Kofi Akpabli: The culture question never goes away
The culture question always stares us in the face. When we talk of ‘Ghanaian hospitality’, for instance, we are actually talking about a cultural concept.
Anytime visitors to Ghana talk about the warmth and friendliness of our people, they are referring to a phenomenon that is cultural. This is because they are referencing a specific group as well as an identifiable character trait.
Today, we end on bodies and institutions that are sponsoring the sector. If a nation knows where its bread is buttered it must put its mouth there, right? So here we are, in a country that believes all its problems are hard-core economics, and therefore, we preoccupy ourselves with monitoring fiscal and sometimes-vague commercial indicators.
Yes, the manifestations may be economic but the underpinnings of some of our challenges are actually cultural. Instead of embarking on cultural and lifestyle-change initiatives, we engage foreign experts who take as through rigmaroles that don’t touch the root of our problems.
As a cultural practitioner I have been involved in a number of training for different groups but none of these interventions was state-sponsored. Talk to our journalists, PR practitioners and artistes about the training incentives and cultural exchange programmes they have benefited from.
Such capacity building workshops are either sponsored by the World Bank, or Goethe Institute, or Alliance Francaise, or European Union, or USAID or Danida or their embassies.
Why is this the case? Why does our own government not see the need to spare resources for the arts and creative industries? Is there something that these foreign folks are seeing that our own leaders do not see?
Hardly are these professional development programmes sponsored by our own governments. Meanwhile, we have a well-structured National Cultural Policy in place, topped up with a myriad of cultural institutions.
In Berlin, a couple of years ago, I was informed that the most important commission in the Bundestag (German Parliament) is the one on art and culture. And that Commission is presided over by the Speaker himself. ‘In Germany, one has to be cultural to be relevant’, a senior parliamentarian told me.
All is however, not lost as some individual practitioners and some civil society groups are brightening the corner where they are. The Ghana Cultural Forum, for example, is doing its bit by mobilising creative folks.
It is a membership-based body which is interested in the assertion, promotion and development of cultural heritage and diversity of cultural expressions.
There is the need to raise national consciousness about the place and relevance of Ghanaian culture. Yes, there is convergence in globalisation but those who benefit more are those whose cultural offerings are already up there.
Take Nigeria. Ten years ago it was we in West Africa experimenting with their phrases, ‘igwe’ and ‘tofiakwa.’ Their video-film-aided cultural revolution is still on, and now, its East Africans who are chanting these terms.
In another 10 years, it may be the Chinese, Americans and Europeans trying to catch up on one Nigerian phrase or another. Can we imagine the value of that influence?
Our people need to appreciate the practical and aesthetic values of our culture and more especially, the importance of our indigenous languages. This does not happen from the air. It takes strategising across sectors.
Take our local languages. Our young ones are losing proficiency in local language acquisition faster than we can curtail. Today’s parent cannot guarantee that the child may speak the mother tongue.
Except for Akan which has become a commercial language, all the others are under attack. And linguists would tell you that if the child can speak the mother tongue, it can speak English better!
To safeguard this, the current language policy is inadequate. By this time the policy must be developed to ensure that every child will be taught the mother tongue at school. But that’s something we haven’t prepared for. We need to invest in teachers and primers and other audio-visual resources.
Prestigious schools should no longer be ‘international ones’. Our schools that must boast should be those that can ensure that Ewe children, Frafra children, Ga children and Nzema children, all get to practice their language at school for at least, an hour a day. Is that far-fetched?
Let me add another one (You kindly figure out which agency must carry this out). In this 21st of Our Lord, doesn’t it hurt that we still give dolls portraying white children to our babies to play with?
Why wouldn’t our kids grow up adoring the light skin over their fellow African? A conscious national cultural policy will not condone that!
There is the need to recall the history and heroism of our people and nation. The recent show enacted at the National Theatre, ‘Wogbe djeke’ is one sound initiative of this.
Popular participation in culture should be initiated to raise awareness on the recognition of issues of Ghanaian heritage.
The culture question never goes away. We can tickle ourselves and ignore it. But culture mirrors and articulates the desires and aspirations of our people.
Nothing can better assist us to function meaningfully as Ghanaians.
Email: kofiakpabli@yahoo.com
The writer is a Communication and Tourism Specialist. Books he has authored include ‘Romancing Ghanaland- the Beauty of Ten Regions’, Tickling the Ghanaian-Encounters with Contemporary Culture & ‘Harmattan- a Cultural Profile of Northern Ghana.’