Tamale, Nov. 25, GNA - Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra

Regional Minister, has expressed worry over the continuous

subordination of Ghana's culture in favour of foreign ones. He has therefore called for the reversal of the situation to

promote the country's arts, craft, music and dancing industries.

"It is rather sad to observe that while others have improved upon

their cultures. we have virtually subordinated ours to foreign

cultures." Mr Ashietey was addressing the Regional Day's of the 2010

National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) in Tamale on

Wednesday, which saw the Greater Accra and the Western

Regional cultural groups performing to showcase their culture and

traditions. The weeklong festival, which brought together all cultural

groups across the country, is being celebrated this year under the

theme: "NAFAC-Promoting unity, technology and wealth creation

for a better Ghana: the role of the youth in nation building". The festival, which is a biannual event, had since attracted

chiefs and traditional leaders from the various ethnic groups as

well as cultural groups across the country to showcase their rich

cultural heritage to the delight of the teaming audience. Mr Ashietey urged the youth and traditional authorities to give

greater attention to Ghana's cultural heritage to attract investors

and generate employment for the teaming youths. "I urge our traditional institutions and other allied institutions to

inject some form of dynamism into our culture and arts to reflect

modern trends", the Minister said adding that our craftsmen and

women must pay attention to the finishing and packaging of their

products to enable them to compete on the international markets. He also expressed the concern that the tourism industry had

done little to promote our local dishes in our hotels and

restaurants, adding that introduction of technology to improve the

processing of our local food must be considered. Madam Betty Busumtwi-Sam, the Deputy Western Regional

Minister said the region is the third largest in the country and

comprises five major ethnic groups who are all of the same

linguistic stock. She said the region owed the key to Ghana's development in

view of its substantial natural endowments producing not less than

55 percent of the GDP for the country. Madam Busumtwi-Sam said the region had recently discovered

a new tourist site at Beyin in the Jomoro District where one could

find the rehabilitated Fort Apollonia and the Nzulezu eco-site

where all daily human activities take place on a lagoon. The NAFAC 2010 was official opened in Tamale on Saturday

20th of this Month and had since witnessed several performances

including the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Central and Upper East

Regions, football and traditional games, highlight music

competition, Diaspora exhibition a colloquium and exhibition by

some department and agencies of the government.