The Netherlands Embassy on Thursday held a cultural and creativity event to kick-start its Orange Week celebrations.
Dubbed “Holland and Ghana: Growing together,” the cultural afternoon held at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands showcased the many fields in which Dutch and Ghanaian culture meet and merge into a creative mix.
The Night officially started with a great performance from the University of Ghana dance group and followed by performances from young artists in disciplines such as music, art, dance, fashion and poetry.
In an interview Ms Cecilia Wijgers, the Deputy Head of Mission, said the cultural event was held to help bridge the gap between the cultures of the two countries.
She said arts, culture and creativity are central and is a big thing in the relationship between the two countries, especially in cultivating the youth.
“This is the first time but we believe that arts and creativity are essential to our relationship if we bridge our cultures. Communication is key and creativity helps a lot to understand each other better either by the spoken word or dance,” Ms Wijgeks said.
She said there is a lot of creativity in Ghana and as in the Netherlands so the Embassy has been encouraging companies to find each other when it comes to design but also in the packaging of products.
There is also a lot going on between the two countries in the areas of dance and music and often artists find each other.
Ms Wijgers said the Embassy is focusing on the development of the youth entrepreneurs and is designing a mentorship programme that would take off next year to further develop the entrepreneurial skills among the youth, give advice and guidance to enable them grow their business.
The Embassy would also link them up with entrepreneurs in the Netherlands.
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, lauded the initiative and called for increased exchanges between the two countries to bridge the culture and creativity gap.
Aside the music and dance, an art gallery was set up with work on display from young artists like Ruffai, Isshaq, Yusuf and students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Source: GNA
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