Visit refurbished Museum, heritage sites in Accra to appreciate history – Accra Mayor to Ghanaians

The Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, has entreated city dwellers to take time off their schedule to visit the newly refurbished gallery of the National Museum in Accra and other heritage sites to appreciate the memories and proof of the Ghanaian culture and civilization.

According to her, the Museum hosts histories and stories that depict who we are as Ghanaians and Africans hence the need to visit such facilities to learn about our history.

The first female Mayor of the City of Accra said this on Friday on the backdrop of the opening of the refurbished gallery of the National Museum in Accra by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The Museum, which was opened in 1957, was closed to the public in 2015 to make way for the refurbishment.

The refurbishment includes structural refurbishments, improvements in the outlook of the galleries, and the expansion of the collections in some of the museums, including the acquisition of seven vintage cars used by former Presidents of the country.

The Mayor said these facilities serve as collection points for the nation's artefacts, history, behaviours, and way of life and urged Ghanaians to develop the culture of visiting the museums regularly to appreciate the rich culture and history behind the county.

Mayor Sackey also cited the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Ussher and James Forts, Bible House, as well as Franklin House, Brazil House, and former slave masters' house as key components of the cultural and historic aesthetics of the City of Accra and encouraged citizens and foreigners to visit and experience its rich heritage.

She also announced plans to establish a Hall of Fame in Accra to recognize indigenes who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavour to encourage the youth to aim high.

The Mayor of Accra also expressed her commitment to safeguarding the heritage and tourist sites in the city to preserve the culture of the people of Accra.

Mayor Sackey also used the opportunity to call on Ghanaians and people from the diaspora to visit Accra and witness the rich culture of the Ga people and reiterated that the Homowo festival was not fetish as presumed by most people but was biblical.

She narrated that there was a period of great famine during the migration of the Ga people from Egypt to present Ghana, and the priest at the time fasted and prayed to God, after which they were provided with two corns, some millets, and water.

She explained that after successfully following God's instructions, there were rains that brought bountiful yields; thus, the people decided to celebrate this to honour God and hoot at hunger, adding that during the fasting period, there was a total ban on drumming and noise-making.

She described the Homowo festival as a season to give thanks to God for providing food and water in the wilderness during the migration period of the Gas from Egypt through Ethiopia to present-day Ghana, adding that the festival showcases the rich tradition, custom, and culture of the Ga people.