Channel One TV and Citi 97.3 FM, have officially launched this year’s ‘Heritage Month,’ an annual celebration aimed at showcasing and preserving Ghana’s rich cultural heritage.
The launch event, held on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the Tesano Gardens of Channel One TV, brought together key industry stakeholders, traditional leaders, and cultural enthusiasts.
Heritage Month, celebrated every March, has evolved into a premier platform for cultural education, appreciation, and national unity.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, commended Channel One TV and Citi FM, for spearheading the initiative and using their platforms to promote Ghanaian culture.
“I see this [Channel One TV’s Heritage Month] as a great boost for tourism as well as an opportunity to facilitate learning and living Ghana’s history while celebrating our vibrant cultural heritage and diversity,” she said.
She added, “The Heritage Month is an innovative celebration of our rich cultural heritage and the contributions our forebearers made to the development of our great nation.”
Gomashie urged other media organisations to follow Channel One TV and Citi FM’s example in promoting Ghana’s cultural identity.
“Congratulations to Channel One for this amazing and exemplary activity that you do every year. You have set this pace, and I hope all media houses will follow. Congratulations to Citi FM and Channel One for this beautiful experience you give us every year,” she said.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Edem Adotey, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, called on the media to integrate traditional and digital platforms to promote and preserve Ghana’s cultural heritage.
“In a largely oral culture like ours, radio and TV are still the go-to for information. This provides a digital opportunity for the digital and traditional media to work together to preserve and promote Ghana’s rich cultural heritage. Both can develop and share content and programmes that examine cultural and historical issues in line with our development,” he noted.
Dr Adotey also proposed that historical and cultural programs aired on radio and television be repurposed as podcasts or uploaded to platforms like YouTube to enhance accessibility.
“This is already being done, and we can only ask that more of such content be made available and targeted at different demographics in a form and manner that can be digested and appreciated. For example, in indigenous languages or as cartoons,” he added.
General Manager of Channel One TV and Citi FM, Bernard Avle, expressed deep appreciation to the sponsors of the Heritage Caravan – which kicks off activities for the Heritage Month – for their unwavering support in promoting Ghanaian culture and heritage.
He also highlighted the Ghanaian government’s endorsement of the event and acknowledged the critical contributions of the Ghana Tourism Authority and other sponsors in making both Heritage Month and the Heritage Caravan a reality.
Additionally, Avle extended gratitude to Channel One TV and Citi FM’s development partners, including the European Union and UNICEF, for their instrumental role in supporting Heritage Month.