The maiden Black Star Festival, a celebration of creativity, culture and heritage, has been postponed to October 25 and 26 at Washington DC.
The festival, which was officially launched in June is part of initiatives under President Mahama's Black Star Experience which among other things is to promote Ghana's culture and tourism in the diaspora. The organisers, GD Visionary Group said the festival, which was initially planned to take place from September 26-28 but rescheduled is to ensure that important matters arising can be fully addressed. "GD Visionary Group remains committed to upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity for the festival.
"With this adjustment, the Black Star Festival is positioned to deliver its intended impact as a flagship platform for Ghanaian heritage, cultural diplomacy, and Pan-African unity," a statement from the organisers said.
The Black Star Festival, a celebration of African culture, creativity and heritage was officially launched, with a call to uphold and promote Ghana’s rich culture.
The launch, which took place at the Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC) on Tuesday, June 17, was graced by the Executive Director of National Commission on Culture and other relevant stakeholders in the arts and culture industries.
The official launch of the Black Star Festival aligns with President John Mahama's recently unveiled Black Star Experience initiative, a flagship project by his government aimed at establishing Ghana as Africa's cultural and creative hub.
This ambitious programme features a year-round celebration of Ghana's rich heritage through various festivals, art exhibitions, music performances, fashion showcases, culinary events, film productions, and heritage conservation efforts.
By launching the Black Star Festival, the government reaffirms its commitment to promoting Ghana's cultural identity and creative industries, with President Mahama calling on government creative agencies to play a key role in driving the initiative forward.
In his address, the Executive Director of NCC, Mr Wakefield Ackuaku said the Black Star Experience is a natural progression of previous cultural endeavours, including the Year of Return and Beyond the Return.
“The Black Star Experience aims to build on the momentum generated by these initiatives, propelling Ghana's cultural identity into the future.
“As we all know, the NCC has the mandate to preserve and promote the culture of Ghana while forging a unique Ghanaian identity. This Black Star Experience didn’t come from a vacuum, it is building on what was started earlier and Black Star Festival is one of the projects under the Black Star Experience to push Ghana’s culture agenda,” he said.
The Black Star Festival is a celebration of African culture, creativity and heritage featuring music, art, fashion, film and business networking.
It is an initiative of GD Visionary Group Ltd in collaboration with the National Commission on Culture (NCC).
Among the events scheduled for the three days event are street carnivals, film week, fashion showcases, food fairs, theatrical performances and a gala night.
Artists billed to be part of the festival in the US in September are Ibrahim Mahama, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, Betty Acquah, Samuel Lovi and Serge Attukwei Clottey.
