A group of women artists have visited a site opposite the airport city in Accra as part of a familiarization tour of a proposed recreational art park to help make the city of Accra more eco- friendly, refreshing and beautiful.
At a debriefing meeting with the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Dr. Alfred Oko Vanerpuije to update him on the status of the Women’s Memory Lane Park,? he reiterated the need to? take climate change seriously and? adopt practical, individual and collective ways that will make Accra greener.? He added that the responsibility to keep the city free of pollution is not only that of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly but also, a responsibility of every citizen of Ghana.
The project, a “Women’s Memory Lane Park” , is initiated by the Foundation for Female Photojournalists (FFP), Women’s Art Institute Africa (wAi Africa) and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
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The “Women’s Memory Lane Park” is expected to keep the memory of women achievers who have contributed and distinguished themselves in the development of Ghana, thereby encouraging other women to reach similar heights. This will be done through the exhibition of photographs,? display of sculpture pieces and other creative expressions. The park will also offer access to reference materials for researchers.
Designed to be a natural cozy environment in the urban maze of the airport city vicinity in Accra, the park will be the only space within the airport vicinity to utilize natural materials in creating a much needed recreational space for the people of Accra and visitors alike.
It is hoped that time spent in this park will leave one feeling refreshed and reconnected with nature the source of life.
In her introductory remarks, Ms. Mardey Ohui Ofoe, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Female Photojournalists(FFP) said in West Africa and especially Ghana, one can hardly see visual materials that have chronicled the great heights of achievement and the outstanding contributions women have made to the development of Africa.
Although one can find some materials on women achievers in history, anthropology and ethnographic books, they are not meant to celebrate their womanhood and achievement, she added.
While on the tour, Madam Selasi, Sosu a Sculptor and member of the Women’s Art Institute Africa (wAi Africa), commended the partnership building efforts of the initiating organizations in mobilizing the needed resources to make the project a pride of Accra. While thanking the African Women’s Development Fund for their initial support, she called on the extractive industry and the banking sector ?to invest in eco-friendly projects to make Accra an environmentally sustainable city.
She expressed her profound gratitude to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly for providing the space for such a project indicating that it epitomizes the mayor’s commitment to make Accra a millennium city.
Ssource:?Foundation for Female Photojournalists(FFP)
