Government urged to control export of antiques 

Accra (Greater Accra), 13^th January 2000 

A prominent Ghanaian jewel designer has urged the government to put restrictions on the export of antiques saying the export promotion regulations do not grant enough protection.

She said the rate at which antiques are being collected and sent out of the country, there is a high risk that the country in future would be compelled to borrow aspects of her culture from other countries and non-Ghanaians.

In an interview in Accra, Hungarian-born Mrs Kati Dagadu, Head of Sun Trade Limited, said Ghanaians should adopt the habit of buying and keeping local items of high vintage value.

"If Ghanaians adopt such a habit they would be reinforcing an old practice, where some old women earn a living by selling items, including beads, collected while they were young. Age makes such items grow in value."

Such collections, she said, could benefit the owners in the long run since people or authorities interested in such items might be made to pay fees before gaining access to them.

Mrs Dagadu said the Ghana Beads Society is working closely with UNESCO to establish a beads museum in Ghana to serve as a repository of beads which has a rich tradition dating back to thousands years.

Touching on the traditional importance of beads, she said apart from their significance during occasions like birth, puberty and funeral rites, beads express emotion, wealth and social status, depending on the colour, design or how it is worn.

Beads also help in monitoring the growth of babies, enhance the shape and gait of women and serve as devices for sexual foreplay.

Mrs Dagadu said even though it appears that women use beads more than men, the tradition of beads wearing started with men when they ran strings through the bones and teeth of animals they have killed and hung them round their necks to signify their strength and masculinity.

GRi