Sunyani (B/A), March 01, GNA - The management of the Centre for National Culture in Sunyani has appealed to the Municipal Assembly to lift the ban on the development of the craft village at the Centre. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the weekend, Mr. Azaanab Waksman, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of the Centre said the project was in line with the government's poverty reduction strategy, as well as encouraging the private sector to partner the government in development.

"The municipal assembly issued an order to stop the development of the craft village in spite of the fact that the centre submitted a proper layout with a genuine contractor. "The centre has never enjoyed the support and co-operation of the Assembly as being done by other assemblies to their respective centres and we expect Sunyani Municipal Assembly to do the same to support artisans in the region", Mr. Waksman said. The Regional Director stated that the attitude of the municipal assembly had drawn back the development of creative industries in the region, saying persistent appeals to it to assist had not yielded any positive results.

Mr. Waksman emphasised that the problem had been exacerbated by the fact that interested artisans had sunk so much money into the project for the allocation of craft shops. He appealed to the new administration of the assembly to revert ownership of Kwame Nkrumah Park, now Jubilee Park, in Sunyani to the centre as the original owners of the land.

"The confiscation of the two parks, designed for income generating activities like hiring to people for funerals, church crusades, festivals, was to allow for the construction of the Jubilee park. He said the project had ever since been "under lock and key" to the extent that staff of the centre could not gain access to the use of the park, depriving it of substantial revenue. Mr. Waksman explained that "the centre is responsible for the preservation and conservation of culture, as well as the development, promotion and presentation of the country's cultural heritage through festivals, durbars and rights of passage through all forms of cultural expression". 01 March 09