On Thursday 16^th February 2012, the African Women’s Development Fund, (AWDF) formally introduced Nneka Egbuna, internationally acclaimed musician and activist, as AWDF’s Ambassador for the Arts during a short ceremony at AWDF House in Accra, Ghana. Speakers at the event included renowned feminist writer and professor, Ama Ata Aidoo and Kinna Likimani of the organisation, Mbaasem (Women’s Affairs). In attendance were representatives of women’s rights organisations including Mawuse Awity of the Network for Women in Growth (NEWIG), Adwoa Bame of Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE), and Lucy Mensah of Women United Against Aids in Ghana (WUAGG). The event also attracted a number of African women artists including Sherifa Gunu, Yasmeen Helwani-Nsiah and Pauline Oduro.

 

Speaking during the ceremony, Theo Sowa, AWDF’s Interim CEO explained why AWDF’s new strategic plan included ‘Arts, Culture and Sports’ as a new grant making thematic area, “Art can touch the souls as well as the minds of countless people, inspiring passion, anger, joy and other emotions that can catalyse action in ways that court cases and academic lectures and even protest marches may never achieve… Arts – traditional or modern – are integral to our cultural lives… and changes in social, economic and political arenas will never truly take root without parallel changes in our cultural norms, beliefs and practices…we can and must leverage the transformational power of the arts if we are to achieve and to accelerate real social change.”

 

Speaking on her role as AWDF’s Ambassador for the Arts, Nneka stated, “Being AWDF’s Ambassador for the Arts is another way for me to get my message out. Being AWDF’s Ambassador compliments my music. This is also a way of sharing my music and raising awareness of issues affecting women. My music raises awareness about critical social issues, which are the same issues that AWDF works on.”

 

 

ENDS

Press Enquiries

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah (AWDF Programme Officer for Communications)

Tel: +233 302 521 257 (Ghana)

Email: nana@africlub.net/awdf

Website: www.africlub.net/awdf