Ghanaian playwright and tour guide Nii Ayi Solomon has joined calls to preserve the Centre for National Culture (Arts Centre) in Accra, opposing the government’s plan to demolish the performance centre to make way for the Marine Drive Project.
Earlier reports indicated that the art market at the centre would also be relocated to Kawudi in Accra due to the construction.
Speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Nii Ayi Solomon emphasized the centre’s historical significance and urged Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to intervene in preserving it.
“I wish that the Ga Mantse can stop them from destroying the Arts Centre. I cannot fathom the fact that Kwame Nkrumah had this vision—every region has its cultural centre. You can’t tell me that you are going to do a project in Kumasi, so you are breaking down the Kumasi Cultural Centre,” he said.
He questioned the rationale behind the demolition, arguing that the centre was built by Nkrumah to promote arts and culture in Accra.
“You are destroying it, and going to build what for the people?” he asked.
Nii Ayi Solomon also urged the contractors of the Marine Drive Project to find an alternative way to execute their plans without affecting the Arts Centre, instead of replacing it with an event venue within the new project.
“The Cultural Centre has its own uniqueness. The moment you break it down, you have destroyed everything,” he added.
In 2021, when news of the demolition first surfaced, other creative artists, including playwright and poet Oswald Okaitei, also opposed the move.
The Arts Centre sits on a 241-acre beachfront earmarked for the Marine Drive Tourism Investment Project. Initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the redevelopment aims to transform Accra’s waterfront into a world-class tourism enclave with essential infrastructure for the cultural and creative industries.
The Marine Drive Project is expected to be completed in 2027.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that work on the project will soon resume after a period of stagnation.