News
Cerebral Palsy not contagious – concerned parent
A 35-year-old mother of a cerebral palsy child has debunked the claims that people who help in taking care of children with such condition risked giving birth to same because such children are cursed either by the gods or evil spirits.
She says that cerebral palsy childfen are often referred to as “nsuo ba” or “water children” literally meaning their mothers went to a water deity for them.
“In my case I was blamed for not keeping myself away from evil spirits when I was pregnant” the worried mother said this on condition of anonymity in an interview with The Spectator on Wednesday.
She has a six-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture and is usually due to abnormal brain development often before birth but could also occur at birth or in early infancy. Meanwhile the cause, according to health personnel, is not known.
She said she was fortunate to have in-laws who understood the situation and helped her and the daughter.
“However, in her early years it was tough for me to find a person willing to take good care of her so I found myself stuck at home on many occasions and this affected my mental health, ” she disclosed.
The woman said such children took various medications, (needed therapy or even sometimes surgeries) to control seizures and other factors which were expensive, therefore, placing financial burden on parents and guardians of such children.
She said there was the need for the government to put some, if not all, of such medications on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cushion parents.
She again said taking care of such children was emotionally draining and it was sad to note that society was not doing much to help parents and guardians of such unfortunate children by accepting them and offering the necessary support to ease their burden.
“There must even be centres where parents and guardians of such children could go for counselling to help their mental health” she said stressing that finding appropriate caregivers was also a major challenge.
On education, she expressed concern that children with cerebral palsy did not get basic education because majority of schools, (both public and private), did not accept them into their fold.
“Schools are not willing to put in the necessary structures which ensure that such children get education and therapy that meet their need or tailored to them.
“Even inclusive education as things stand now, only seems to be on paper but not actually practised. Government should show commitment by initiating measures to actualise the practice of inclusive education especially at the basic level, “she said.
She further advocated conscious effort to get an appreciable number of young men and women to read courses on Special Education to help with the overall care and management of such children.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
The Government of the Republic of Korea has presented a second consignment of equipment to support the study, maintenance and preservation of Ghana’s historic forts and castles under the Korea-Ghana ICT Climate Project.
At the handover ceremony in Accra, today, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, expressed appreciation for Korea’s continued support, including its US$4.5 million intervention towards heritage preservation, technical assistance and capacity building.
The equipment will strengthen the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board’s efforts to address the impact of climate change on Ghana’s historic heritage infrastructure.
The Ministry noted that they remain committed to working with international partners to safeguard Ghana’s priceless heritage for present and future generations.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Association of Spouses of Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations (ASOHOM) brought art, diplomacy and philanthropy together for its glamorous black-tie charity gala, centred on the urgent theme of sustainable water futures.
At the heart of the evening was ‘Woven Currents’, a thought-provoking commissioned exhibition co-curated by Fang W. Linulf of LogonART and Fadila Njoya from Gallery Sankofa, showcasing five outstanding Ghanaian artists confronting water pollution, coastal decay, ancestral memory and ecological regeneration.
Housed within a versatile multi-function hall, far from a conventional white-cube gallery, the venue underwent a dramatic creative transformation.
Drawing on her professional architectural background, curator Fang W. Linulf reimagined the standard event space into a vivid, immersive exhibition environment through bold spatial storytelling.
Monumental art installations encircled gala guests, breaking traditional viewing boundaries and forging a remarkably intimate, visceral connection between viewers and the artworks.
Guided by a powerful curatorial vision, ‘Woven Currents’ positioned art as a call to action: to honour, safeguard and collectively steward Africa’s precious shared water heritage.
Each artwork responded directly to Ghana’s pressing aquatic realities.
Emmanuel Aggrey Tieku’s towering textile installation breathed new life into discarded local second-hand ‘Oburoni Wawu’ garments, delivering a searing commentary on waste colonialism and textile-fuelled ocean contamination.
Patrick Tagoe Turkson crafted intricate assemblages from beach-salvaged flip flops and abandoned ghost fishing nets, weaving Asafo flag and Kente cloth iconography into marine debris to unite indigenous cultural wisdom with modern-day ecological crisis.
Sena Burgundy presented introspective blue-hued figurative canvases exploring inner reflection set against shifting environmental realities.
Nana Frimpong Oduro exhibited dream-like surreal photography rooted in Akan cosmology, capturing ancestral echoes and human resilience within Ghana’s coastal waters.
Evans Torngmortey Akornor built evocative threshold-themed mixed media works from fishing shore remnants, unpacking visible and unseen layers of shoreline history.
Attendees also experienced the poignant live dance performance ‘Cry of the River’ by Vivie’s Dance.
The night featured a high-energy live auction of five signature exhibition artworks alongside a raffle draw. Every penny raised went toward vital humanitarian support for vulnerable communities across Ghana.
Diplomatic delegates, collectors, artists and cultural leaders filled the room.
The curatorial team stressed that ‘Woven Currents’ was never mere gala decoration.
It delivered grounded, locally-centred artistic narratives that enriched formal policy conversations on water conservation, repurposing a diplomatic social gathering into a dynamic public platform for ecological dialogue and meaningful giving.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
