Sankofa statue unveiled at National Theatre
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has unveiled a statue at the National Theatre which underscores the need to reflect on the past to promote national development.
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The statue is in the form of the Sankofa emblem, which is one of the traditional Adinkra symbols and is represented culturally by a bird that has its head turned backwards and taking an egg off its back.
It symbolises taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.
The statue was donated by Values for Life, a non- governmental organisation (NGO).
Unveiling the Sankofa statue in Accra last Tuesday, a Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, encouraged the youth to be proud of the Ghanaian culture and heritage and to learn from past experiences to help in the development of the country.
“Our culture is our legacy. Cultural activities form part of major contributions towards national development, job creation and social cohesion,” she said.
Government’s intervention
She indicated that the ministry had engaged key players in its activities towards ensuring a vivacious culture and creative arts in the tourism sector, saying the “initiative is aimed at promoting our arts and crafts through support for the visual artists with bazaars to showcase Ghanaian crafts.”
She stated that it was prudent for Ghanaians to regard the statue as an important symbol.
“It is expected that this art piece becomes as attractive as those monuments and statues outside Ghana,” she said.
She added her voice to the call on Ghanaians to patronise made-in-Ghana products so as to enhance the development of the country.
“Let us patronise what is ours on a daily basis and we will together develop our country,” she added.
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Essence of statue
In a speech read on her behalf, a Board Member of Values for Life, Nana Adwoa Awindor, indicated that the essence of the statue was to inspire the youth, tourists and individuals to seek knowledge from the past to ride on into the future.
She added that the organisation had embarked on a series of workshops and competitions among educational institutions in the Greater Accra and the Volta regions aimed at bringing to life the interest and appreciation of the Ghanaian culture and heritage.
“It is our firm belief that such multi-faceted and interactive programmes would sufficiently develop the youth to be more productive, artistic, assertive and responsive to current exigencies,” she stated.