The 2022 edition of World Day for the African and Afrodescendant Culture has been held in Accra under theme: African and Afrodescendant Culture for Peace and Sustainable Development.
A colloquium was held at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Conference Centre to discuss the integration of African history and culture into school curriculums with presentations by Dr. Violet Makuku of the Association of African Universities (AAU), Yao Ydo, Director, International Bureau for Education, UNESCO/IBE, Dr. Aurora Vergara among others.
The program was intended to stimulate intellectual discourse around critical themes common to Africa and people of African descent, such as the Incorporation of African History and Culture in Education/Curricula, and in the Creative and Cultural Industries, and Reconciliation.
Each year, World Day for the African and Afro-descendant Culture is celebrated on the 24th of January in recognition of the many vibrant cultures of the African continent and African Diaspora around the world.
The event also promotes these cultures as an effective lever for sustainable development, dialogue, and peace. Promoting the African and Afro-descendant cultures, as rich sources of the world’s shared heritage, is crucial for the development of the continent, and for humanity as a whole.
UNESCO adopted the 24th of January as the World Day for the African and Afro-descendant Culture at the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2019.
The date coincides with the adoption of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance in 2006 by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
The day is meant to promote the widest possible ratification and implementation of the Charter by the African States, thereby strengthening the role of culture in promoting peace on the continent.
This year’s celebrations was spearheaded by the African Network of Cultural Promoters and Entrepreneurs (RAPEC), the government of Ghana with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and its agencies, the Associations of African Universities (AAU) with support from UNESCO.
