Wakefield Ackuaku, Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, has underscored the role culture can play in protecting the environment.

He has intimated that Ghana’s recurring floods are largely the result of a departure from the country’s cultural values.

During a discussion on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, he told host Kwame Dadzie that the disregard for Ghana’s cultural values is one of the reasons behind disasters such as perennial flooding.

“If we are able to look at the flooding situation through the lens of culture, we won’t encounter this phenomenon,” he said.

He explained that much of the flooding in Ghana is the result of recklessness and indiscipline on the part of citizens, particularly in the way people treat the environment.

According to him, in the past, people did not dare litter the environment or dump refuse into water bodies because cultural values and traditional authorities encouraged responsible behaviour.

“Way back in school we learnt about conflict between man and nature. Man never won. Whenever man confronts nature, man never wins. You will be successful largely for some time but eventually nature will catch up with you,” he said.

Wakefield suggested that Ghanaians should return to the values that characterised village life, where community members adhered strictly to rules and directives from their leaders with respect to sanitation. 

His comments are in line with the government’s newly launched Ghana Cultural Policy, which recognises the intrinsic link between culture and the environment. 

The policy notes that Ghana’s cultural beliefs, practices and traditional knowledge have always been shaped by the natural environment and emphasises the need to preserve the country’s natural heritage for future generations.

The policy also highlights the importance of empowering communities to play a leading role in environmental conservation through their cultural values and institutions, promoting sustainable development and eco-friendly practices, and fostering respect for ecosystems while protecting livelihoods and cultural heritage.