Historians must help to find answers - Adjetey

Accra, Oct. 16, GNA - Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, Former Speaker of Parliament, on Monday called on historians to help to find answers to the country's developmental problems since knowing the past would help to better plan for the future.

He said Ghana was the first country south of the Sahara to gain independence but had not done so well in terms of development compared to the other countries.

He said coming out with answers as to why Ghana had been left behind should be a research question for historians because the answers would help the country to chart a route for a sustainable future. =93If we know where we are, it will be easier for us to know where we are going=94, he said.

Mr Adjetey was speaking at a roundtable on 93Ghana @ 50=93under the theme 93Reflecting on Fifty years of Ghana's Independence: Interrogating the Past, Shaping the Future=94.

The two-day meeting was organised by the Historical Society of Ghana and the University of Ghana and sponsored by the Norwegian Universities for Research and Development (NUFU).

Mr Adjetey said knowing the history of the country was very essential since it had an implication on the political system and the lives of the people.

He said it was a pity that the youth of today knew little or nothing about the history of this country and called on the educational institutions to make it mandatory for students to learn history. Presenting a paper on: 93The People of Ghana: Their Origins and Cultures=94 Professor James Anquandah, Head of the Archaeology Department of the University of Ghana, said culture was the totality of the intrinsic lifestyles of a particular people.

He said it was not just drumming and dancing as most people described it but included religious beliefs, clothing, food, language, music and dance among other things.

Professor Anquandah called for a revisit to the history of the country which must be told from local sources.

Professor Irene Odotei, President of the Historical Society of Ghana, said the Society was established in 1951 and had done well in writing and teaching the history of the country.

She called for public participation in the Society's activities to help to broaden the knowledge on the country's history. 16 Oct. 06