Executive Director of the Ghana National Folklore Board, Mrs. Bernice Deh-Kumah says it is imperative to protect culture and heritage in Ghana.

She also assured of the Board's determination to preserve Ghana’s heritage through folklore.

She made the revelation at the 2022 World Folklore Day held at the National Theatre on Monday, August 22.

The day was held with a summit themed, ‘Igniting the interest of African youth in folklore for sustainable development’.

According to Mrs. Deh-Kumah, the National Folklore Board’s decision to hold the event on such a significant day aims at educating the youth while fostering plans to protect the culture and heritage of Ghana and Africa as a whole. The summit was graced by representatives from Namibia, Gambia and Togo, who share similar cultural heritage with Ghana.

“We intend to have our intangible cultural heritage come out with a national register, [and eventually onto a world register]… We want to see how best we can all collaborate to have our intangible cultural heritage listed on the world heritage register”, the Executive Director explained.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joy 99.7 FM (@joy997fm)

Mrs. Deh-Kumah further noted the dangers associated with neglecting the Board’s mandate.

“We will [eventually] lose our heritage, and we don’t want to lose it”, she insisted. While sharing the relevance of involving the youth in this year’s World Folklore celebration, she intimated that, “we cannot do it without the youth, because whatever we want to do, we have to pass it on to the youth so that they can take over from us”.

The summit, graced by the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku Mantey, was also attended by students from St. Aquinas Senior High School, Accra Girls Senior High School, Labone Senior High School, and the University of Ghana.