Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Hon. Mark Okraku Mantey sees Highlife music as the second flag of the country with regard to our identity.
The National Folklore Board in collaboration with the Ghana Cultural Forum, supported by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organised a Highlife music stakeholders conference on Friday 4th March,2022 at the Accra Tourist Information Centre to discuss roadmap to safeguard Highlife music for the future generation.
The conference was to discuss an action plan by which Highlife can be added to UNESCO’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’.
According to Hon. Okraku, all music stakeholders are to protect the Highlife genre because it represented our rhythm identity, something that cannot be taken away from us.
He noted that Highlife is the mother of all music around the world and urged stakeholders to come on board and concretize the agenda of it being enlisted as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”
Mr. Okraku urged the local UNESCO body in Ghana to help the processes of Highlife being enlisted so that it would be preserved for the future.
In conclusion Hon. Okraku said in other to protect Highlife, pronunciation of some local names is key.
“we need to get the names of our legends right to also help in the safeguarding of our culture” He said.
The stakeholders conference was graced with some legends in the creative arts industry such as Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Smart Nkansah, Ackah Blay, Dr. Kwesi Owusu, Amandzeba, Bessa Simons, Ahuma Bosco Ocansey (Daddy Bosco).
Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh / Ahotor Newsroom.
