Galaxy International School, one of the prestigious International schools in Accra, Ghana has over the weekend celebrated its 15th Intercultural Festival with a colourful display of culture amidst pomp and pageantry.

The yearly multicultural celebration saw over hundreds of participants from all spheres of life including quite a number of dignitaries such as Mr. Augusto da Silva Cunha, Ambassador Of Angola, Mohamed Abdelrahman Yasin Mohamed, Ambassador Of Sudan and Mr Aaron Adarkwa, the District Director of Education, Adentan. Equally present were representatives from the Ethiopian Embassy as well as the High Commissions of Britain and Nigeria.

Over 35 countries were present and had the opportunity to display their culture.

The Managing Director of the school in his opening address informed the gathering that the school is built on the foundation of unity, acceptance of diversity and peaceful coexistence. He explained how culture is not just a way of life but the life wire of people. He went on to say that a community without a culture cannot be referred to as a living community.

He further mentioned that Galaxy International School brings together students from almost every part of the world-totaling 35 different nationalities. The students come with different experiences from their different cultural backgrounds. He emphasised that the school has over the years fostered a spirit of multiculturalism to encourage tolerance and peaceful co-existence among its multi-ethnic students and staff community.

He concluded by urging all present to relax and enjoy their experience of the exhibition of different cultures – the music and dance, the food, the art and the various objects of pride to all the cultures represented.

There was a display of various paraphernalia and artefacts showcasing the rich culture of the various nationalities amidst music, choreography, poetry recitals and others.

The theme for this year's festival was: Our Diversity Our Pride; Our Oneness, Our strength”. This festival, since its inception has often been an annual platform through which Galaxy International School showcases the wealth of cultures represented in the school while emphasising the fact that, even in diversity, there is strength. In this year's festival, the school immensely demonstrated their pride in their diversity while manifesting the unique strength in their oneness.

In a speech read by the Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Mrs. Monica Ankrah, she told the gathering how important diversity is in our educational system and how it cannot be undermined because it helps create a classroom environment where all students thrive together and have the understanding that, individual characteristics make people distinctive and not “different” in a bad or negative way. She went on to commend Galaxy International School for recognizing the importance of having a cross-cultural learning environment.



Mrs. Ankrah was quick to add that one great source of joy and happiness in life is in human relationships and connections and that if we are capable of being open to each other, to connect and truly belong to one another, we will have more joy in our lives. She concluded by saying that we should appreciate each other’s cultures because every individual’s culture makes him unique.

The Executive Officer of the National Service Scheme, Mr. Mustapha Ussif, who was the chairman for the occasion hailed the school for creating an environment that celebrates and embraces differences, he went on to say that in today's globalised world, coupled with the changing trends in the reformation of the educational sector, it is important for school authorities to institute programmes and policies that embrace the trend.

He emphasised how important it is that our school systems embrace persons from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

Galaxy International School has plans of opening another branch of its Primary/Preschool section at its Secondary premises located at Ashale Botwe.