National Tymes News Desk
GHANA’S High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, H.E. Mrs. Zita Sabah Benson, has called for greater efforts to preserve the country’s historical heritage, saying Ghana’s past must remain accessible to future generations.
She said the nation’s history must be carefully preserved, studied and shared with the world to ensure that future generations understand the country’s journey and appreciate its cultural identity.
Mrs. Benson made the call at the closing ceremony of the three-week Kwame Nkrumah Film Archive Retrieval and Digitalization Training Programme held at Ghana’s High Commission in London.
“Our heritage is our memory, our memory is our identity and our identity is a legacy we must never allow to fade. It must be preserved and passed on to the next generation,” she stated.
She congratulated the participants on successfully completing the training and urged them to share their newly acquired knowledge with other professionals when they returned to Ghana.
“What you have learned here, when you get back, train the ones there so that we can pass it on. This is a real opportunity that we have,” she advised.
The High Commissioner explained that, just as Ghanaians travel abroad to visit historical sites and learn about the histories of other countries, Ghana must also preserve and present its own history for others to understand.
She said the country’s historical films could help tell the Ghanaian story, document its development and show the world how far the nation had come.
Mrs. Benson also expressed concern about attempts by some people to distort Ghana’s history and change the narrative of the country’s past. She stressed that preserving historical films was important because the materials provided evidence that could help correct inaccurate accounts and protect the nation’s historical record.
According to her, the preservation of these films would ensure that Ghana’s story was not lost, misrepresented or forgotten with time.
She urged the trainees to take their responsibilities seriously and apply the skills acquired during the training to help protect the country’s valuable historical materials.
Mrs. Benson wished the delegation a safe journey back to Ghana and success in the important work ahead.
At the ceremony, certificates of completion were presented to Mr. George Bosompim, Madam Aba and Mr. Julius Bayel.
The training programme forms part of efforts to retrieve, digitize and preserve Ghana’s historic films held at Iron Mountain in the United Kingdom.
The initiative is expected to help safeguard the country’s visual heritage and make it accessible to researchers, filmmakers, students and the general public for years to come.
Source: Nationaltymes.com
