Viesie (UWR), April 5, GNA - The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Mahmud Khalid, has called on Ghanaians to discourage the practice of spic= ing local languages with the English language, saying it has an adverse effec= t on language development in the country.

"The current trend is not only impacting negatively on the fluency of=

the local dialects but is also affecting language development of the country." Mr Khalid made the call at the 3rd National Annual Conference of the Yarisi Development Association (YADA) at Viesie in the Wa East District o= n Sunday.

The forum which was on the theme: "Our roots, our hope for our progress and development", was attended by Yarisi from all over the count= ry. Mr Khalid observed that there was a growing negative perception amo= ng members of society that cultural dances and music were the preserve of illiterates or semi literates.

"If that is granted, then one can safely conclude that the more for= mal education society accesses, the less culturally literate society will become", he said.

Mr Khalid noted that if that was allowed to continue, it would lead to the erosion of aspects of the country's unique culture and thereby deny future generations the opportunity of sharing in the rich cultural herita= ge of the people.

"My brothers and sisters, this cannot be allowed to stand, hence th= e need for all of us to ensure that our children take part in all positive cultural activities at the community and school levels", he advised. He said respect, discipline, sacrifice and the use of proper communication channels in articulating and addressing grievances which we= re some of benefits derived from the proper usage and practices of Ghanaian cultural heritage were eluding the people now.

Society would stand to benefit more if these virtues were entrenched= as there would be stability and sustainability in terms of human and materia= l development. Mr Khalid said government would continue to support all efforts at promoting peace in the sub-region to help facilitate trade and integratio= n among neighbouring countries.

The Viesie Naa, Adam Siita, appealed to government to provide the community with potable water and a school block to promote education in t= he area.

A communiqu=E9 issued later and read by Mr Ismail Yahaya, a member of the Planning Committee of the Conference, appealed to government to help develop the tourist centres in the area to attract investors into the community. The communiqu=E9 also urged government to provide the community with= a health facility, electricity, and potable water. I also called for the rehabilitation of roads to link the area to market centres, especially during the rainy season.