• A cultural group

It was a sight to behold at the Jubilee Park Wa, in the Upper West Region as the region climaxed its maiden Cultural Week Celebration and the festival of arts and culture.

There was a display of colourful smocks designed with beautiful patterns, the swift movement of waists and feet to traditional sound from xylophones and traditional drums as well as the display of artefacts among others.

Categorised into the Dagaaba, Waala, Sissali, Lobi and Brifo uniquely displayed their respective native dance to the admiration of the gathering.

The Fulani community in the region added an icing to the cake with their presence and a spectacular performance of their native dance.

Dance troupes from Wa, Nandom, Lawra and the Sissala Land displayed the Bawa, Bene, Kobine, Dogu, Tumpani and Dumba dances.

Interacting with participants, the Acting Director at the Centre for National Culture in the region, Mr Jamal-Deen Yahaha expressed his delight for the successful occasion which according to him, allowed the participants to showcase the culture of the land through music, dance, theatrical enactments, artifacts, handicrafts, folklores, among others.

He said the idea of the cultural week celebration was conceived by some individuals and institutions over decades until recently when the Centre in conjunction with Radio Progress, a local radio station in the region, jointly worked together to bring the concept to fruition.

He said that with the support of the chiefs and other stakeholders, the Centre was able to mobilise resources for the celebration of the week which was also used to graduate some 20 ladies who had undergone training in smock weaving at the auspices of the Centre.

In a speech read on his behalf, the President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, Naa Dikomwine Domalae said culture should be included in every aspect of national discourse to ensure that people held their values in high esteem even as they moved along with ‘modernity’.

Speaking on the theme “revisiting out culture for business and wealth creation in the era of global insecurity”, the chief charged government to work closely with traditional authorities to research, document, conserve, manage and promote positive traits of Ghana’s cultural heritage.

“Government should also facilitate the development and promotion of archaeological and historic sites as well as national and community festivals and various classes of artefacts in addition to tourist infrastructure to support the tourist industry”, he added.

Dignitaries such as a Member of the Council of State, Professor Daniel Bagah and representative from the Dr Hilla Limann Technical University as well as the Simon Diedong Dombo University for Business and Integrated Development Studies graced the occasion.

From Lydia Darlinton Fordjour, Wa