The people of the Upper West Region are gearing up for the 2024 edition of the Woori Festival, an annual event that celebrates the rich heritage of Ghanaian weaving and textiles industry.
The Nubuke Foundation Centre for Textiles and Clay organises the annual celebration to help boost the weaving and textile sector in the region.
This year’s festival is on the theme: ‘Weaving a Sustainable Future for the Next Generation,’ with a focus on the transmission of cultural heritage and the promotion of sustainable artistic practices to safeguard the future.
A statement signed by Madam Odile Tevie, the Director of the 2024 Woori Festival, and copied the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa observed that this year’s Woori festival would be a celebration of culture, creativity, and community activism, and showcase the best of Ghanaian weaving traditions and textile designs.
‘The festival will feature a range of activities, including educational workshops, an art exhibition, live demonstrations, performances, film screeni
ngs, music, and a fashion show,’ the statement said.
The festival is scheduled for 1st to 3rd March 2024 while the exhibition would continue until 30th June 2014.
It would take place at the premises of the Nubuke Foundation Centre for Textiles and Clay at Loho near Wa and was designed to be both informative and attractive, appealing to a wide audience including artists, art enthusiasts, and families among others.
The statement said the festival would involve workshops and interactive sessions led by master weavers from the Nadowli Women’s Weaving Association, the Tieta Weavers Association in Nandom, the Wa Methodist School for the Mind, and the Wa School for the Deaf.
It would focus on traditional and contemporary weaving techniques, sustainable practices, and innovative textile design.
According to the statement, seasoned weavers including Sharllot Awe, Winifred Naah, Rosemary Kavening, Talata Tutiga, Anna Dakurah, and master weavers from the weaving associations in the Upper West Region would grace thi
s year’s Woori Festival.
The statement added that there would also spectacular live demonstrations of artisans at work, ‘from spinning and dyeing to the delicate process of loom weaving, providing a firsthand experience of the skill and experience involved in Ghanaian textile creation.’
‘Special activities, live demonstrations, and interactive sessions designed for children and young adults will be incorporated into this year’s Woori Festival to ensure youth participation and engagement,’ it added.
The statement said other textile-related artworks by contemporary Ghanaian artists and emerging talents would also be on exhibition during the festival.
They included sculptures, paintings, digital illustrations, and multimedia installations by contemporary artists such as Isaac Opoku, Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, Senyati Koakh, Amelia Cherbu, and Edmund Anyebuno.
There would also be panel discussions and thought-provoking conversations involving artists, cultural historians, fashion designers, and environmentalists
on the role of weaving in Ghana’s cultural identity and its potential for sustainable development.
The Foundation said in the statement that the Woori Festival would also be characterised by a series of cultural performances, music, dance, film screenings, and spoken words poetry celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Upper West Region and Ghana as a whole.
‘Woori Festival 2024 is more than just a celebration of Ghanaian art and culture, it is a platform for dialogue, learning, and inspiration.
The festival provides a unique opportunity to engage with the rich weaving traditions of Ghana, to appreciate their historical significance, and to explore their contemporary relevance,’ the statement indicated.
‘This year, we are particularly excited about the inclusion of children and young adults in our programme.
Our goal is to inspire the next generation of artists and weavers ensuring that the rich traditions of Ghanaian weaving continue to thrive,’ said Madam Tevie.
The Foundation expressed gratitud
e to its partners and sponsors including the chiefs of Wa and Loho, the Centre for National Culture, Young Female influencers, PEPS-C, the University of Applied Arts (Vienna), Dr Hilla Limann Technical University among others for their invaluable support in making the 2024 Woori Festival a reality.
Source: Ghana News Agency