[ 2012-04-28 ]

International Jazz Day Festival Launched
This year's International Jazz Festival Day which
was instituted by UNESCO and scheduled to take
place on April 30 in Accra has been launched at a
colourful ceremony at the offices of the Musicians
Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).

This year's festival, launched by the president of
MUSIGA, Bice Osei Kuffour aka Obour, is under the
theme 'The Role of Jazz Music In Promoting
Cultural Diversity.

Activities planned for the celebration include
free MUSIGA registration of jazz musicians in
Ghana at the various MUSIGA offices throughout the
country, radio and TV discussions on jazz music, a
forum and workshop on jazz music and Jazz music
concerts in some selected venues in the country.

In a speech, president Obour stated that the
festival was being organized to break down
barriers and create opportunities for mutual
understanding and tolerance.

According to him, jazz music encouraged artistic
innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression
and inclusion of traditional music forms into new
ones, adding that it also stimulated intercultural
dialogue and empowered young people from
marginalized societies.

In November last year, during the UNESCO General
Conference, the international community proclaimed
April 30 as International Jazz Day. The day is
intended to raise awareness in the international
community of the virtues of jazz as an educational
tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and
enhanced cooperation among people.

Many governments, civil society, organizations,
educational institutions and private citizens
currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music
would embrace the opportunity to foster greater
appreciation not only for the music but also for
the contribution it can make to building more
inclusive societies.

Source - Daily Guide

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