Tamale, March 17, GNA - The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, has appealed to the youth to protect and uphold the cultural values of the country instead of imitating foreign ones.

Culture is the totality of the life of a people and is therefore essential in chartering a course for the progress and development of society, regardless of ethnic, social or political affiliation, he said.

The Minister made the appeal in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a 500-million cedi refurbished hall of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Tamale on Thursday.

He noted that the youth did not appreciate the cultural dance, folk songs, traditional attire or even traditional meals but preferred to live and act as foreigners, which was affecting the true identity of the African child.

The Minister urged school authorities and parents to encourage their children to take arts and culture activities seriously since it was the only way the people could be conscious of their national heritage and identity "Children do not easily forget occurrences, which motivate them thus through active participation in visual and performing, they can build enviable and distinctive personalities different from all other children," he noted.

He expressed the hope that the new hall would awaken the outlook of artists, musicians, dancers and dramatists to the field of arts and culture as well as generate the interest of students in the industry. He also urged the people of the Northern region to use Ghana's cultural heritage to unite and sustain peace in the region since "it is our way of life and should therefore be used to charter a course for the progress and development of the northern people. "We therefore appeal to our traditional rulers to become instruments of progress and development in their respective communities."

The Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, Mr James Adabuga said the root cause of most conflicts stems from the disregard for other people's cultural values and called on all artistes and musicians to ensure that all their activities are geared towards development and the peace building process in communities. He said plans are underway to construct an open-air theatre to facilitate the art and culture industry in the region and appealed to non-governmental agencies and other philanthropists to support the industry.