Board members of the Ghana Cultural Fund (GCF) last week approved a total of GH¢75,519.80 for various projects following a fourth call for applications by the Institute for Music and Development, administrators of the fund. This followed recommendations by a Peer Review Committee made up of experts from various fields of endeavour that vetted the over 50 applications from individuals, groups and institutions throughout the country. The six successful applicants are the Sirigu Women’s Organisation for Pottery and Art; renowned author/poet Ama Ata Aidoo; archaeologist/historian Prof. Henry Nii Adziri Wellington; Music Department, School of Performing Arts University of Ghana, Legon; playwright/broadcaster Mawunyelorlor Kwame Senyo and the neo-traditional music group Hewale Sounds. Projects to be undertaken include the acquisition of traditional drums and xylophones for the Music Department of the University of Ghana, the enhancement of the repertoire/performing benchmarks of Hewale Sounds, writing and publishing of a science fiction and reviving the promotion of the art of story telling in Ghana. Others are the preservation/promotion of the unique culture of wall painting as well as upgrading the traditional architecture of Sirigu, a village in the Upper East region and preparation of a manuscript and publication of a book on the archaeological history and genealogical profiles of some identified families with Danish ancestry in Danish Osu, Accra. Members of the Peer Review Committee that vetted the applications are Dr. K. Adu Boahen, Department of Literature and History, University of Cape Coast; Dr. Isaac R. Amuah, Music Department, University of Cape Coast; Dr. Esi Sutherland Addy, Senior Research fellow, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, Others are Kofi Nyantakyi, Director of Operations, TV3/GAMA Films; Odile Agyare, Director/Founding member of Nubueke Foundation and Godwin Kotey, lecturer/film producer, Theatre Arts Department, School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon. So far the GCF has released a total of GH¢301,815.23 since its inception in 2007 for a number of projects in several parts of the country including Sirigu, Bolgatanga (Upper East region), Tamale (Northern region), Dodowa, Amasaman, James Town (Greater Accra region), Hohoe, Kpando (Volta region) and Kumasi (Ashanti region). Members of the GCF board are Prof. Irene Odotei, Director, Historical Society of Ghana; Mrs. Frances Ademola, Director, The Loom Gallery; Prof. John Collins, former head of Music Department, University of Ghana, Legon; Seth Dei, businessman and largest art collector in Ghana; Mrs. Lilian Bruce-Lyle, Chief Director, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture; and H.E. Stig Barlyng, Danish Ambassador to Ghana. The GCF is governed by a framework of the Royal Danish Embassy in Ghana and the Danish Centre for Culture and Development in Denmark. It has a total budget of GH¢5.65 million and is scheduled to run till the end of 2009. Objectives of the fund include the strengthening of inter cultural relations, mutual understanding and promotion of democratic values among the people of Ghana through intercultural expressions and interactions. It is also to foster Ghanaian/Danish collaborations through the contemporary arts and the preservation of our shared cultural heritage. Source: Daily Guide