Minister Abla Gomashie Urged To Act On Presidential Promise To Agya Koo Nimo – An Open Letter
- OPEN LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF TOURISM, CULTURE, AND CREATIVE ARTS
June 10, 2025
The Minister
Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts
Accra, Ghana.
Dear Honourable Dzifa Gomashie,
A Call to Honour Our Living Legends: The Unfulfilled Presidential Promise to Agya Koo Nimo
I write this open letter not merely as a concerned citizen, but as a voice for all Ghanaians who value the essence of cultural integrity, the respect of national promises, and the celebration of our living legends.
It is with great urgency and deep reflection that I bring to your attention the matter of the unfulfilled public commitment made by His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama, at the official launch of the Black Star Experience on May 1, 2025—a commitment to honour one of Ghana’s rarest and most revered cultural icons, the legendary palm wine musician, Agya Koo Nimo.
Minister, at that historic event, the entire nation and indeed the world bore witness as President Mahama passionately called for the state to rise to its moral and national duty by celebrating Agya Koo Nimo while he lives.
The President’s words were not mere ceremonial remarks; they carried the weight of national conscience and collective gratitude to a man whose musical prowess and cultural storytelling have enriched Ghana’s heritage for decades.
Sadly, since that bold declaration, not a single official step, program, or announcement has been made towards fulfilling that noble promise.
This deafening silence raises disturbing questions: Is this promise to go the way of many others—heard with enthusiasm but forgotten with haste? Will this ministry, under your leadership, allow this call to sink into the usual political abyss where declarations are made only for the applause of the moment but are denied the dignity of implementation?
Minister, Ghana’s tourism and cultural future does not lie in buildings and monuments alone—it lives in the people who shaped our identity and inspired generations. Agya Koo Nimo is one such figure: a master musician, philosopher, and cultural ambassador whose contributions to palmwine music have attracted international recognition. He remains an emblem of Ghanaian creativity and storytelling. To delay this honour any further is not only a disservice to him but also a stain on our nation’s integrity.
I urge you, in the strongest terms, to rise above political convenience and bureaucratic inertia. This is not about politics. It is about principle. It is about a country that keeps its word to its heroes.
The credibility of the presidency itself was invested in this promise. To ignore or treat this as “business as usual” is to diminish the very meaning of national commitment.
What would it say of us as a nation if we allow Agya Koo Nimo to pass on without this honour when the President of the Republic publicly called for it? Must we always wait to build statues and organize state funerals when the soul we should have celebrated in life is no more? The time for empty memorialization must give way to living appreciation. That is what nations of integrity do.
Madam Minister, let your leadership mark a break from the past. Move this Ministry to action. Let us, as a country, demonstrate that when a promise is made at the highest level, it is fulfilled with the urgency and respect it deserves.
I—and countless concerned Ghanaians—await your swift action and decisive leadership on this matter. For the sake of cultural integrity, national honour, and historical truth, this promise must not die.
Yours sincerely,
Rev. Daniel Ankufio
Concerned Citizen
Republic of Ghana
