Wa, Nov. 18, GNA - Over 500 artists from all the ten regions of the country on Saturday displayed the nation's rich culture with colour and pageantry at a durbar to mark the opening of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) at the Wa Secondary School park at Wa in the Upper West Region.

The festival is the single largest cultural event in the country that gives the chiefs and people the platform to showcase their rich cultural diversity and foster unity for national development. Dubbed NAFAC 2005 with the theme: "culture, a vehicle for wealth creation", the festival should have been held last year but due to financial constraints at the time, it was rescheduled for this year. The well-attended gathering witnessed a variety of activities that included, drumming and display of various dance forms, choral music and a plethora of cultural performances by cultural troupes including the Ghana Dance Ensemble.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Harbours and Railways delivered the opening speech on behalf of the Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.

He said the cultural sector held the key to the realization of the government's objective of tapping all natural and human resources for the development of the country.

Government, he said, was aware of the immense contribution of arts and culture to the national economy as cultural goods and services constituted a viable part of non-traditional export that could bring a lot of foreign exchange to the country.

He urged all Ghanaians to use forums such as NAFAC to re-dedicate themselves to the task of nation-building, reminding them that, "our strength as a nation lies in our unity and collective achievement". The Vice-President said traditional architecture, traditional textiles, dance forms, music and traditional culinary arts that abound in the Upper West Region could be effectively harnessed for socio-economic development.

He noted that there were a lot of cultural practices associated with the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and called for collective work towards the absolute eradication of such practices to check the spread of the disease.

Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minster requested for the establishment of a Regional Museum in Wa to conserve the region's numerous artifacts and cultural collections to promote tourism and research.

"My information is that large collections of artifacts from this region are packed in several huge containers and can fill an area three times the size of the National Museum". The establishment of a Museum, he said would also be a legacy of NAFAC and a clear demonstration of the nation's commitment to develop its cultural heritage.

Naa Sohamininye Danaa, chairman of the Festival's planning committee appealed to the government not to put the construction of an amphitheatre on ice since such a facility was greatly needed in the region for future national international festivals. Other dignitaries who attended the ceremony were, Mr Boniface Gambilla, Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader, Mr Issah Ketekewu, Deputy Northern Regional Minister and the Zimbabwe High Commissioner in Ghana.