Winneba, Nov. 8, GNA - A suggestion has been made to the Ministry of Education to emphasise the teaching and learning of African music in the country's educational institutions, especially the basic schools. Mr Fredrick Amankwaa-Opam, a lecturer in music at Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region, was contributing to a forum on music development at Winneba on Friday.

The forum rounded off a day's workshop organized by music directors of the University of Education, Winneba, in commemoration of this year's African University Day Celebrations, under the theme: Distance education and African Universities."

Mr Amankwaa-Opam expressed fear that if stringent measures were not taken to address the virtual neglect of indigenous music in favour of foreign ones, "our future builders of the nation will completely lose track of our ancestral music."

In his presentation, Dr. C.W.K. Mereku, Director, Department of Music of the University expressed their support for the idea and expressed the hope that the Ministry of Education would consider the suggestion.

Dr Mereku charged music teachers in the country to be creative and innovative to enable them inculcate the habit of learning through effective and deep concentration during classes and even at home while revising their work.

The Reverend Michael Ohene-Okantah, a lecturer at the University, said the driving force of Western and other foreign culture, music and dance have contributed immensely to the increasing acts of indiscipline among the youth, adding that the trend should be reversed, to portray the true picture of the country's rich cultural heritage which abhors all forms of indiscipline.

Rev. Ohene-Okantah said the new syllabi for music and dance prescribes that since music forms an integral part of our culture, school music education should be based on culture, noting that, "this notion is not merely Ghanaians, but African and indeed worldwide."