GRi Arts & Culture 09 – 05 - 2003

Use PANAFEST to market Ghana- Boniface

National Theatre is 10 years

 

 

Use PANAFEST to market Ghana- Boniface

 

Elmina (Central Region) 09 May 2003 - The 6th Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST 2003) was on Thursday launched at Elmina with a call on the organisers of the festival to ensure that ''it is well preserved, properly packaged, professionally promoted and intensively marketed worldwide.''

 

PANAFEST is a cultural event organised annually in Ghana and is dedicated to the enhancement of ideals of Pan-Africanism and development of the African continent. The festival, which is scheduled for July 23 to August 5 would take place in Cape Coast, Elmina, Assin Manso, all in the Central Region and Accra under the theme: "Uniting the Africa Family; dialogue on traditional African system in the 21st Century globalisation".

 

More than 5,000 international participants from 40 countries are expected to attend this year's festival. Activities lined up for the festival include, colloquium, conference of traditional African rulers, bazaars/trade exposition, musical concert and youth and women forums.

 

Launching the festival, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, Abubakar Siddique Boniface, commended the organisers of the festival that had already been launched in the USA, South Africa and yet to be launched in the UK, Nigeria and Cuba.

 

Abubakar said the festival was an opportunity for Ghana to market its potentials and called on Ghanaians to bury their differences that might affect the organisation of the event.

 

He said since there was the tendency for other Africans and blacks in the Diaspora to organise similar festivals, it was imperative for Ghanaians to resolve to do all they could to maintain whatever unique advantages they had over the others to keep and develop PANAFEST in Ghana.

 

"We can only face the challenge if the PANAFEST FOUNDATION remains resolute and stay steadfastly committed to the ideals of the originators of the festival."

 

Kojo Yankah, Chairman of the International Board of the PANAFEST Foundation, announced that all was set for the smooth take off of the festival. He said arrangement has been made with the Ghana Airways to offer six flights on a 30 percent discount for people attending the festival.

 

He appealed to the government to sponsor groups in the country that would be performing during festival, saying that, PANAFEST 'is not a profit-making venture'.

 

Rabbi Kohain Nhalevi, Executive Secretary of PANAFEST, said the festival was more than an event but a movement that was bringing people from the African descent to showcase their traditional wealth.

 

He said this year's festival would be taken to most regions in the country and urged the public to show interest and participate.

GRi…/

 

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National Theatre is 10 years

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 09 May 2003 - Prof George Hagan, Chairman of National Commission on Culture, said a draft proposal has been submitted to government for the establishment of a fund to promote cultural activities nationwide.

 

He said this would support the youth to develop their creative enterprises and reduce the strenuous effort of soliciting for sponsors. Prof Hagan was addressing a press briefing to showcase the activities of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Theatre

 

He urged the workers to work hard to create an audience that would constantly patronise the activities showcased at the Theatre. Prof Komla Amoaku, Executive Director of the National Theatre, said an exercise was underway to convert the Theatre into a self-supporting institution in 2006.

 

The exercise, which was under the National Institutional Renewal Programme, intends to commercialise the use of the Theatre. Prof. Amoaku said the Management had lifted it from its doldrums to a very high standard through the introduction of unique and viable customer oriented programmes in the contemporary and traditional arts and other special events.

 

He said the Theatre through specialised training and manpower development and links with international Theatre groups could boast of some of the best-trained cadres of Theatre Professionals on the continent.

 

Prof. Amoaku noted that through international linkages and initiatives the Theatre had succeeded in the promotion of educational exchange programmes to expose Ghanaian cultural values. It has also established training opportunities through artistic collaboration. He commended the media for their tremendous support in communicating the programmes of the Theatre to its audience.

GRi…/

 

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