Regional News of Sunday, 17 August 2003

Source: GNA

Kingmakers urged to document titles to stools

Gomoa Mozano (C/R), GNA - Mr Eric Akobeng, Gomoa District Budget Analyst, has urged kingmakers to document titles of succession to paramount stools to prevent the numerous chieftaincy disputes arising out of some people's own interpretation to succession.

Mr Akobeng said the lack of proper documentation of succession had retarded development in some communities where people fight over who should inherit a stool or a skin, a situation, which often costs the government huge sums of money to bring under control. He made the suggestion at a graduation of students of the School of Music and Cultural Studies, formerly Musama School of Music at Mozano near Gomoa Eshiem at the weekend.

Mr Akobeng who is the Gomoa District HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Focal Person urged the Centre for National Culture (CNC) to make it obligatory for newly installed chiefs, queen mothers and linguists to undergo orientation course in culture in an institution like the one at Mozano.

"If new chiefs, queen mothers and linguists from different parts of the country could be brought together at an institution, they would understand the cultural practices of other tribes and that would enhance national unity," he said.

Mr Akobeng appealed to musicians to repackage their compositions to enable them come out with songs that would promote behavioural modifications to check indiscipline, teenage pregnancy and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Mr Emmanuel Quao, Central Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture commended the school authorities for their perseverance in the face of numerous problems and gave the assurance that the CNC would help solve some of the school's problems.

In a report, Rev. H.K. Baah, Director, said the school, established in 1981 had so far trained 234 persons made up of 137 males and 97 females some of who were holding key positions in the Army, Prisons and Police bands.

He expressed concern about poor enrolment in the school, which stand at 22 and announced that the school's name had been changed from Musama School of Music to School of Music and Cultural Studies to give it a broader out-look as since it was perceived as a school only for members of Musama Disco Christo Church. He appealed to Gomoa District Assembly and donor agencies for assistance to improve infrastructure facilities and musical instruments in the school. 17 Aug. 03