This year’s Heritage Month celebration was yesterday launched in Accra with a call on the citizenry to endeavour and preserve the country’s culture, customs and traditions.
Organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the event marked the beginning of a month-long programme to showcase the diverse cultures of the various regions in the country.
Speaking at the launch, the acting Chief Executive Officer of GTA, Maame Efua Houadjeto, emphasised the need for the citizens to appreciate the diversity of the country’s cultures, customs and traditions as a way of reclaiming the pride and dignity as Ghanaians.
Heritage, she underlined, was a source of identity and cohesion for this country as it defined and shaped who the people were.
“Heritage gives us a sense of belonging. It is the inheritance passed down from generation to generation, linking the present to the past. Heritage doesn’t only find expression in clothing, food, music, art, and language,” she explained.
To promote the Ghanaian culture, Ms Houadjeto urged tourism enterprises, tour operators, and musicians to display local food and drinks, to educate visitors about Ghana’s heritage, and to promote local music respectively.
Also, she encouraged Ghanaians to wear local textiles and also support the arts and crafts industry.
Ms Houadjeto reiterated the need for all to wear Ghana customs, especially in this month in all forms to boost the local textile industry and the arts centre.
This, she elaborated, would help create more income for the numerous sales and local prints and fabrics on display in order to boost the country’s economy.
The Director of the Black Star Experience, Office of the President, Mr Rex Omar, said the event marked a significant moment in the national calendar saying it was the time to celebrate, reflect and honour the rich tapestry of our culture, history and traditions that defines Ghanaians.
This year’s heritage month, he mentioned, was not just a celebration of the past but a call to action for the present and the future.
He also used the opportunity to invite international friends to visit and explore the Black Star experience, saying, “Your presence and support enriches this celebration and strengthen the bonds between our nations.”
Mr Omar commended all the individuals who have worked tirelessly to make the event a success, especially the sector ministry of tourism, creative arts and culture led the sector Minister, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the CEO of GTA, Maame Efua Houadjeto, and her deputies, and the entire team of GTA.
“Let us march forward together, celebrate our past, embrace our present, and build in the future that honours the legacy of our ancestors. Thank you very much”, he added.
For his part, the Director of Diasporan Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, in a statement, lauded the president, Mr John Dramani Mahama, for initiating the Black Star Experience.
Moreover, he noted that his outfit in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had encouraged Ghanaian missions abroad to wear made-in-Ghana attire throughout the month.
Additionally, he said that his office had also urged families in the diaspora to share stories about Ghana with their children and to educate those aspiring to become Ghanaians about the country’s culture and heritage.
BY CYNTHIA ASAMPANA
