Former Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku-Mantey, has cautioned the government against investing in museums dedicated to deceased cultural icons, arguing that such actions could create unnecessary controversies.
Speaking on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz with Kwame Dadzie, Okraku-Mantey said that while preserving the legacies of Ghanaian celebrities is important, direct government involvement in building museums for individuals could spark public backlash.
“Government should not even show interest in any museum of any celebrity. Yes, let me tell you why. I’ve been there, done that. Knowing my people, they will come and say ‘they did it for Lumba but they didn’t do it for Dada KD’. A government can become unpopular out of this. By just taking a step to do it for one person and not doing for the other person, it can bring problems. So government can create the enabling environment like the land we offered,” he said.
He suggested that government’s role should be to provide the enabling environment for private sector and community-driven investments, rather than fully funding such projects.
To illustrate his point, Okraku-Mantey referenced the ongoing efforts by Kwahu traditional leaders to establish a museum in honour of the late ‘King of Highlife’, Nana Kwame Ampadu, in his hometown.
“So for government to be safe, not to worry you for your votes, just play safe, create the enabling environment so that the private sector people come on board. They are the ones who can maintain these infrastructure. The government infrastructure itself is struggling,” he added.
Okraku-Mantey made these remarks during a discussion on how to preserve the legacies of Ghanaian creatives.
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