Cultural Crossing supports two to São Tomé

Ms Brenda Bakomora, a 26-year-old poet and spoken word artist and Quaku Praise, a 14-year-old student of Preventive Basic School at Aflao in the Volta Region, are back in Ghana after a five-day Cultural Crossing-sponsored trip to São Tomé Island in the Gulf of Guinea.

The trip was facilitated by Cultural Crossing, an initiative that facilitates travel in Africa for artistes and youngsters who might not be able to do so on their own due to lack of resources.

Though initially for only artistes, the scheme was expanded to embrace brilliant students to enable them also experience the diversity of Africa.

Brains behind Cultural Crossing are Liberian-born, England-based artist and gallery owner, Sarah Güsten-Marr, and Ghanaian spoken word exponent and founder of the Ehalakasa poetry movement, Benedict Kojo Quaye, better known as Sir Black.

Ms Bakomora was selected for the trip for what Sir Black described as “her confident, powerful and thought-provoking presentation at the 2017 Ehalakasa slam.”

She was one of the two female contestants who stood out at the male-dominated poetry slam.

Quaku Praise got the opportunity to travel when he won the 2017 Godigbeza Quiz Competition organised by VFL-Ghana, an NGO set up by former deputy Minister, Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie.

He stood out from the other competitors and was said to have shown potential as a future leader.

(From left): Sir Black, Madam Dzifa Gomashie, Quaku Praise, Ms Bakomora and Sarah Güsten-Marr  in São Tomé  

Over the years, Cultural Crossing has supported travel to African nations such as Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritania. It has also supported travel within Ghana.

“We believe that visiting different nations in continent is essential to understanding our different ways of life.

“Africa is a continent of 54 nations, 3000 distinct ethnic groups and 2000 different languages. So the closer we get to each other, the better for us all,” said Sarah Güsten-Marr.

According to her, the two celebrants thoroughly enjoyed visiting a culture different from theirs, which affirmed Cultural Crossing’s belief in the popular Ugandan saying, “travelling is finding.”

Herself a well-travelled woman, Sarah Güsten-Marr pointed out that Africa was wide and beautiful and travel through the countries enhances knowledge “so the more we travel, the more we are open to different things, which is exactly what we need in the world.”