Cultural Fund releases GH¢259,622.55 for Arts Projects

The Ghana Denmark Cultural Fund (GDCF) has approved GH¢259,622.55 for eight arts organisations, associations, groups and individual artistes for a variety of arts projects.

Successful applicants are Afro Maestros Band, Dwenesie Music Institute, Centre for National Culture (Tamale), National Commission on Culture (Accra), La Akaibi Group, Rev Dr Elias Asiama, Allotey Bruce Konuah and Isaac Opuni-Frimpong.

This follows recommendations made by a peer review committee set up by the Institute for Music and Development (administrators of the fund) to vet applications from various parts of the country and make recommendations to the board of GDCF.

Projects to be executed under the grants include purchase of musical instruments, notation of classic highlife tunes, creation of a moving image archive, drama festival for schools, sensitising the public on Ga culture, story-telling festival, seminar on women leadership, websites and blocs for photographs and tourism among others.

Members of the Peer Review Committee encompass Franka Maria Andoh (author), Stephen Ofori (photographer), Mawuli Semevor (actor), Agyemfra Tettey (physicist / music programmer) and Diana Hopeson (musician / former president of MUSIGA).

GDCF board members comprise Mille Sofie Brandrup (First Secretary / Political Officer, Royal Danish Embassy in Accra), Prof Irene Odotei (Director, Historical Society of Ghana) and Dr Agyemang Osei (School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana).

Others are William Attipoe (Director of Finance & Administration, National Commission on Culture), Oh Nii Sowah (Lecturer, Dept of Dance Studies, University of Ghana, Legon) and Akoss Ofori Mensah (Director, Sub Saharan Publishers).

Since 2012, when the GDCF commenced its second phase, it had released a total of GH¢ 987,622.55 for various arts projects throughout the country.

The GDCF, which was set up in 2007, focuses on Ghana/Danish art/cultural exchanges while enhancing the work of Ghanaian artists and art professionals with emphasis on contemporary ideas based on Ghana’s rich cultural and traditional practices.