Ghana Arts and Culture Awards 2019

The Arts and Culture Company in partnership with the National Commission on Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority, National Folklore Board and Tourism Society of Ghana under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture officially launched the GHANA ARTS AND CULTURE AWARDS on September 6, 2019 at the Accra Tourist Information Center and the event was being sponsored by GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited.

The ceremony started with an opening cultural performance which was done by Universal Wonderful Street Academy and singing of the national anthem “Y3n Ara Asaase Ni” after that the purpose of gathering was announced by Mike Frempong the research and communication director of  The Arts and Culture Company. According to him the purpose of our gathering is to launch and open nomination for the maiden edition of the Ghana Arts and Culture Awards (GACA2019) that seeks to honor and appreciate the forerunners, brands and key players who have contributed greatly to Arts and culture industry here in Ghana and beyond. This awards scheme will be based on selection of individuals who will be filing for nomination. The event was chaired by Mrs. Edna Janet Nyame the Executive Director of National Commission on Culture with Peter Akai Anum the Executive Director of the Head Of State Awards and Joseph Amartey  Youth Tourism Ambassador who are all board directors of Ghana Arts and Culture Awards.

According to Mrs. Edna Janet Nyame, it will interest you all to know that our Ghanaian culture is replete with power and wealth, yet what prevails today is the unguarded adoption of western lifestyles or cultures by most people, especially among the youth in the name of modernity leading to the adulteration of our beautiful culture and has immensely contributed to the gradual erosion of the values of power and wealth of our cultural heritage as well as the histories of most Ghanaian communities.

“It is the obligation of the National Commission on Culture to make contributions and give our support to any cause which focuses on upholding and uplifting our Ghanaian culture by way of promoting and presenting our Ghanaian traditions and values. It is on this note that the National Commission on Culture deems it an honour to associate ourselves with the brand that sees the arts and culture as a valuable asset to Ghana,” she affirmed.

The award plaques were unveiled by Executive Director of National Commission on Culture, Mrs. Edna Janet Nyame and said the awards scheme was in line with her outfit’s mandate of promoting Ghanaian cultural heritage and recognizing excellence. For her, in an era where western influence has dominated the local culture and has the youth forgetting all about Ghanaian values, GACA could not have come at a better time.

Eighteen award categories are up for grabs including; Art Festival Event of the Year, Traditional Music Group of the Year, Cultural Television Programme of the Year, Ghanaian Visual Artist of the Year and Cultural Heritage Entrepreneur of the Year, among others. Also included in the categories are honorary awards.

The launching experienced other amazing spoken word performance in ewe from Gershon Azamela from the Volta region of Ghana with another cultural dance performance from Adehyeman cultural group.

A representatives from the Arts and Culture Company, organizers of the event, Mike Frempong and Frank Saka explained the nomination process said it is done based on how positively influential the projects of these individuals and brands have been on the local arts and culture scene and A 3-9 member panel of distinguished industry leaders will vet the nominees to decide the finalists who then be subjected to public vote. Nomination will be closed on September 30, 2019 and qualified nominees will be released first week in October 2019. According to the organizers, individuals can pick nomination form at the Accra Tourist Information Center, the National Commission on Culture and also you can visit our website www.theartsandculture.com/nomination.  The main night for the award ceremony is slated on November 23, 2019 at Accra International Conference Center, for further information and enquiries one can call 0242737116 or follow the company’s social media platform @ghartsnculture. It was mentioned that new categories will be introduced into the scheme as time goes on.

In attendance were various media representatives (TV Africa, HomeBase TV, UTV, TV3, JoyNews, JoyPrime, Adom TV, Pan African TV, Obunu TV/FM, SunShine TV, Pre Vas TV, The Ghanaian Times, Spectator, Ahotor FM, Latenu Radio, The Publisher, Gamashi Blogger, Blema TV and Bose TV) and many others. Some arts and culture industry players such as Mr. Louis Wonder, Mr. Dela Boutri, Sherifa Gunu, Mohammed Awudu, Pascal Aka, Ras Kuuku, Amb Prince Kojo-Hilton, Bright Komla Kpoha and other great personality were present as well as the main sponsor for the ceremony GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited.

The ceremony closed with taking of pictures, interviews and socialization.