WorldRemit & Miss Ghana UK Bank On Art As The Future Of Ghana
Leading digital money transfer service, WorldRemit and the Miss Ghana UK
Foundation have announced the winner of the #MyFutureGH contest. They
will invest the Cedi 20,000 prize fund in Miss Edna Azumah Aninga’s
proposal to use art to curb societal problems.
Edna, from Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana was announced as the winner at the Silver Jubilee Miss Ghana UK awards night in London on Saturday night.
Edna’s entry was selected from more than 120 entries, where women across Ghana (between the ages of 16 and 26) explained how they would use the money to fulfil their ambitions and inspire others in the process. Ideas ranged from photojournalism to farming and from music to the military, but almost a quarter of the entries planned to use Ghana’s artistic heritage in beading, art and design to build a better future.
Edna, from Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana was announced as the winner at the Silver Jubilee Miss Ghana UK awards night in London on Saturday night.
Edna’s entry was selected from more than 120 entries, where women across Ghana (between the ages of 16 and 26) explained how they would use the money to fulfil their ambitions and inspire others in the process. Ideas ranged from photojournalism to farming and from music to the military, but almost a quarter of the entries planned to use Ghana’s artistic heritage in beading, art and design to build a better future.
As Edna notes, “Art is the universal language which everyone
understands” and it was the opportunity to use Ghanaian art to reach
people around the world which particularly inspired the judges. Edna
proposes to build an online art market promoting her community in
Northern Ghana both as an art and a tourism centre.
She will train people in her local community in pottery and weaving to
enable them to use these skills to escape poverty whilst using her
background in journalism and the arts to tackle problems such as teenage
pregnancy, unsafe abortions unemployment and child labour.
The judging panel of representatives from the Ghana Union, The Ghanaian
High Commission in London, the Miss Ghana UK Foundation and WorldRemit
praised Edna’s entry for her creativity and her passion for helping her
community. They particularly commended the focus on spreading knowledge
for future generations and its sustainability as a business which could
grow and promote Ghana’s talent both within Ghana and abroad.
With the success of Ghanaian artists such as El Anatsui and Ibrahim
Mahama and the recent opening of Gallery 1957, people around the world
are looking to Ghana as hotspot for art and design. Edna’s proposal
offers the opportunity to leverage international interest in Ghanaian
art and design to help those most in need at home.
Martin Best, Head of Marketing at WorldRemit said: “Many of our
customers have left Ghana to seek new opportunities, but the money they
send back is creating new opportunities for people within Ghana today
and in the future.
What particularly struck us about this idea was its potential to promote
Ghana’s talent and cultural heritage in art internationally, whilst
creating opportunities within Ghana both today and long into the
future.”
Cilla Baafuor-Gyewu of the Miss Ghana UK Foundation notes “We were
overwhelmed by the quality of the entries and it is testament to the
wealth of talent amongst Ghanaian women and the immense potential
Ghana’s young women possess to inspire others and build a better
future.
The number of women who see art as a way to build a better future for
Ghana is a clear indication of the impact creative industries can have
on society and we look forward to helping Edna to fulfill this ambition.”
WorldRemit and Miss Ghana UK Foundation will be working with Edna over
the coming months to help her to make this vision a reality. Edna will
work with her mentors on the details of her proposal and on how the
money should be invested most effectively.
WorldRemit will be sharing updates on the progress of the initiative via the WorldRemit Facebook page
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