Ambassador Madam Elizabeth Nicol of Ghana hosted aGhana Day celebration at the African Arts Museum of Yeongwol (AAMY) in Gangwon Provinceon July 25, 2015. It was attended by many ambassadors, Korean civic figures andlocal government officials as well as citizens of the Yeongwol County inGangwon Province.
Following an opening speech by Director-CuratorCho Myung-haeng of the Museum (former Korean ambassador to Nigeria), a congratulatoryspeech was made by Ambassador Nicol and nice remarks by Mayor Park Sun-kyu ofthe Yeongwol County.
In a welcome speech to the guests, AmbassadorNicol said, “What you will find at this Ghana Day exhibition is by no meansexhaustive of Ghanaian arts and culture but rather a small window into theGhanaian cultural sphere. It is our hope that this exhibition will awaken thecuriosity in many of us here to explore more into the arts and culture of theGhanaian people.” (See further details at the end of this Article.)
The guests were treated to a Ghanaian luncheon atthe garden under a number of tents pitched just in case it should rain (but itdidn’t).
Six buses full of guests from Seoul came toYeongwol that day from Seoul (Crown Hotel), mostly friends of the Ghana Embassyand Director-Curator Cho of the Museum.
At the Main Hall of the Museum was an artificialpalm dates tree which had the remarks of Director Cho, which read: “SharingLove Dates Tree: For the North African people, dates have a deeper meaning thanjust ‘food.’ For them, dates are the fruits for sharing love with their familymembers and friends. With KOICA, let’s dream of a better future for the worlds’developing countries that can share in the abundant fruits of prosperity and harmony.”
The Museum had many unique traditional handicraftitems of different countries of Africa, which attracted the attention of manyguests.
Excerps from the welcome speech by AmbassadorNicol:
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you allto this “Ghana Day” exhibition co-organised by the African Arts Museum ofYeongwol and the Embassy of Ghana in Seoul.
I wish to express my profound gratitude toAmbassador Cho and the African Arts Museum of Yeongwol for their generoussupport and assistance in granting us the opportunity to use their wonderfulfacility for this exhibition and for their continued efforts aimed at promotingAfrican Art and Culture Korea.
Let me also offer our sincere gratitude to theMayor of Yeongwol, Mr. Park Sun Kyu for the warm welcome he has extended to theEmbassy and all the dignitaries and invited guests to this exhibition. Thankyou very much Mr. Park Sun Kyu.
Cultural exchanges are very significant part ofthe cooperation between countries given their unique role in enhancing mutualunderstanding, trust and friendship between peoples.
After the opening ceremony, the exhibition willcontinue for a month and it is my wish that you find time to visit again withmore of your family and friends to explore the many items on display at yourown leisure.
What you will find at this Ghana Day exhibition isby no means exhaustive of Ghanaian arts and culture but rather a small windowinto the Ghanaian cultural sphere. It is our hope that this exhibition willawaken the curiosity in many of us here to explore more into the arts andculture of the Ghanaian people.
May I, once again extend our warm welcome to youall for being part of this Ghana Day event and I hope that you enjoy theexhibition.
Following an opening speech by Director-Curator Cho Myung-haeng of the Museum (former Korean ambassador to Nigeria), a congratulatory speech was made by Ambassador Nicol and nice remarks by Mayor Park Sun-kyu of the Yeongwol County.
The guests were treated to a Ghanaian luncheon at the garden under a number of tents pitched just in case it should rain (but it didn’t).
Six buses full of guests from Seoul came to Yeongwol that day from Seoul (Crown Hotel), mostly friends of the Ghana Embassy and Director-Curator Cho of the Museum.
At the Main Hall of the Museum was an artificial palm dates tree which had the remarks of Director Cho, which read: “ Sharing Love Dates Tree: For the North African people, dates have a deeper meaning than just ‘food.’ For them, dates are the fruits for sharing love with their family members and friends. With KOICA, let’s dream of a better future for the worlds’ developing countries that can share in the abundant fruits of prosperity and harmony.”
The Museum had many unique traditional handicraft items of different countries of Africa, which attracted the attention of many guests.
