Bolgatanga, July 11, GNA - Professor George Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, on Thursday observed that Ghana's dream of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) would be a mirage if steps were not taken to strategically involve cultural dimensions into the interventions put in place to achieve the MDGs by the year 2015.

He made the observation during a three-day workshop under the theme; "Culture and the Achievement of MDGs" organized by the National Commission on Culture in Bolgatanga. It was aimed at creating awareness on the need to bring critical dimensions of culture into effective play in relation to the achievement of the MDGs. It was also to find solutions to problems likely to confront the smooth implementation of the programme.

He emphasized that culture constituted a critical factor for identifying the underlying causes of development, however, in addressing issues relating to MDGs which is development related, the culture aspects of the beneficiary communities were not featured. He indicated that most of the goals of the Millennium Development were bordered on culture and mentioned gender issues such as gender discrimination and women empowerment as critical issues that needed attention.

Professor Hagan said certain negative cultural practices hindering development such as female genital mutilation, widowhood rites, elopements, betrothals, among others would be difficult to change without the involvement of traditional leaders and the community members themselves.

He stressed the need for community ownership of the MDGs and said the initiative should be decentralized from national to the regional, district and the community levels through effective sensitizations to change certain negative cultural practices that were threats to the MDGs.

"Culture had the power of either modifying certain negative cultural practices to be in line with the MDGs or against its achievement", he pointed out.

The workshop, sponsored by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) , a German Political Foundation, promoting among other things worldwide democracy, Rule of Law , Human Rights and Social Economy was attended by seventy participants, including heads of department, traditional leaders, assembly members and representatives from civil societies. Mr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, Senior Programme Manager of KAS explained that the achievement of the MDGs was paramount to KAS as a body whose interest lays in human development issues, adding that it is in view of this that his outfit is deeply involved in the workshop. He said KAS had identified that the involvements of cultural institutions in the MDGs would quicken its achievement and appealed to all stakeholders involved in championing the cause of the MDGs to play an active part.