CHIEFTAINCY & THE MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ARE STRANGE BED-FELLOWS!

Once again the Chieftaincy Institution has been relegated to a subservient role under the Ministry of Local Government. All over the world Culture plays a primordial role as a key governance institution.

The British promotes their culture through the British Council; the French through Alliance Française, the Germans through the Goëthe Institute and the Americans through the USIS. Unfortunately Ghana's Cultural Attachés have always been represented by technocrats from the Ministry of Trade!

This sad situation is the bane of Ghana's low profile in the international Cultural Arena. In Ghana and other African countries Culture accounts for almost 90 of the income generated by the Ministry of Tourism.

The tourism sector is about the 3rd highest foreign exchange earner for Ghana. When tourist come to Ghana, they come to see our festivals, our heritage sites; enjoy our music and dances and take away our beautiful artifacts and textiles as souvenirs.

However, from the post independence era till now, Chieftaincy has always been at logger heads local government over the management and control of local resources and traditional governance.

Pairing and rival institutions under the umbrella of the Ministry of Local Government certainly present some unavoidable challenges.

But like my grandpa always said, WE LIVE TO SEE!