Historical Society of Ghana organises clean-up exercise

The Historical Society of Ghana on Saturday organised a clean-up exercise at the Ridge Hospital to create public awareness on the importance of history in the country.

Professor Irene Odotei, President of the Society in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said the exercise was part of their social responsibility to ensure good sanitation adding, that the health of the people should be paramount in nation building because when workers are healthy, productivity improves.

Prof Odotei noted that sanitation has become a major problem in the country, stressing that environmental cleanliness should be the responsibility of all.

She said the recent outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country was as a result of poor sanitation and expressed the need for the public to get involve in clean-up campaigns for a healthy life.

Prof Odotei said the exercise was also part of activities lined up to mark the society’s 60th anniversary celebration.

As part of the activities there would be a national festival on March 6, which include a rally and float through some principal street of Accra.

She said for the first time the society had organised an event dubbed: “History and Heritage Month” aimed at sensitising the public on the importance of history.

Prof Odotei noted that the society also launched an annual programme called history for everyone for everybody to get the opportunity to learn history to whip up the interest on the subject.

She said the mission of the society is to strengthen the discipline of history at the university, secondary and basic levels and to inculcate an interest in the subject in the wider Ghanaian public.

Prof Odotei stressed that to that end, the society sponsor research, assist in the training of historians in universities and secondary schools, offer scholarships, run an annual conference open to the public, and publish journals, books, theses and documentaries.

She said it was not true that people who studied history found it difficult to get jobs, adding that some of those who read the subject were working with financial institutions and big companies.

Prof Odotei said history as a subject has now shifted from political history to social and economic history that makes people to appreciate the study of the subject well as far as development is concerned

Ms Vida Adi Cudjoe, History Teacher at Accra High School said the clean-up exercise included history teachers and students from the University of Ghana and second cycle Schools like Accra High School, Aquinas Senior High School (SHS), His Majesty SHS and Odorgornor SHS.

She encouraged students to develop personal hygiene since a healthy environment created conducive atmosphere for them to learn to achieve their future plans.

Ms Cudjoe urged students to take the study of history serious as it helps in critical thinking, adding that politicians and corporate organisations rely on history to solve problems.

She said the exercise would send a signal to the public about the existence of the society and in so doing increase the interest among students in pursuing history, since they are the seed for future generation.

Ms Cudjoe noted that the study of history should be made compulsory at the basic schools since the subject deals with facts, thus helping one to develop a critical mind in analysing issues and making constructive argument.