The Ghana Tourism Authority has initiated a regional consultation process for organising a food festival in the Upper East Region, with the aim of promoting traditional meals from all ethnic groups in the area. The the Upper East Regional Director of the Tourism Authority, Wisdom Ahadzie, stated during an interview with Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show on A1 Radio that the festival would be an opportunity to showcase the region’s cultural heritage and fulfil the Authority’s mandate of protecting, preserving, and promoting its culture. The date for the festival has yet to be determined.
Mr. Ahadzie further explained that the food festival could start with competitions in schools, where students would pitch camps against each other to showcase their cooking skills. He emphasised that food tourism is a significant opportunity for the region, as people would travel to the area to experience and enjoy traditional meals, thereby enhancing the reputation of the Upper East Region.
“As I am passionate and want us to have a way of packaging culture, in our own way, we have been talking to people about how to do a food festival. Why can’t we have a food festival for two or three days. First, we are thinking of doing the competitions in the schools; pitching camp against each other. If you think you can cook very well, come and let us see.”
“From there, we would move on to the regional one. Food tourism is a huge thing. People would travel and they would come and eat. Then, they would go and replicate it and then the name of the Upper East Region would continue to grow,” he said.Â
In a related development, Mrs. Prisca Naambome Yenzie, the Upper East Regional Director of Museums, highlighted the declining cultural substance and information in basic school curricula. She called for the reintroduction of cultural studies into the curriculum, stating that the absence of such education contributes to the disinterest of young people in cultural issues. Mrs. Naambome made these comments during an interview on the Day Break Upper East Show, which focused on preserving Upper East Regional culture.
During the interview, Mrs. Naambome appealed to schools to allow time for cultural institutions such as the Centre for National Culture, the Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Museum to educate students about their cultural heritage. She emphasised the need for students to be aware of and proud of their cultural background, as it plays a significant role in shaping their identity. Mrs. Naambome suggested that institutions be given the opportunity to teach students about culture in schools, even if it’s just for a few minutes, to help address the lack of proper information and understanding about culture among young people.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
