The University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, with support from the Okaikwei North Municipal Assembly, Friday launched the Bridging Histories in Accra, an initiative aimed at connecting people with their past, encourage the learning of history, and foster positive change in society.
It would serve as a platform to address contested history, promote vanishing indigenous food recipes, enhance inclusivity, and above all, encourage community engagement in environment and sustainability.
The impact of the project in Ghana was to change attitudes towards mining practices such as galamsey – a canker that has destroyed most of the country’s water bodies and forests reserves.
Dr Joana Burch-Brown, the Founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bridging Histories, during her speech before the official launch in Ghana, said the project, apart from providing opportunities for Ghanaians to connect more with their history through food and learning, would also build capacities of beneficiaries to become change agents in the area of environmental sustainability.
“Our project will focus more on enforcing change on issues such as how gold is mined by artisans in Ghana and its impact on the country’s environment,” she noted.
Madam Theresa Lardi Awuni, the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North Constituency, backed the project as a positive move to uphold and preserve Ghanaian cultural values.
The project’s focus to enhance environmental sustainability in Ghana, according to the lawmaker, would promote critical thinking and cultivate a culture of shared responsibilities, which is much needed for the country’s development.
Christian Tetteh Badger, the Municipal Chief Executive of Okaikwei North, said he looked forward to the programme being used as a tool to attract the youth in his municipality to connect and be deeply rooted in the country’s positive cultural heritage, which can in turn be used as a catalyst to drive national development.
Bridging Histories was a learning project, which originated from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, in 2021, in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement in America and the toppling of the Colston Statue and its related event in Bristol.
The primary goal of the initiative, worldwide, is to connect people, engage them with history, and foster positive change for the future, particularly in addressing historical injustices, promoting social justice and sustainability programmes.
Source: GNA
