Promote traditional music for national development - Chief

Amanase (E/R), Nov. 14, GNA - A traditional ruler on Thursday, stressed the need to pursue and promote traditional music and art in all forms for national development. Baffour Asare Panin II, Chief of Amanase in the Eastern Region, expressed regret that traditional African theatre music, like Osode, Adowa, Kete and Kpanlogo among others, were disappearing gradually, and emphasised the need for the revival and restoration of such music. Baffour Asare was delivering a keynote address at a Zonal Meeting of the Abibiman Sankofa Cultural Movement (ASCUM) an NGO at Amanase near Suhum in the Eastern Region. The Movement helps to complement government's efforts on raising awareness on family planning, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and indiscipline.

It has currently embarked on rural industrialisation on the production of ceramics, pottery wares, bricks manufacturing, Gari processing, Palm and kernel oil extraction. Baffour Asare noted that traditional cultural music and dance did not only entertain, but also educated, informed and moved people into activities of both community and national development. He noted further that traditional music and dance had advantage over foreign ones, because they were readily available and could be performed at a number of social functions even in time of power outages. Baffour Asare said development-oriented bodies like ASCUM were needed in rural areas as a positive pressure to improve the skills of the people to develop the natural resources, in order to improve the people's standard of living. Mr Freeman Madji, Executive Director of ASCUM said the Movement opens its doors to all interested persons without any bar on social, religious, ethnic or political grounds. Mr Madji urged the youth to take advantage of the Movement and similar organisations to develop their skills, and generate worthy activities to help prevent them from being trapped into social vices. 14 Nov. 08