NAFAC is coming……really?

The National Festival of Arts and Culture, Ghana’s biennial arts and culture showcase event is scheduled to come off at Sunyani, five days hence and we can bet that not many people have been adequately informed about it. 

To most keen observers of the culture scene, this low profile situation would not come as a surprise since year after year, the organisation of NAFAC has suffered a downward trend that has negatively affected what used to be a buoyant and looked-forward-to-event.

Every time this observation has been made, the tendency of the organisers to blame inadequate resources has been brought to play. There is no money for preparing artistic groups and exhibitors, no money to accommodate participants, no money to fuel vehicles, no money for this, and no money for that.

If we are to borrow a proverb from our cultural basket to match the saying “whatever is worth doing is worth doing well”, we would say, Kwakye adeɛ yɛ fɛ, yɛdɛ sika na ɛyɔ which literally translates as Kwakye’s beautiful property is acquired at some expense.

So we dare ask; why are we forcing ourselves to do a festival that we don’t have the resources for? 

Making do with whatever little is available may mean that we would end up not showcasing the best that this country can boast of. We can only improvise.

Whenever private organizations hold arts-related events  in the areas of music, theatre, fine arts or dance, we see the standards that are demonstrated but when it comes to state organised functions the same cannot be seen or experienced.

So we dare ask again, why should we do it and reap shambles when we can wait and do it well when resources are available?