N/R marks festival of arts
The Northern Region celebrated the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) in Tamale last Saturday with a call on the private sector to partner the government to harness and develop creative arts and tourism as avenues for employment for the youth.
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The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, made the call at a colourful durbar of the chiefs and people in the region to mark the occasion. He appealed for support for all groups and individuals engaged in the creative arts to further improve the quality of their products in order to generate more income for themselves and revenue for the nation.
The people of the region are skilled in the production of hand-woven smocks, baskets and leather works, as well as other artifacts which provide employment for about one third of the population.
This year's NAFAC is being celebrated on a regional basis on the theme: "Creative Arts and Tourism Industry: A Platform for National Development." The objective, among others, is to help tap the country’s tourism potential in every part of the country.
The regional festivals are also to serve as preparations towards the national celebration to be held in Sunyani from November 28 to December 7, 2014.
Tourist attractions in N/R
Alhaji Limuna said the region had a lot of tourist sites and called for public/private partnerships (PPP) to help develop them to further open up the districts in the region and create employment for the youth.
He mentioned some of the attractions as the Mole Game Reserve, Nalerigu Defense Wall, Slave Market, the Mystic Stone on Damongo-Sawla road and the 13th Century Mosque at Larabanga, among others.
He urged teachers and parents to encourage children, who are naturally gifted in the creative arts, to develop their inherent skills.
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"Do not say I want my son or daughter to be a doctor, teacher or engineer, when he or she has the natural skills and talents as an artist, musician or actor. Both categories of professions are legitimate and rewarding," he stressed.
Alhaji Limuna appealed to the people of the region to support the assemblies to reverse the insanitary conditions in the markets and other public places in the region as tourism thrived in a healthy and clean atmosphere.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, in a speech read on her behalf, reiterated government’s commitment to develop the tourism industry and called on all stakeholders to provide the needed support.
She said the ministry, for its part, would ensure that tourist sites were brought to the limelight to attract the needed investment.
Cultural groups and chiefs
The festival brought together cultural groups from across the region that performed various dances depicting the diverse cultures of the people in the region.
Chiefs present at the durbar were the chief of Karaga, Naa Bakpem Kar-Naa Alhassan, Moglaa-lana Iddrisu Andani, and Dakpema of Tamale, Alhassan Mahamadu.