Yaw Sarpong to build music centres for prisoners

Renowned Ghanaian gospel artist, Yaw Sarpong, celebrates 40 years in the music industry with prisoners in partnership with the Ghana Prisons Service on a project aimed at transforming the lives of prisoners.

Esther Tettekuor Quayson, the Project and Fundraising Coordinator of the Prisons Project revealed, that plans are underway to construct music centres across Ghana’s prisons and the first centre will be at the Ankaful Prison. The Prison Project is an initiative of the Yaw Foundation with the mandate to restore hope to prisoners through gospel music and other specialized outreach programs.

Speaking at a fundraising and anniversary program in Accra to support the project, she noted: “through the powerful medium of music, the Prison Project will be enabled to create positive learning experiences that can help to raise the self-confidence and aspirations of men and women in our prisons, open doors to other forms of education and learning.”

The Project is in partnership with the Ghana Prison Service to provide leadership and certificate courses in music to inmates. She project the vision of Gospel Artist, Yaw Sarpong, to work with other musicians to bring beauty into to the lives of people who are suffering emotionally.

She called on the public and organizations to support the foundation to build a national movement that will see prisons become a place of positive transformation and raise leaders from prisons.

She reiterated those who have been imprisoned for breaking the law have to be transformed to become better citizens when they are let out hence it is a biblical mandate for the Yaw foundation to remember those in prison. “The numerous men and women that our criminal justice system releases from prison each year return to communities around the country including yours. There is therefore the need to provide solutions and programmes that will help society understand the plights of our prisoners and ex-convicts and take up their roles in shaping their lives to fit into society”, she stated.

Roland Azure, the Executive Director of the Project added: “we are all committed to making the prison project a success. We are building a strong advisory board to help keep us in check. I also have a young, passionate and professional team who are committed to making this dream a success.”

There will also be activities such as Inter-church Soccer Gala in September; Hope Concert at Nsawan Prisons in October, and the year will be ended with an album launch and a mega concert in December.