President Nana Akufo-Addo has pledged his government’s support to resource the creative industry to enable them to effectively play their role in national development.
The President bemoaned that fact although the creative arts play an important role in the development of any nation, that sector is often neglected.
He also lamented the fact that most of Ghana’s books and history were either written or published by foreigners.
“Today, the most beautiful books on Ghana’s culture are predominantly written by foreigners or published aboard“.
To end this phenomenon, the President said his government intends to provide the needed resources and support the local book industry and to promote local authorship.
“My government has put in place plans to promote the literary arts by encouraging our writers and publishers to produce books that portray our culture,” he said.
The President made these commitments at the 10th Anniversary of Ghana International School’s annual drama night.
He reiterated the fact every nation is defined by its arts, culture customs and traditions and “Without acknowledging them we stand unable to face the rest of the world, unable to face ourselves”
“And it is for this reason that supporting the arts, ie giving arts and culture the requisite attention and incentives to flourish is an important focus of mine”, he added.
In furtherance of this, the President promised his government’s commitment to building ultra-modern theaters Takoradi, Tamale and Kumasi.
He stated that although Ghana is blessed with creative artists who are respected worldwide, the country has not done enough in awarding them appropriately.
He emphasised that in other parts of the world, creative artist are able not just to make a comfortable living of their work, but are among the highest earners in their respectively because their countries made proper provisions for them to thrive.