanaian culture in a unique way. ” Nehemiah Attigah – Media & Publicity Committee

Festival at a glance
Sunday (4^th September, 2016)