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Don’t demonise African traditions, religion
Kwame Akoto Bamfo
A Ghanaian Sculptor and Cultural Activist, Kwame Akoto Bamfo has urged Black people to stop demonising African traditions and religions.
“We must rather striveto encourage tolerance to foster development,” he said.
In a presentation to climax the Black History Month celebrations by the U.S Embassy in Accra which ended in February this year, he said, there was a lot in black people and Africans, hence the need to be tolerant with one another and undemonise African tradition and religion.
His presentation was themed, “Through the Eyes and Hands of the Mounted Abstract: A look at the ‘Image’ of African Traditional Religion and Arts during and after the Trans-Atlantic Trade.”
According to him, “We need to learn to see our own through our own lenses. Let’s be tolerant with each other, engage with traditionalists and find out the truth,” he stated.
Kwame Bamfo said it was wrong for people to be called demon because of the beliefs and practices as that could cause disturbances in the country.
“Let us give ourselves time to see the benefits of religious tolerance and desist from discriminating against our own people,” he stated.
“We must respect each other’s culture and most importantly not look down on our own and stop the unnecessary friction. We need to start questioning anything that would let us not accept another African and make one feel less of a person,” he said.
He added that, Africans can be better and provide adequate services without getting educated through the European system.
“We have reduced craftsmanship and excellence to education and everything we do have to be filtered through European eye and language,” he stated.
“We need to demystify knowledge and intelligence which is not measured by how best you can speak English but rather a matter of problem solving,” he added.
“If we uphold our language and traditional systems, we would be better as a people. We could have access to intelligent craftsmen and pay less for it. We are currently misusing our human resources,” he stressed.
He said, there were very intelligent individuals who could not survive since they could not afford education or the educational system was not favourable to them.
“It is about time, the educated class or elites give way to traditional language and belief systems for our own good,” he stated.
The event brought together students from the Pentecost University College, Achimota Senior High School, Accra Girls Senior High School, Oreilly Secondary School, UNIMAC-NAFTI and Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High School.
The Black History Month is marked every February to honour the contributions of African- Americans who have shaped the history, culture, character and diversity of the United States of America (USA).
By Michael D. Abayateye