<<Print>>

President John Dramani Mahama says the craze for eating fast foods rather than traditional local foods by Ghanaians has adverse effect on the culture, health and economy of the country. Speaking at the opening of the 2014 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture in Sunyani, last Saturday, President Mahama called on Ghanaians to rediscover their appetite for traditional foods and to patronize them to ensure healthy living, an improved economy and preserve the rich culture of Ghana. He emphasized that eating the traditional local food would not only ensure a healthy body, but an improved economy, adding �the craze for fast foods is adversely affecting our lives and killing us, thereby affecting the country�s economy badly, as most of its energetic youth are dying prematurely.� Touching on the theme; �The Creative Arts Industry and Tourism: a Platform for National Development�, President Mahama noted that the Culture and the Creative Arts industry is a growing sector that deserves greater attention for it to make significant contribution to National development, particularly in employment creation, poverty reduction, gender and youth empowerment and the sustainable use and conservation of natural resources and ecosystems. His Excellency John Mahama emphasized the need to forge a holistic and integrated approach towards enhancing the economic viability of Ghana�s cultural institutions and the resourcefulness of practitioners, reviving traditional technologies, developing local markets and gaining access to internal markets. He said, government is aware of the state of the regional Centers for National Culture and has directed the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to work under the Public Private Sector Initiative to complete work on all the ongoing regional centres. According to President Mahama, government was seeking international funding to build a state of the art multi-purpose theatre in the Ashanti Region to cater for the needs of the middle belt and the northern sector. He entreated the youth to be guided at all times by the positive upbringing of the Ghanaian culture that inures the youth to contribute to national development. The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, disclosed the activities earmarked for the week-long celebration of NAFAC, saying there would be regional day celebrations, whereby the regions would be given the platform to exhibit the very best of their culture to all and sundry. Traditional drumming and dancing, art and craft exhibitions and other performances would be on display from each region, including Traditional Beauty Pageants, Women and Children�s day programmes, choral festivals, Ghanaian Movie nights, contemporary music and dance nights, drama and theatre nights, youth day activities and a multiplicity of other cultural programmes. She expressed the anticipation that the youth would be greatly inspired as NAFAC 2014 unfolds the enactment of Ghanaian culture and traditions from all ten regions of Ghana.