The Ghanaian government ministry responsible for the development and promotion of tourism-related activities in the country, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture under the auspices of Mrs. Barbara Oteng Gyasi has designated Ghanaian rapper, and highlife artiste Michael Owusu Addo as the ambassador for the “Year Of Return” initiative.
The government’s ministry presented a citation to the musician, popularly christened Sarkodie for his achievement and humongous contribution to the music industry, and made this formal announcement during the Ghana Creative Industry Forum 2019, and hosted at the National Theatre, Ghana organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Creative Arts Council of Ghana.
Themed “Reviving Ghana’s Creative Arts Industry”, the event empanelled dignitaries such as the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Deputy Minister of Education, Barbara Ayisi and Member of Parliament for Abetifi Constituency, Bryan Acheampong. The others are the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyemang, President of Creative Arts Council, Mark Okraku Mante and the Board Chairman of the National Theatre, Nana Fredua Agyeman and notable media personalities.
Sarkodie’s, who has excellent communication, networking skills, and a strong presence on social media, main duty in this noble office will see him transform and promote tourism, arts and cuture, including the Year of Return which is believed to be the leading sector of the economy in Ghana. He will complete a variety of tasks ranging from proselytizing; supporting or actively encouraging the progress of the initiative.
Earlier, in his acceptance speech after winning the “Best International Flow” act category at the just ended Black Entertainment Tv (BET) Hip Pop Awards at the Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Center, the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) “Artiste of the Decade” urge the African diaspora to visit Ghana as part of the Year of Return celebrations and also help boost economy and change the bad narrative about the African continent.
The “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” is a major landmark spiritual and birth-right journey inviting the Global African family, home and abroad, to mark 400 years of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia. The arrival of enslaved Africans marked a sordid and sad period, when our kith and kin were forcefully taken away from Africa into years of deprivation, humiliation and torture.
While August 2019 marks 400 years since enslaved Africans arrived in the United States, “The Year of Return, Ghana 2019” celebrates the cumulative resilience of all the victims of the Trans Atlantic slave Trade who were scattered and displaced through the world in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.
The Ghana Tourism Authority(GTA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture is leading the project in collaboration with the Office of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President the PANAFEST Foundation and The Adinkra Group of the USA.
One of the main goals of the Year of Return campaign is to position Ghana as a key travel destination for African Americans and the African Diaspora. In 2019, the events planned throughout the year will serve as a launch pad for a consistent boost in tourism for Ghana in the near and distant years. Beyond tourism, this initiative supports one of the President’s key developmental agendas in Ghana Beyond Aid. We know that tourism can be a leading indicator to business and investment.
It is focused on ensuring that tourists have a safe, pleasant and wonderful journey home so they will want to come back, get involved, see the opportunity that exists in Ghana for them to work together and begin to rebuild what has been stolen and lost over the past 400 years.
(Photo Credit: Stayfocus Photography)
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