Arts Centre – Adomonline.com https://www.adomonline.com Your comprehensive news portal Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:12:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://www.adomonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-Adomonline140-32x32.png Arts Centre – Adomonline.com https://www.adomonline.com 32 32 I wish the Ga Mantse would stop Arts Centre demolition – Nii Ayi Solomon https://www.adomonline.com/i-wish-the-ga-mantse-would-stop-arts-centre-demolition-nii-ayi-solomon/ Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:12:53 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=2515423

Ghanaian playwright and tour guide Nii Ayi Solomon has joined calls to preserve the Centre for National Culture (Arts Centre) in Accra, opposing the government’s plan to demolish the performance centre to make way for the Marine Drive Project.

Earlier reports indicated that the art market at the centre would also be relocated to Kawudi in Accra due to the construction.

Speaking to Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Nii Ayi Solomon emphasized the centre’s historical significance and urged Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to intervene in preserving it.

“I wish that the Ga Mantse can stop them from destroying the Arts Centre. I cannot fathom the fact that Kwame Nkrumah had this vision—every region has its cultural centre. You can’t tell me that you are going to do a project in Kumasi, so you are breaking down the Kumasi Cultural Centre,” he said.

He questioned the rationale behind the demolition, arguing that the centre was built by Nkrumah to promote arts and culture in Accra.

“You are destroying it, and going to build what for the people?” he asked.

Nii Ayi Solomon also urged the contractors of the Marine Drive Project to find an alternative way to execute their plans without affecting the Arts Centre, instead of replacing it with an event venue within the new project.

“The Cultural Centre has its own uniqueness. The moment you break it down, you have destroyed everything,” he added.

In 2021, when news of the demolition first surfaced, other creative artists, including playwright and poet Oswald Okaitei, also opposed the move.

The Arts Centre sits on a 241-acre beachfront earmarked for the Marine Drive Tourism Investment Project. Initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the redevelopment aims to transform Accra’s waterfront into a world-class tourism enclave with essential infrastructure for the cultural and creative industries.

The Marine Drive Project is expected to be completed in 2027.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that work on the project will soon resume after a period of stagnation.

]]> 300 shops closed at Arts Centre over poor patronage amid Covid-19 https://www.adomonline.com/300-shops-closed-at-arts-centre-over-poor-patronage-amid-covid-19/ Fri, 14 Aug 2020 11:00:07 +0000 https://www.adomonline.com/?p=1840885 About 300 artifact shops at the Arts Centre in Accra have shut down due to Covid-19, Mr. Ayingura Sunday, Secretary of the Greater Accra Arts and Crafts Dealers Association has told the Ghana News Agency.     

He said the closure had become necessary because of poor patronage arising out of the impact of COVID-19.   

Mr Sunday said since the closure of the country’s borders to stem the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, only 50 shops out of 350 were functional.   

He said the few shops operating were also making less than 10 percent sales on the average.

Mr. Gariba Kassim, Vice Chairman of the Association said because their business was dependent on the movement of expatriates and tourists, the border closure had caused the collapse of many enterprises.

 “Our business is very peculiar, it’s not like other businesses,…if the airports and borders are not opened it’s like we have also closed our market”, he stated.

Mr. Kassim, therefore, appealed to Government to open the borders “gradually” with Covid-19 safety measures in place to revive the industry and the local economy.

He said members of the Association had applied for Government’s stimulus package through the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and waiting excitedly for a positive response.

Mr. Kassim said the package would enable them to rebrand, refurbish and upgrade their products to enhance patronage when the borders were opened.

Nii Ardey Ankrah, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Centre for National Culture Accra, said business in the enclave had taken a massive decline due to Covid-19.

He said the ”Year of Return” held last year gave the Arts Centre publicity and boomed sales but the narrative changed this year due to the pandemic.    

Nii Ankrah said though there had been easing of restrictions, patronage of arts and crafts and the Centre had not improved and called for support from all stakeholders.

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