Develop plan to preserve Ghanaian culture; Joyce Aryee tells writers
The executive director of the Salt and Light Ministry (SLM), Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, has called for the development of a national heritage preservation plan to preserve the rich Ghanaian culture.
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She has also urged writers to play an integral role in nation building by communicating ideas and values which would strengthen societal bonds and promote healthy relationships to bridge cultural diversities.
“There should be a national decision to deliberately invest resources to promote writing and to support the publishing industry. Writers ought to speak and write the truth because writers are teachers. Writers preserve our heritage, which is a critical tool that can propel national development,” she said.
GAW Congress
The former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines made the call when she addressed the 2016 congress of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) in Accra last Saturday.
The congress brought together people from all walks of life, including representatives of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ministry of Tourism, senior high schools and the academia.
The event, which was dedicated to the memory of Professor Kofi Awoonor, a founder member of GAW, who met his untimely death in Kenya during an attack by terrorists two years ago, was on the theme: “Preserving our Heritage through Writing.”
Rev. Dr Aryee also called for priority to be given to the establishment and stocking of community libraries across the country to promote and sustain the culture of reading among the younger generation.
“Most people think that the advent of a digital world fuelled by modern technology means that libraries are of no use. Libraries ought to be stocked with modern information and communications technology (ICT) equipment to serve the needs of society,” she advocated.
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She reiterated her call on writers to take advantage of the technology boom to communicate ideas, values and philosophies that would help reconstruct the Ghanaian culture.
Rev. Dr Aryee also entreated writers to use their writings to right the ills in society and create a bridge between the past and contemporary culture.
Writers wield power
The President of GAW, Mr Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, who was re-elected and sworn in for a second term at the event, in an address, said writers wielded the power to transform the country.
Recounting the pioneering role writers played in the struggle against colonialism and liberation in the country, he urged writers to influence national policy through the ideas they espoused.
He contended that the notion that writing was not a lucrative venture was not tenable, since national monuments to celebrate writers were more precious than material gains.
“It will be a worthy cause for the government to purchase 1,000 copies of all published and certified books to stock libraries in schools and the communities, as a matter of policy. This will encourage many people to write,” he said.