Ghana@50 in Belgium

The intensive planning and collaboration between the Ghanaian community in Belgium and the Ghana embassy aroused the interest of all Ghanaians in Belgium to become part of the 50 th independence celebrations.

The ?week of celebration? began with a non-denominational Thanksgiving church service on Sunday, 4 th March, 2007 . Thanks to the effort of the ambassador of Ghana to Belgium , Mrs Nana Bema Kumi, all the Ghanaian pastors and churches in Belgium came together for this special occasion. This was the first of its kind in history. The room of the New Jerusalem Church of God was packed to the brim with beautifully dressed Ghanaians and other nationals as well as many diplomats and dignitaries. Gospel music was provided by various church singing groups. Pastor Frank Amishadai of the Church of Pentecost Antwerp branch, in his sermon, urged Ghanaians to uphold righteousness since it is only righteousness that makes a nation great in the sight of God. A special offering was taken as a donation to the Akropong School for the Blind.

The second major event of the celebration took place on Tuesday, 6 th March. The Ambassador of Ghana organised a traditional reception for the diplomatic corps and other dignitaries at the African Museum in Tervuren. Many well wishers and diplomats turned out to wish Ghana a happy independence anniversary. Various traditional bands entertained the crowd with traditional music and dance like adowa and kete. The various traditional chiefs in Belgium graced the occasion with their colourful traditional outfits. The abundance of Ghanaian dishes and souvenirs made the occasion a memorable one. The climax of the day was the cutting of the special 50 th anniversary cake by the ambassador.

The week-long celebrations climaxed in a dance and cultural night on Saturday, the 10 th of March in the city of Antwerp . The big auditorium at the shipping harbour was fully packed with excited Ghanaians who sang and danced all night. The superb performance of the dancing prophet Seth Frimpong, who was specially flown from Ghana for this occasion, had such a contaminating effect that no one in the room could resist. The Heaven and Earth Band graced the occasion with nostalgic Ghanaian highlife music.
source: Ghana Embassy in Belgium
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