Minister calls on chiefs to enhance cultural heritage

Hohoe, Sept. 10, GNA-Major (Rtd) Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister of Health on Saturday cautioned chiefs that posterity would continue to demand accountability on the cultural heritage bequeathed the chieftaincy institution, if they allowed the unique and valued inheritance to play second fiddle to western cultures. He therefore, entreated chiefs as the custodians of the land and traditional belief systems to guard against the phenomenal adulteration of the country's traditional customs, values, norms and practices or have no rallying point as a people.

Major Quashigah was addressing the maiden durbar to climax the week-long "Adomviwo (Royal Descent) Home Coming 2006" of Gbi-Hohoe under which a 500 million cedi Educational and Vocational Training Endowment fund was launched.

He said the unity, destiny and identity of the people on one hand and the country, at large, lays in its cultural heritage, which should be a restricted area or lose the cultural sovereignty in the midst of westernization, with no grounds for generations yet unborn. Major Quashigah therefore, appealed to chiefs to lead national crusade of cultural renaissance to protect and safeguard the country's cultural heritage to correct the rising societal wrongs resulting from negative cultural perceptions.

He called for the promotion and sustainability of clean environmental sanitation into the national development agenda to stem the soaring figures of communicable diseases. Mr Charles B. Bintim, Minister of State at the Presidency commended the organizers of the programme for instituting and mainstreaming the Educational Endowment fund, blaming the continent's under-developmental problem on high illiteracy rates. He said it was worthwhile venture investing in the human resource base of their area, which, he said, fitted into the government's development agenda, imploring them to let the scheme succeed to address the perennial problems of ignorance, poverty and disease. Mr John Peter Amewu, Hohoe District Chief Executive reiterated that government would distribute equitably the national resources, irrespective of voting patterns, announcing that government has released an amount of 11.9 billion cedis for the tarring of five kilometers of town roads.

He urged heads of families, clans and traditional leaders to be visionaries in order to complement the developmental agenda of government or remained in abject under-development.

Mr William Senyo Agbotse, Head of Adom Clan said the institution of the programme was to address disunity, apathy and even strife that were threatening to rip the clan apart and forge a united front for development.

He said Adom, Kadrake and Asamani are the three gates to the royal Tokorni clan of Gbi-Hohoe with Agbo, Amexo and Dumenu constituting the royal Adom clan.

Certificate of honour were presented to deserving citizens who distinguished themselves locally and nationally with figures for the launch of the Endowment fund yielding 120 million cedis. Some activities of the week-long programme include fun games, clean-up exercises, lectures and donation to the Hohoe District Hospital. 10 Sept. 06