The Centre for National Culture( CNC) in collaboration with Roverman Productions and the Ghana Education Service (GES) is organizing the CNC’s Ebo Whyte Students
Drama Competition which is being held at the Art Centre in Accra.

The competition is a rebranded concept of the traditional programme “Sankofa
Students Drama Festival.”

The event is being held in the Greater Accra Region, with 29 participating senior high schools grouped into five zones with not less than five schools in each zone.

The grand event is scheduled to take place in September, 2024.

Addressing the media, the Director for the CNC, Mr. Eric Ohene-Larbi, said the rationale for the event is to impart the practical experience of performing arts to the students, which is an essential part of the GES curriculum.

He said it is also intended to boost the knowledge and confidence of participants in drama and real-life situations, adding that it is part of a broader effort to revive the performing arts.

According to him, Greater Accra is being used as a test case, after which it would be extended to other regions and ultimately on a national scale.

Furthermore, he said, it is the objective of management to elevate the event to the level of the National Science and Math Quiz in the not-too-distant future, all things being equal.

He stressed that performing arts were critical in the lives of people in any nation as a medium to express themes that had a bearing on socio-cultural relevance.

“It was time the performing arts were given the opportunity to once again play a critical role in national life," he said.

Mr. Ohene-Larbi said it was critical that a sense of nationalism, patriotism and morality be revived among students to counter the growing trend of immorality and unpatriotic behavior among youths and the general population.

“Theatre can help re-instill our cherished cultural values in the growing youth, which seem to be fading out in the lives of young ones," he said.

He described theatre as an antidote to stress and boredom and called on Ghanaians to place a greater premium on patronizing theatre drama programs.

He described the performing arts as a most essential discipline that should be given national attention, adding that a country that neglects its traditional cultural values and customs will not develop.

A panelist at the event, who is a facilitator of Roverman Productions, Berlinda Bediako Asiedu, expressed optimism that theatre was gradually being revived with the growing theatre audience.

She said all schools were performing their craft around a central theme that they learned at school, adding that this festival would afford participating students the opportunity to have a stint with the practical aspects of academic life, which would boost their confidence in later professional life.

She called on the government to undertake holistic investment in the arts, not just a segment of the arts industry.