Professor Emeritus Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia, Director of the International Centre for African Music and Dance, University of Ghana, Legon, has called for the creation of a Ministry for Culture to properly handle cultural matters to attract investors.
A country's development was intrinsically woven to its cultural ideologies, he said and called for the adoption of an educational system that would help the people to identify and appreciate their culture.
Prof. Nketia was delivering the second the Dr Alex Atta Yaw Kyeremateng Memorial Lectures as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the National Cultural Centre in Kumasi on Friday.
His topic was "Promoting Cultural Legacies In Contemporary Contexts -Dr Kyeremateng and Asante Cultural Centre".
He asked Ghanaians to inculcate in their children the enthusiasm to appreciate their cultural values and not to educate them with foreign ideologies, which were destructive to the nation's cultural legacies.
Prof. Nketia urged Chiefs to re-direct their resources and energies to promote their traditional sites and not engage in conflicts, which were detrimental to development.
He regretted that social and other changes in the country had led to the current generation not knowing anything about their cultural identity.
The time has come for the country to re-define her culture, which would stand the test of time, Prof Nketia said.
He said Dr Kyeremateng would always be remembered for his vision in setting up the Kumasi Cultural Centre and dedicating his life to the upliftment of the nation's culture.
Mr Alan Kyeremateng, Ghana's Ambassador to the United States of America and son of the late Dr Kyeremateng, appealed to the government to erect statues in memory of those who contributed towards the upliftment of the nation's culture.
He also called added his voice to that of Professor Nketia for the creation of a Ministry for Culture and the construction of Art Centres throughout the country.
Mr Wilberforce Otchere-Darko, Ashanti Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, called for the protection of the country's ecology since most of the nation's folktales had imageries of animals.
He explained that this was the reason why the late Dr Kyeremateng promoted the establishment and proximity of the Kumasi Zoological Gardens to the cultural centre.
