NCC, GTA, partners marks 'Wear Ghana' with Kanda Cluster of Schools

The National Commission on Culture(NCC) in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority(GTA) and partners has held the 'Wear Ghana' Festival with learners at the Kanda Cluster of Schools in Accra.

The Wear Ghana Initiative, being the brainchild of the National Commission on Culture under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism(MoT) is meant to whip up interest and inculcate a love for Made-In-Ghana clothing into young learners. The Wear Ghana Festival for the year 2023 is on the theme, "Wear Ghana, for Jobs in Ghana" and is scheduled as a month-long festival.

The festival was interspersed with visits to schools aiming at showcasing and promoting Ghana's cultural heritage and local textile industry to recognize creativity in the fashion industry. The mission of the NCC is resolved to promote the growth and development of Ghanaian culture and make it more relevant to human development.

The 2023 edition of the festival presents an opportunity to promote the national identity and encourage institutions to support the country's local fabrics and accessories. In an interview with the Director of the National Commission on Culture, Mrs. Edna Nyame noted that March has strategically been set aside to commemorate the culture bequeathed unto the current generation by the forebears urging for its preservation.

She explained that the move to mark the day in March every year will not be a one-time event but encouraging teachers and parents to complement the effort of the NCC. She said the carefully selected activities engaged by learners were aimed at calling to memory the elements and beauty of the Ghanaian culture to enable its replication by learners all through their lives for job creation. "Ghanaian customs and traditions that even the world is jealous of must be protected, preserved, and kept afloat. Our forebears bequeathed a beautiful package to us therefore the onus lies on us to hold in trust for the next generation. God forbids us that someday, we will dump our culture and embrace the foreign culture. No, it will not happen", she assures. Given that, the Director is urging parents, guardians, and teachers to fully embrace the Ghanaian culture and imbibe it into every learner. She stressed that the uniqueness of the Ghanaian culture has the potential to instill discipline, genuineness, and elegance in children and hence ought to be upheld. She said the gathering at the Kanda Cluster of Schools portrays the ever-relevance of Ghanaian-made clothing and culture at large. On her part, the National Council on Culture Ambassador, who gave her name as Assor, was elated at the sight of the unique display of learners' apparel and disclosed her resolve to tour the whole country educating learners on the need to embrace the initiative and the overall benefits the country stands to rope in. According to her, the responsibility of keeping the Ghanaian culture lies on everyone to take up the challenge to imbibe the wearing of African fabrics in their children. " We must make them develop the interest and it's our collective responsibility", she added. She said just like La Cote D'Ivoire, which has embraced and advanced the course of local fabrics and cultural traits there is no doubt that there are reaping the dividend of a unique identity that Ghana could emulate. The occasion at the Kanda Cluster of Schools was interspersed with games which includes story-telling, ample, polo, Samsa korma, abo) son, pimpenaa, a transpire, Sansan korma, and time agro amongst others. For Abo) Nsom allows 3 students were made to play in the competition and a participant who escapes eviction becomes a winner, for Pimpenaa, 12 students are allowed to play. The last participant who escapes eviction emerges as the winner. For Antoankyire, 12 students play with evictions leaving a participant to be the winner. For Ampe, 9 students represent in the competition and the best schools will be chosen based on the results for Pilolo, 12 students are made to play in a 3-round competition. The final round will determine the winner.