Bigtwins, Ghana and RedCreativica, Mexico in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) have launched the 2023 edition of the Ghana Mexico day in Accra.

The Day which is set aside to celebrate the cultures of both countries in terms of music, dance, the arts, and food is scheduled to take place in Mexico in May 2023, and in Ghana in September 2023.

It would be celebrated under the theme: “Where Africa Meets the World.”

Mr Bessa Simons, Acting President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) said the goal of the day was to build up the interest of Ghanaians and Mexicans in their respective cultures and traditions.

He said the celebration of the Day would contribute to the ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) to display the diverse opportunities available in Ghana and contribute to growing tourism arrivals from Mexico.

“Ghana and Mexico have had long-standing relationships. Mexico was the first Latin American country to establish a diplomatic mission in Ghana in August 1961.

However, due to global events, both countries closed their diplomatic missions. But we are back on track and this event will solidify it,” he said.

Mr Simons mentioned that the Day was a culmination of over 60 years of collaboration in various fields between the two nations and was optimistic that the event would enable Ghana to present its culture to Mexicans and vice versa.

“There is so much that can be done between the two countries and the organizers would ensure that the celebration stays on forever.”

Mr Denning Edem Hotor, a hip-life artist and entertainer who performs under the name Edem, said the Bigtwins team got the idea for the event when they visited Mexico and realised that “as a growing continent with afrobeat, traditional music and all the sounds, there was a lot of emerging markets around the globe that could be explored.”

He said Mexico was one of the places where its melodies and harmonics had a close similarity with highlife music, saying, “it is important at this time not to sit down and believe that the world will come to us. We must go to the world, to promote Ghana, and our tourism potential, and get people to believe in our culture.”

“Just like food, lifestyle and clothing are acquired, So, if you do not deliberately impose your taste on people, they will not buy into that. So, an event like this will foster cross-cultural collaboration between Ghana and Mexico.”

Artists expected to perform during the event include Edem, Wiyala, Episode and a host of prominent Ghanaian and Mexican musicians.

Mr Hotor appealed to corporate bodies to support the initiative to push the determination of the GTA to highlight Ghana’s tourism potential to the world.

Mr Jones Aruna Nelson, Head of Cooperate Affairs, GTA said Ghana and Mexico shared democratic values and recognized the importance of embracing the diversity of cultures, respect for human rights and the rule of law and commitment to multilateralism.

“Our common history goes back to the 1960s and this launch would go a long way to set the tone for the upcoming event, throw more light on our cultures and foster closer collaborations.”

He said the GTA was committed to making the event successful, “because it would be an event that would cut across the sectors of food, clothing, the arts and culture.”

“The strength of our heritage and culture is a significant driver to bring both Mexico and Ghana together. There is a growing interest in learning more about our cultures and the existence of similarities will help to close the mutual knowledge gap.”

He was confident in the abilities of the organisers to present what Ghana had on offer to the world.

Mr John Yaw Agbebo, Chief Director, MoTAC pledged support for the programme, saying the concept for the celebration dovetailed into the ministry’s objective.

“We at the Ministry always think of shoring up the numbers of people who come to Ghana because when they come, they spend for us to improve the economy a bit and provide job opportunities for people.

“This event is one such that will bring in more people for the economy to grow.”