National Coordinator for the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, is calling on Ghanaians to embrace traditional attire every Friday as a way of promoting and preserving Ghanaian culture.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, October 21, he declared himself an “ambassador for Ghanaian culture and tradition” and encouraged others to join in championing the country’s heritage through visible and consistent expressions of cultural identity.
“I have made myself an ambassador for our Ghanaian culture and tradition, and I think that all of us, if we can do it one way or the other, it will help,” he said.
He revealed that he had recently spoken with the Minister of Culture and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Development Company, Kobby Mensah, to propose a simple but powerful initiative: encouraging all civil and public servants to wear traditional outfits every Friday.
“Last week, I was talking to the Minister of Culture and also talked to Kobby Mensah, and I told them — why don’t we go back to every Friday — every woman, public service, civil service, government, everybody — all the women in kaba, all the men in traditional attire?” he said.
Drawing inspiration from other West African countries, Mr. Vanderpuye noted that similar practices are already part of everyday life in nations like Senegal and The Gambia.
“If you go to Senegal, you go to Gambia, that is what they do. So it is important that we look at it,” he added.
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