A female Ghanaian artist, Charity Derby Akeiti, has called on the government to give adequate support to the tourism, arts and culture industry.
This, she said, would promote the work of artists and give them the needed exposure.
Ms Akeiti said these in an interview with the Ghanaian Times, on Friday after she returned from Paris, where she won a gold medal and a plaque for participating in the sixth Paris Art Symposium at Paris, France, in October this year.
The symposium brought together 21 participants from Estonia, Norway, Iran, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Netherlands, Syria and Ghana for the five-day arts fair.
Ms Akeiti said the Ghanaian arts and culture industry had a lot to offer the country and the world at large, saying, “if we focus more on tourism, arts and culture as a country, we will be able to push the country far and earn more foreign exchange.”
She said it was time for the government and corporate institutions to give people in the industry the space to exhibit their works, and allow for tourists to come in to see their works either being painting, sculpture, music or arts.
She said her art works were inspired by the novel coronavirus, explaining that during the lockdown period, as people could not go out, she had to make do of what was around her.
She said, “I have to tie black cotton fabric and dip in bleach and vinegar to extract colour from it and that is what I use for my painting surfaces instead of the conventional use of canvas.”
Touching on this year’s ‘Chalewote’ Art Festival, Ms Akeiti said she was worried the yearly event was cancelled because some artists were arrested, adding that some foreign nationals had travelled into the country to watch and experience the festival.
“This does not speak well for the arts industry and had a dent on the image of the art festival as well the artists who were arrested,” she stated.
She, however, urged budding artists to persevere and not give up saying, “continue to push forward in their chosen career.”
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
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