Diaspora News of Monday, 16 June 2008

Source: GNA

Ghana's Kente and Smocks in high demand in Atlanta

Tamale, June 16, GNA - Ghana's Kente cloth, the Smock and other antiques are in high demand in Atlanta, USA for their beautiful design that depicted the nation's cultural heritage.

Mr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) told the GNA in Tamale on Monday after he returned from the United States with a cultural group from the Northern Region where he presented quantities of Kente cloths, smocks, drums and other Ghanaian antiques to the office of the Mayor of Atlanta.

Mr. Adam led a group of the Tamale Citizens' Association and the Northern Stars Drama Group to Atlanta to showcase the cultural heritage of the north as means of inviting tourists and investors into the country.

Mr. Adam said after the presentation were made, many people particularly African Americans made requets for the materials, particularly the Kente cloth and the smock while some of them were paying upright money for the things to be exported to them. Mr. Adam said the visit enabled the Tamale Metropolis to seek a sister city relationship between Atlanta and Tamale for cultural exchange programmes, which was yielding positive results. He expressed appreciation that people in the Diaspora had appreciated the performance of the Drama Group and expressed the hope that many tourists would throng Ghana and into Tamale to see more of such cultural performances.

Mr. Adam thanked Ms. Pamela Bridgewater, the out-going US Ambassador in Ghana and the US Public Affairs office in Ghana for the role they played to make the trip to US and back successful. According Mr. Adam, International Affairs Manager, Mr. David Constan, who received the items on behalf of the office of the Mayor of Atlanta expressed his outfit's preparedness to receive Ghanaian cultural groups as a means of cementing the cordial relationship between US and Ghana.