Western Region Street Carnival launched in T’di

The Western Regional Street Carnival has been launched over the weekend to showcase the rich cultural diversity of the Region.

The carnival, slated for December 7, 2013, would bring together different ethnic groups in the Region, including Wassas, Aowins, Nzemas, Ahantas and Sefwis to exhibit their cultural values.

The Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, Mr. Stephen Sedofu, launched the carnival during a press briefing in Takoradi.

The carnival, which is being organised by the Ghana Centre for Carnival Arts (GCCA) would involve street parade of 22 masquerading groups, ethnic groups, students of Takoradi Polytechnic, market women, basic school pupils and security agencies, who would display various costumes, dances and songs from the Region.

It would begin from the Takoradi Polytechnic Park through the principal streets in the twin-city and end at the Jubilee Park in Takoradi.

Mr. Sedofu said the carnival would foster unity and social integration among the various ethnic groups and foreigners who have migrated into the Region due to the oil industry.

The Project Coordinator of GCCA, Mr. Samuel Dodoo, said the carnival comes on the heels of the Ghana Street Carnival that was held in Accra in 2012.

He said the carnival would be preceded by costume training workshop, which would be conducted by costume designers from the United Kingdom and would use local materials to make the costumes, leading to skill and technology transfer to Ghanaian textile designers.

He said the carnival would create jobs for Ghanaian textile industries and graphic designers, increase tourism potentials and incomes of hoteliers and businesses in the Region.

He said a carnival village would be created, where costumes and paraphernalia of the various groups would be displayed.

He appealed to the various stakeholders in the Region, including the media, security agencies and Assemblies, to support the carnival to make it a success.