Melcom/Devio Arts organises drawing competition

Melcom Care Foundation, a charity arm of Melcom Group of Companies, in collaboration with Devio Art Centre, has organised a draw competition, aimed at providing the platform to enable kids express themselves through creative arts.

Among the selected five winners were Lebron James, Kobby Quansah, Morrison Laaku and Maud Nyarko. They took away GH? 50 shopping voucher from Melcom, and a football, each.

Judah Isaac Kofi Eliezer, who was first out of the five winners, received GH? 100 shopping voucher and a football.

Ms Lily Kudzro, Founder of Devio Arts Centre, noted that there is a gap in Ghana’s curriculum where the study of creative art is either not part or not in the theory base, hence the programme to engage children to develop more interest in creative arts activities.

She said the draw art competition, being an initiative of the International Arts Foundation in the United States, seeks to address the issue of lack of creativity in the world as well as the high rise of obesity in children, through arts and the value of sports in their lives.

Ms Kudzro explained that aside the prizes, art works of the winners would be sent abroad, to have the opportunity to join the Centre, at the World’s Children’s Art Festival in July 2015.

Touching on other projects; she said, the Centre also embarks on after school programmes and this year with the support of Tigo Reach For Change, there is a Physical Centre where kids go after school to partake in creative art activities.

She said there are other community programmes which involve visual arts students across the senior high schools, adding: “You are always amazed when they come; they have no idea about the materials used in drawing even though they are studying visual art.”

Ms Kudzro said during the community school workshops which is basically targeted towards visual art students, renowned artistes are invited to motivate and help mentor students in becoming creative, to act as change agents in the society.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Judah Isaac Kofi Eliezer, a student of Heritage Academy, expressed gratitude to the organisers, and urged parents to guide their children in developing their talents.

The event, organised for children between the ages of eight and 14, was held at the weekend in conjunction with the “Melcom Sunday Programme”, where children come and engage themselves in creative art activities on Sundays from 12pm to 5pm, while their parents are shopping or could even come on their own.