Music significant vehicle for co-operation – US Ambassador to Ghana
Americans and Ghanaians can accomplished a lot in any area of interaction if they bring their well-developed talents to the table, Gene A. Cretz, United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Ghana has observed.
Ambassador Cretz made the observation after attending a live musical performance by the American group Matuto and Ghanaian musicians on the occasion of International Jazz Day in Accra.
“As we celebrate the world’s first recognition of International Jazz Day, I take time to marvel at the amazing bonds of humanity that are made through music and that reverberate in other places as well,” the envoy posted on his blog whose content was made available to the Ghana News Agency by the U.S. Embassy in Accra.
“Through shared trust and confidence developed through our gifts such as music, we solidify the knowledge that our cultures are inextricably linked and that we have much to offer each other”, Ambassador Cretz stated.
He said the lessons that come as a result of raw, honest exchange of talent are “inspirational moments” to be treasured, and expressed the hope that the same spirit could be applied to diplomacy, educational exchanges, and the conduct of business between the U.S and Ghana on a daily basis.
“We see it when American businesses like Belstar Development Corp. and Odulair, LLC specially equip mobile health clinics to try to improve access to basic care to thousands of Ghanaians, based on identified needs.”
Another manifestation of such collaboration was when researchers sat down with farmers to get raw data about conditions out in the open for governments, academicians and civil society to analyze, such as what happened earlier this week at the Agriculture Open Data Initiative event held on Monday, April 29 and Tuesday, April 30, 2013 in Washington DC, where a Ghanaian delegation also participated by shedding light on the nation’s data.
“Long live the enriched relationship that music has forged between our nations. Let us use what we achieve through musical exchange as a model for what we can do in other areas to enhance our mutual understanding,” said Ambassador Cretz.
Source: GNA