Political tension to blame for low turnout - exhibitors

Exhibitors at this year’s annual arts and craft exhibition/bazaar in Kumasi have attributed the low patronage of their wares to the political tension in the country which many of them believe is the reason for which their foreign patrons have decided to stayed away from this year’s event.

Majority of the about 55 exhibitors who have mounted various stands to display unique kinds of artifacts ranging from hand curved drums, rattan and bamboo furniture, Ghanaian traditional wares among others at the Kumasi Cultural Centre say sales recorded since the start of the exhibition has not been encouraging.

Ironically, the few locals who occasionally troop to the exhibition grounds in the absence of the major patrons hardly make any effort to purchase any of the artifacts or wares on sale thus compounding the plight of the exhibitors.

A female exhibitor in an interview, disclosed that after paying GH₵ 150.00 to the event organizers to get a shelter, and some extra cost incurred to set up her stand, what she has sold so far, being the in the third week, is not even close to all the expenses made.

She lamented that ‘the white people are not coming because they fear,’ and also pointed to low publicity of the event to the local people as also a major factor for the kind of sales they were making.

The annual arts and craft exhibition/bazaar is organized under the auspices of the Centre for National Culture and is said to have been taken place in the country for the past fifteen years. It is said to be among other things aimed at providing a common platform for those in the craft and arts making industry to market their wares to the thousands of foreigners and indigenous Ghanaians who visit the Kumasi Cultural Centre for various reasons annually.

‘It is held usually around June to August,’ known to be a summer holidays for their foreign patrons, Europeans, who trip to the country to engage in all forms of voluntary work. This year’s event was organized under the theme ‘Promoting our culture through arts and craft for a better livelihood.’

Since the inception of the event about a decade and a half ago, it has always enjoyed high patronage, according to an official of the Centre for National Culture  Mr. Kofi Asare Asianowa, who also happens to be the Exhibition Coordinator.

‘Last year we had a lot of visitors coming into the country, largely as a result of the death of the late former president,  even though things did not go as expected, sales realised was encouraging as compared to how things are this year.’

He however attributed the cause of the low patronage of the event to the lack appreciation for things which symbolizes the rich Ghanaian culture.’ He bemoaned ‘the lack understanding, and desire over time for things that holds us together as Ghanaians and that an African.’

Despite this, he also conceded that the political uncertainty in the country at the moment could be one of the core reasons for the absence of the foreigners who yearly visit the country around this period to be part of the event.