RESOLUTIONS OF THE CONFERENCE ON HIGHLIFE

14 July, 2009, 5:08 pm

RESOLUTIONS OF THE CONFERENCE ON HIGHLIFE

The conference on the Future of Highlife which sat at the Sanaa Lodge Hotel in Cape Coast on the 28^th / 29^th May 2009, after listening to and debating the key speeches has resolved as follows:

To adopt the ‘Definition of Highlife’, as outlined in the speech by Mr Ato Scott Beninn. (The full speeches are available on the conference and hi-life institute website, www.hi-lifemusic.com)
To call on the Government and specifically the Ministry of Education build music (both formal and from our national cultural / traditional perspectives) into the basic national schools curriculum.
To endorse The Hi-life Institute as the organization to, among other responsibilities, monitor and maintain the conference resolutions and to formulate a 5 year strategy of pragmatic programmes to resuscitate, maintain and sustain the spirit and letter of the conference.
To call on Local Government, Ministry of Culture and Promoters and Producers to resuscitate the Concert Parties theme as the mainstay of rural and urban popular live entertainment.
To call on the Government and Commission for National Culture to equip the Centers for National Culture around the regions with instruments and programmes to teach the local youth about traditional and modern rhythms, dancing, singing and performance.
The Hi-life institute in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders to formulate standards for the packaging of highlife products, including, CDs, DVDs Videos, Shows, dancing and Choreography.
To call on the Ministry of Information and all the Media Houses to re-orientate their outlook to a more traditional and cultural basis as a platform for national development. ouhhh
The Hi-Life Institute and other stakeholders ton plan and execute a national highlife road show that caters for the masses of Ghanaians as opposed to the elite.
The Hi-Life Institute and other bodies to create a workable, practical plan for the older generation of highlife musicians to mentor the younger ones.
To call on the Government and the Ministries of Culture, Information etc to declare the week of Ghana’s Independence as the ‘Highlife week’.
To call on the Government and Parliament to draft and promulgate a Broadcasting Law that ensures adequate local / traditional content.
The Government to create an Arts Council to be directly responsible for the arts.
To call on the Government and the copyright office to:

Adopt a Collective Administration,

Create a national institutional framework,

Digitization of all copyrighted works,

Ratify the UCC and other international conventions.

To call on Highlife and other musicians to close ranks.
To call on all stakeholders to focus more on commercial and private sources of financing that is sustainable.

Categories : Culture