<<Print>>

The Netherlands Embassy last Thursday held a cultural and creativity event to kick-start its Orange Week celebrations.

Dubbed ‘Holland & Ghana: Growing Together’,  the cultural event  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 artistes in disciplines such as music, art, dance, fashion and poetry.

In an interview, Cecilia Wijgers, 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 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 Wijgers added that “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 and 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.”

She pointed out that the embassy was focusing on the development of the youth entrepreneurs and was 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 to grow their business.

The embassy would also link them up with entrepreneurs in the Netherlands.

Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, 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 (KNUST).