Africa must
maintain its identity
Africa must
maintain its identity
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 January
2001
Africans have been asked to uphold
their unique culture and arts and to maintain their true identity to enable
them to contribute to the integration of world civilisation.
Dr A. A. Afrifa of the Psychology
Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, said this on Thursday at a public
lecture organised by the African Edenic Heritage Museum on the theme
"Africa in Search of Identity".
He said Africans should not refuse
modernisation but must blend modern technologies with the African sense of
community and the sacredness of all aspects of their lives to improve their
lot.
Dr. Afrifa noted that Africa is a
creation, not of a common race, geography or culture but of common experience
in world politics.
"The unity of Africa was
forged by the common experience of European domination and the common venture
of overthrowing that domination," he said.
"Africans have sought and are
seeking to create an Africa out of what has been freed. This involves a
two-fold task, the creation of a distinct position in world culture and
politics with the formation of a Pan-African Society."
Mr Yaw Poku Dankwa, Curator of the
museum, said it seeks to tell the story of the historical, cultural and
spiritual connection of Africans to the land of Israel.
He said the museum has arranged
many fragmented pieces in the form of evidence in a manner in which they tell
their own story, adding that viewers are left to draw their own conclusions.
Mr Dankwa appealed to Africans to
make concerted efforts to redeem their lost identity, which, he said, is more
spiritual than physical, by visiting history.
Mr William Hrisir-Acquaye,
Executive Director of the Dubois Centre, said Pan Africanism needed to be
promoted in order to achieve Africa's quest for its true identity.
He appealed to all to make good
use of the libraries, museums and other archival materials to acquire the rich
identity left behind by their predecessors.
GRi…/
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