National Theatre Unveils African Cinderella

The National Theatre of Ghana in collaboration with a Swedish Riksteatern Production Team has unveiled the African Cinderella Project Logo to begin theatre series of the old Cinderella Folktale constructed on the continent's perspective in the country.

The folktale, which starts showing across the country from next year, tells a story of a widower and his young daughter, who decides to re-marry a lady with two daughters of her own and how the new step-mother and the step-sisters ridicule and belittle their new younger sister.

It originated from Egypt and later received popularity in Europe and the National Theatre hopes to use the production to emphasize that children have rights and responsibilities. The folktale also stresses the need for families to support girls to acquire good education.

Currently, characters in the play are undergoing training to produce a masterpiece that would convey the story perfectly and drum home its message. Unveiling the logo in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Alex Asum-Ahensah, Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, called on the producers to give story of Cinderella a Ghanaian cultural twist to enable the people appreciate it better.

He described the theatre series as a laudable project and promised to make resources available to ensure that its objectives were realised.

Mr. Asum-Ahensah commended the producers of the series as well as the Swedish Government for the support that would further strengthen relations between the two countries.

Mr. Roland Modey, Chief Director, Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, called for responsible parenting to ensure that children had the best care and support from parents. Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, a Deputy Executive Director at the National Theatre of Ghana, wrote this new African version of the folktale.

Source: GBC