Ghanaian musician, Emmanuel Andrews Samini, has said in a Twitter Spaces conversation that he does not support the idea of the government building a national cathedral.
During the conversation, Samini said believed the cathedral is something dear to the heart of President Nana Akufo-Addo, but personally does not think the country needs it.
“One of the ‘Nos’ for me is the National Cathedral, I am not for it, I am not a fan of it cos I think it is a personal priority,” he said in the Spaces monitored by ghanaweekend.com.
The National Cathedral is a historic project that provides a sacred space and infrastructure for the formal religious activities of the nation, like state funerals and presidential inaugural services. It is this national character that distinguishes it from the other Cathedrals in the country.
It is part of the vision of the President for a Sacred National infrastructure, linking it to the path-breaking design of iconic Architect Sir David Adjaye OBE, and organically anchoring these in world-class programs – including Africa’s first Museum of the Bible whose development is supervised by Cary Summers, the founding President of the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.
The National Cathedral project was proposed by the government in March 2017 as a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony, and spirituality.
The $350-million inter-denominational cathedral will have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 people, as well as chapels, and a baptistery.
It is targeted to be completed in March 2024.
On March 31, 2022, the government granted the release of GH¢25 million to the National Cathedral Secretariat as seed money for the construction of the National Cathedral.
Since the proposal was made, a lot of Ghanaians have kicked against the construction of the cathedral, stating that there are more important things that need to be attended to, other than such an edifice.
Samini is one of the showbiz personalities that campaigned for Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party during the 2020 elections in Ghana.
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By: Kwame Dadzie | Ghana Weekend
