Kade (E/R), May 9, GNA - The Eastern Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, Mr. J.P.K. Ankamah, has appealed to the Kwaebibirem District Assembly to look into the possibility of establishing a cultural village.

He explained that the objective for the establishment of the cultural village was to provide accommodation for the works of artists, craftsmen, renowned herbalists, writers and musicians in the district and also to serve as a forum for entertainment.

Mr Ankamah made the appeal at the inauguration of the Kweabibirem District Cultural Advisory Committee at Kade at the weekend.

Mr Ankamah suggested that the proposed cultural village be made up of an open-air theatre for performers and conferences, a durbar ground, exhibition rooms for visual arts, literary arts, music, a museum, crafts sheds, offices and recreational grounds.

He observed that, most of the industrial unrests at workplaces, strikes in educational institutions could be attributed to the fact that people had nowhere to sit and relax after a hard day's work.

Enumerating the functions of the District Centres for National Culture, Mr Ankamah said they were to implement policies relating to development, promotion, preservation and appreciation of the arts and culture of the districts.

Mr Ankamah said the centres were also to identify, organise and mobilise the artistic resources of the districts and develop the commercial potentials of these resources.

They were further to organise systematic programmes to project district peculiarities as a contribution towards the development of a national culture.

Mr Ankamah said the acceptance of foreign values and the proliferation of dangerous video films were gradually destroying the country's values.

The Regional Director said cultural education was one area the committee should tackle with much seriousness since through the neglect of cultural education; Ghanaians were gradually losing their identity and some of their cultural values.

He appealed to teachers handling cultural studies in the schools to lay emphasis on the teaching of traditional norms and practices. Mr Ankamah charged the committee with the establishment of a forum for the exchange of ideas on traditional norms and practices.

The Presiding Member of the Kwaebibirem District Assembly, Mr George Aboagye, said Ghana had reached a stage in its history where it's survival was linked to its culture and called on Ghanaians to take a critical look at the alien cultures creeping into the country. Mr Aboagye said the district assembly would always support programmes initiated by the Centre for National Culture because "a nation without culture has no soul".