The Italian Embassy in Ghana on Tuesday launched the Italian cultural week celebration in Accra to celebrate the richness of Italian culture with the people of Ghana and the Italian community in Ghana.

Italy Ambassador to Ghana, Laura Carpini, in an interview with journalists at her residence in Accra said the aim of the event is to foster good relations with the people of Ghana and their Italian counterparts in the country.

Italian culture and language are traditionally celebrated in the month of October worldwide. Italy boasts of one of the most ancient and richest cultures in the world and ranks first in the UNESCO list of world heritage with forty-seven registered sites.

Italians for centuries have created masterpieces and unique techniques to reach top levels in the arts, science, social and economic fields.

It is against this backdrop that the embassy seeks to intensify awareness among the Ghanaian community while providing a home-like atmosphere to its citizens.

The week-long celebration, which is the first to be organised by the embassy in Ghana, will from October 21st -26th showcase the rich Italian culture, music and creating a platform for networking among business magnates.

Ms Laura Carpini said series of lectures and symposiums, where resource persons will be made available to share their expertise with Ghanaian experts whiles getting to know the urban challenges of Ghana. This would feature respected Italian academicians lined-up in Accra and Kumasi to commemorate the day.

The celebration, the ambassador revealed, is also in remembrance of the 200th birthday anniversary of legendary Guiseppe Verdi, an Italian romantic song composer in the 19th century and is open to the general public.

Verdi’s works are frequently performed in opera houses throughout the world.

The College of Physicians in Accra would, on Monday 21st October, 2013 have the pleasure to host the first public lecture, to kick-start the event.

It would be on the theme: “Creative Empathy and Vernacular Innovation”.

Ghana and Italy have had cordial bilateral relations in various fields over a long period of time. According to the ambassador, there are about 50,000 Ghanaians living in Italy. Currently, there are about 800 Italians living in Ghana with 500 registered with the embassy.

Ghana’s construction and architectural industry have been boosted by the influx of Italian professionals a few years ago, and recently in the field of technology.

“In an increasing interdependent and globalized world, it is necessary to widen our perspectives and I am sure that the Italian artistes that are coming to Ghana for this year’s programme will greatly benefit from interacting with their Ghanaian counterparts and audiences,” Ambassador Carpini said.

Among the top personalities to grace the occasion are Architect Mario Cucinella, Prof. Aryeetey of the University of Ghana, Prof Giuseppe Barbera- University of Palermo; and a performance by world renowned Laura kibel with her feet technique in the Laura Kibel feet Theatre. There is a lineup of films to be displayed at the Goethe Institute amongst other places.

The event is sponsored by major Italian estate giants like Casa Trasacco, construction firm Micheletti & Co Ltd, Alitalia, De Simone Group and Consar Limited with support from other corporate institutions.

GhanaWeb.com will bring you updates on the week-long celebration.