Chief suggests creation of special cultural enclaves

Koforidua (E/R), Sept 4, GNA- Dasebre Dr Oti Boateng, Paramount of the New Juabeng Traditional Council, has suggested the creation of special centres in traditional areas where Ghanaians in the Diaspora, who visit the country, will be educated on Ghana's cultural and traditional values.

''If we must stay united as a people to develop this nation, we must ensure that our people know their culture". "This we can do to help those outside by organising a special home coming holidays for them and educate them about our cultural and traditional heritage that most of them seemed to know very little about," he said.

Dasebre Dr. Oti Boateng said this on Wednesday when the Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, paid a three-day working visit to the Eastern Region to acquaint himself with the tourism potential in the area.

The Paramount Chief said, "our rich Ghanaian cultural heritage seem to be going down the drain especially among the youth because of foreign cultural infiltration.''

Dasebre Dr Oti Boateng said if attention would be focused on developing internal tourism with co-operation from chiefs and their people, most of the chieftaincy problems could be avoided.

''When we pursue internal tourism with the seriousness it deserves and respecting and appreciating each other's distinctive cultural values, which will form the basis for our development as a country'', he said.

He said if ''we indeed want to develop and promote our cultural values, then it behoves on our law makers to first set the example by appearing traditional in parliament''.

Dasebre Dr Oti Boateng said parliamentarians should put on cloth to parliament and not be restricted in any way to wear suit that is alien to Ghanaians.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey welcomed the suggestions and said tourism would only grow and develop faster when the various stakeholders in the industry are strengthened.'

He said the involvement of chiefs and people in tourism, is indispensable to the promotion of the sector.