Papa Owusu-Ankomah is Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK
The diplomat has asked that arts personnel promote Ghana through their works and performances.
Speaking to organizers and musicians billed for the 2021 edition of ‘Ghana Party in the Park’ in the UK, Papa Owusu-Ankomah reiterated the president’s commitment to getting Ghanaians in the diaspora to be part of the country’s development agenda.
“The president is very much interested in getting Ghanaians in the diaspora to be part of the development agenda of the country. Identity is key and I say that when you come to the UK, we can say that it is now the seventeenth region in Ghana because we have so many Ghanaians or British citizens of Ghanaian origin or heritage living here.
“That should be one of the strengths of our country in terms of our development agenda. And when it comes to tourism, it is intertwined with culture, what we eat, what we do, the music, our dress makes up our identity. So when we are talking about tourism, the Ghanaian identity is key”, he said when the ‘Ghana Party in the Park’ team paid him a courtesy call.
The diplomat also commended the organizers of the event for the initiative since it will make Ghanaians in the UK connect with Ghana’s culture.
“Ghanaians and others who are interested in Ghana will know that even in the UK, we have not lost our Ghanaian identity and it’s also an occasion where I know that many Ghanaians who don’t even identify Ghana will like to be present. It is an intergenerational event.
“I know that many young people, particularly the second and third-generation Ghanaians will feel connected to Ghana. For us a mission, we support anything that is a desire to promote Ghana and the Ghanaian identity. The mission has always been in support of the Ghana Party in the Park”, he said.
Present at the interactive session were the likes of Sarkodie, Kwabena Kwabena, Mr Drew, Camidoh, Sefa, Kofi Jamar, Yaw Yog, Kweku Flick, Amerado, DJ Mensah, and David Tawiah, the organizer.
“Ghana Party in The Park” takes place annually in the United Kingdom but the 2020 edition could not happen due to COVID-19.