Ghanaian playwright and poet, Chief Moomen, delivered an address on African Cultural Renaissance at a high-level ministerial meeting at the Transformation Education Pre-Summit in Paris, UNESCO Headquarters.
Speaking on the theme ‘Transforming Africa through Education and valuing of its History’, he questioned why Africa spends billions of dollars to import skin-lightening creams, emphasizing that the situation is a result of Africans do not appreciate their history and heritage. He said the African is influenced by imperialism and colonialism.
“…and our educational system must help to liberate our thinking, to decolonize our thinking, and to instill pride in us. In so doing, if we think of these things in these areas, not only will we be retaining billions of dollars that we spend on consumption patterns that are not of substance, but because of the way we think we are going to help grow our local economies,” he said.
He intimated that, as an artist from Africa, he is proud to say that many African artists and content creators, on their own, are producing content that is redefining the image of Africa away from the stereotypes that they are used to.
“So we have shown the way, and it is time for our African governments to catch up – not only with resources but by helping to define an overarching vision that influences the way young Africans think to influence the kind of content that we create,” he stated.
Ghanaian poet and playwright @ChiefMoomen addressing a high level ministerial meeting at @UNESCO Transforming Education Pre-Summit.#GhanaWeekend pic.twitter.com/ankd1vC84B
— Ghana Weekend (@GhanaWeekend) July 2, 2022
He further noted that when it comes to connecting campuses across Africa, it should not only be about academia and lecturers; it should also be about young people.
“Young Africans in Africa must be engaging in exchange programmes: East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa. We usually have exchange programmes with European countries but not with ourselves. If we do not unite our minds and our hearts at the very foundation of our education, then all our efforts at collaborating to liberate and enforce progress in our continent will not be achieved,” he noted.
In addition, Chief Moomen delivered a keynote performance on the theme ‘Ambition for Change’ to end the summit.
.@ChiefMoomen also delivered a keynote performance to end the Transforming Education Pre-summit by @UNESCO #GhanaWeekend pic.twitter.com/xQHNjgfMTy
— Ghana Weekend (@GhanaWeekend) July 2, 2022
According to the ‘Wogbejeke’ playwright, while at UNESCO, he will also engage in a number of meetings to introduce his ambitious African heritage project to the world body as he continues to work to build broader international partnerships.
The Transforming Education Pre‐Summit was held in Paris on 28‐30 June 2022.
A Global Engagement Day on 28 June included technical meetings on Thematic Action Tracks and engagements with key stakeholders.
The High‐level segment consisting of Ministerial and Stakeholder engagement took place from 29‐30 June 2022.
The overall objective was to harness the evolving discussions on transforming education, elaborate initial content for the Summit, and generate greater momentum in the lead-up to September.
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By: Kwame Dadzie | Ghana Weekend
