The Gomoa Akyempim Assin Traditional Council Asomankwahene, Okufu Ameresi Okine Annan III, Popularly known as Anthony Annan, has said it was unfortunate that the rich African Culture bequeathed to the continent by ancestors was being destroyed by the present generation for foreign ones.
The Chief noted further that the rich African Culture, depicted in dressing, food, customs and traditions, promotion of cordial relationship, respect for elders, among others, was fading away due to the adoption of foreign cultures by the youth of Africa.
He maintained that Africa was well known for its rich cultural Heritage.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, Okufu Annan noted that Africans had to go back for to the rich culture that “our forefathers left for us in order to bring back the discipline that is embedded in African Culture, such as respect, dressing properly to public places, eating healthy food and speaking politely, among many other proper ways of behaviour in both private and public places”.
He said the copying blindly of foreign cultures in the name of civilisation was not helping Africans in any way since that had led to the infiltration of our rich culture and destroyed the respect that used to be in the African setting for elders.
He added that the situation was so serious that the disrespectfulness had been extended to our Presidents on the continent, Chiefs, elders, parents, guardians, men and women holding positions of authority in our society in general.
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The Chief appealed to opinion leaders in society to speak to the youth and younger generation on the benefits of our rich African culture, such as the proper procedure to go through before marrying and the need for them to embrace African culture instead of foreign ones.
Okufu Ameresi Annan also averred that Ghanaians had a tradition of not going to farms and also not going to fishing on certain days of the week for good reasons, but some farmers who did not understand the significance of the tradition disobeyed that tradition.
The Chief noted that it was sad that while a case was pending at a chief’s Palace, some Lawyers wrote to withdraw their matter from the Palace to Court, stressing that the Chiefs also applied wisdom and innate knowledge to settle cases at the Palace.
He said Africa, particularly Ghana, had to go back “for our rich culture to attain what in Akan language is known as ‘Sankofa’, meaning going back for what we have abandoned.”
Okufu Annan noted that to restore our rich culture, there must be respect for everybody and also to teach and learn our culture in schools, especially at the Primary and basic School levels.
He stressed that there was the need for mutual respect among all tribes, dialects and languages to promote peaceful co-existence in Africa.
The Chief emphasised that the cause of neglecting our rich culture “was as a result of the manner in which the youth were copying foreign cultures blindly”.
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