The National House of Chiefs has been challenged to assert itself in protecting the country’s cultural heritage by forestalling any act or omission that will erode the traditions of the nation. Development Planner, Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo has observed that the ritual of Libation Pouring, which characterizes most State functions, was removed from the protocol events at the parade to commemorate Ghana’s 54th independence anniversary. According to him, the non-pouring of libation which he describes as deliberate is an assault on the fountain upon which the chieftaincy institution is built. Mr. Azongo who is a consultant to the National House of Chiefs, has called on the House condemn the spectacle witnessed and assert itself on cultural matters in the country. He said, “the National House of Chiefs must mourn the cultural death of the 54th independence anniversary given the Pan-African and black pride tone setting upon which Ghana’s independence was brokered”, adding that “the sordid state is an affront to our identity as Ghanaians, Africans and our position as the touchstone of the black pride symbolized by the black star”. According to the Development Planner, cultural imperatives have wider implications in the ability of a people to assert themselves intellectually and to develop economically. “This emotional menace of libation pouring has peaked the African self-contempt and the sacrifice of the African identity on the identity of imported worlds” Mr. Azongo regretted. He said the current move reflects the cultural manifestations of colonialism, “a colonial intellectual canker eating deeply into the fabric of our mentality as a people”. Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/Ghana