Women urged to get into painting

Accra, Aug 05, GNA - Mr Stehpen Asamoah Boateng, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and the Modernisation of the Capital City, has said women should be encouraged to get into the art industry especially painting. "Women are more creative and more analytical when it comes to arts but the art industry in Ghana is dominated by men," he said Speaking at the opening of an art exhibition by Kofi Nduro, a celebrated Ghanaian artist in Accra, the Deputy Minister said tourism earns the world billions of dollars a year but Ghana's share is only four per cent.

"This tells us that there is the need for a lot to be done to promote tourism in our country and paintings would help. It is not only about getting tourists to visit castles or historical sites but the need to get them to appreciate and buy paintings by Ghanaian artists." Mr Boateng said paintings had the potential of promoting and earning more money to enhance the economy. "We have to do things to make tourists spend more money."

Mr Kofi Nduro, the painter, said 10 per cent of the proceeds from the work would be donated to Komandze Educational Fund in the Mfanteman District of the Central Region where he comes from. "It will go along way to help the needy in society since education is the bedrock of society".

About 45 paintings were exhibited on the theme " Remembrance and motherhood".

The paintings, which were in oils and acrylics forms, depicted motherhood, nature, African landscape, migration, cultural and village settings.

Others had poetic interpretations that were full of mysteries generated from rocks, trees, waterfalls and things in the environment.