Annual Programme and Activities

Performing arts

Paappoe Thompson Choral Festival

In 1987, the Greater Accra Centre for National Culture brought together choirs from various industries, churches and workplaces to perform in a choral competition to usher in celebrations of Ghana’s Independence Anniversary. This sing-song competition marked the birth of the Paappoe Thompson Choral Competition, named after MR EMMANUEL PAAPPOETHOMPSON an illustrious son and accomplished composer of the Greater Accra Region. It has since been organized annually. The Paappoe Thompson Choral Competition aims at fostering unity and harmony among workers in Greater Accra Region. Though most of the songs for the festival are from Paappoe Thompson’s repertoire, choir are given the option to pick one song of their choice from any other Ghanaian composer. Once in a while, the festival is hosted as a competition to raise the standard of performances by the groups and to create a spirit of healthy rivalry amongst the groups, thus adding to the general excitement of the occasion.

Sankofa Drama Competition

This is a senior high school drama competition with the aim to revive and enhance stage drama. Schools are made to perform African play written by an African playwright.

Kpatashie

Centre for National Culture, Accra in collaboration with Accra Markets Association, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts organizes a cooking comprtition called “Kpatashie” (GA word for Kitchen).

Saturday Arts Skuul

On the long vacation period of the Ghanaian school calendar, every Saturday fortnightly, children come to the Centre for National Culture and are taken through arts forms, such as drama, poetry, singing, choreography, traditional dance, etc. This is to sow seed of the arts into the young ones, so they grow with it.

“Baajo Hour”

“Baajo Hour” (Come and Dance) comes off at the car park of the Centre for National Culture. Where there’s a cultural performance by a Cultural Group. They perform various dances from different regions from Ghana. The aim is to promote cultural dances and to entertain visitors who come tothe Centre for National Culture, foreigners and locals alike. It runs for an hour and half and it attracts a lot of people.

“Adesa Village”

This is a storytelling competition for Primary and Junior High School students. It is to revive and bring back the fading art of storytelling and to tap into rich elements of storytelling like folksongs, riddle, and proverbs etc. The schools will bring their own stories to be performed. This program in itself, would further tell the story of the Centre for National Culture of promoting, developing and preserving our Arts and Culture.

VISUAL ARTS PROGRAMME & ACTIVITIES

ART EXPOSITION

This is a practical demonstration of art, especially of the production of the various visual artworks. Participating audience through this programme would be taken through the conceptualization and furnishing of basic visual artworks that are usually patronized. They would also have the opportunity of trying their hands on some of the artworks and having a feel of how the artists go about their work. Selected visual Art areas to be demonstrated include;

  1. Drawing and painting
  2. Kente weaving
  3. Pottery and ceramics

SYMPOSIUM FOR ARTISTS

This is a meeting / workshop for artists whereby experts in the industry (i.e Visual Arts related) would have discussions on a particular subject relating to the field of practice of all forms of the visual art areas. The objective is to equip visual artists with the basic skills in personal and professional profile development to meet the standards of other professions. This would also help artists to rebrand themselves and their concepts in a way that enhances advertisement and marketing.

ANNUAL ART LECTURE

This is an annual lecture purposely instituted to create a platform for the intellectual discourse of issues and developments within contemporary arts, whilst setting agenda for public discussion on the challenges that confronts the industry.

The lecture is also aimed at bringing together government, academia, artists, students, key players and stakeholders of Visual Arts to brainstorm and address issues that are of both national and global interest and concern to the development of the arts and artists.

MENTORSHIP FORUM FOR STUDENTS

This programme seeks to create a platform for exchanging ideas toward the development of the arts and also ensure a symbiotic relationship between students and professional artists. This programme will also help students to attain a clearer understanding of their choice to study arts and the prospects in making it an equally prestigious profession. The mentorship forum will also create the opportunity for students to understand and learn the practice and experiences of Visual Arts from the practitioners.

ARTISTS PROFILE

This is a Monthly Exhibition designed for practicing artists to exhibit their works at the Exhibition Hall of the Centre. The main objective of this is to promote individual artists and by extension the Centre for National Culture (CNC – Accra) in the areas of art and craft. Through this programme, opportunity is created for patrons / clients to explore the Concept, Style and Technique of individual artists as shown by their works that would be exhibited.

MARKETING AND SALES SEMINAR

This seminar seeks to equip visual artists with the basic skills in marketing and strategies to improve upon their sales. Through this seminar, artists would understand the need to brand themselves and their concepts in a way that enhances effective advertisement.
As part of seminars that would be held, issues relating to contracts and agreements as well as the new media would be addressed appropriately to equip artists in areas pertaining to the sales, marketing contract and other impact that would be posed by external factors.

ABILITY IN DISABILITY (CHARITY SHOW)

This program is considered as a corporate social responsibility of the department and the Centre as a whole that seeks to engage disabled person as well as socially disadvantaged persons as well as orphanages through the Visual Arts disciplines. This will also help to unearth the talents and skills by these people.