Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 13 July 2002-The Planning Committee of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Kumasi Cultural Centre said it expected to raise four billion cedis towards the rehabilitation and expansion of the centre.
Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive and Chairman of the Planning Committee, who announced this on Thursday night, said the KMA had budgeted 200 million cedis towards the celebrations. He said each of the 18 district assemblies in Ashanti would contribute 15 million cedis towards the rehabilitation of the centre.
The six months long celebrations that commences on Friday, 12 July, with a church service at the Centre, would involve photo exhibition, essay and quiz competitions for first-cycle schools, art and craft contest and debate for second-cycle schools. There would also be a Homecoming Summit.
Others are film shows, workshop for highlife musicians, highlife musical show and competition, masquerades, food fair, "Ntama fira contest (wearing of cloth) and demonstration, traditional beauty pageant, drama competition for training colleges, Kyeremateng Memorial Lectures and the launching of a book on the Cultural Centre.
The others are a Trade Fair/NAFAC, special gospel music extravaganza, football matches and a thanksgiving service. The climax would be a mock jubilee durbar and cultural awards night on 28 December. Mr Jumah said the planning committee expects contributions from Asante citizens at home and abroad.
He said wealthy individuals could decide to rehabilitate some of the structures or construct new ones, which could be named after them, adding that the churches should be able to contribute significantly towards the rehabilitation of the centre.
Mr Jumah said what made the Golden Jubilee celebrations significant, was the fact that the cultural centre was the first of its kind to be established in West Africa. He said the then Kumasi Town Council and Kumasi Traditional Council managed the Centre until it eventually became the Ghana National Cultural Centre through a declaration by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's First President.
Unfortunately, Mr Jumah said, like all other government institutions, things started deteriorating over the past decade and today the centre had become a pale shadow of itself. Luckily, the NPP government had come with a positive change and, therefore, the rehabilitation of the centre had started.
He said the media being social engineers should not only help promote the country's culture but must draw attention to the need for the people to contribute towards the rehabilitation of the cultural centre.
Mr Wilberforce Otchere-Darko, Ashanti Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, said the idea of the celebration and rehabilitation of facilities was to preserve and revive the cultural heritage of Asantes, which was gradually giving way to hip life among the youth. He expressed regret that the youth were gradually losing touch with their tradition and cited the running the programmes like Anokyekrom, which became very popular and caught on well with the youth.
Mr Otchere-Darko said if for nothing at all, the programmes of Anokyekrom at that time unearthed a number of young musicians, adding that this was what the committee was working towards.
GRi…/
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