Mr Fio Richardson Commey, Deputy Executive Director, National Commission on Culture (NCC), has urged artists in the country to use their creative prowess to help address the galamsey menace. He said the arts were the most powerful tool to communicate the impact of galamsey on the populace and to encourage Ghanaians and people in power to desist from it. 'The Ghana Association of Visual Artists, Musicians Union of Ghana, Film Producers Association, the filmmakers can do a lot to create awareness, from exhibition to composition of songs to the production of films that speak against the menace and the adverse effect it has on our environment and our economy.' Mr Commey made the call at the evaluation and validation meeting of the UNESCO-Aschberg programme for artists and cultural professionals in Accra. The UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals is aimed at protecting and promoting artistic freedom and the status of the artist in the application of the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the 1980 Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist. Mr Commey said with funding from UNESCO and support from national experts, the NCC undertook the project, which sought to build the capacities of 400 selected emerging artists and cultural professionals across the country, in four separate zones, each with 100 beneficiaries. He said artists were powerful agents that could be used to address developmental issues in the community. 'Their message can draw attention to issues, and the responsibilities of community members and stakeholders towards protecting the environment. The voice of the artists is the loudest in such campaigns.' He noted that after empowering artists through the UNESCO-Aschberg programme the Commission was hopeful that artists would mobilize their creative talent together and see how to help fight the battle against galamsey. 'Because when we talk about sustainability, it is the continuous effort also of educa tion and awareness creation. The Deputy Executive Director said the Commission, as a state body and a non-partisan body, was always ready to back the positive intentions of any artist, who is looking at the benefit of the nation and not his individual interest. 'It would be very shameful for any artist to be maltreated and for his human right to be abused for expressing his creativity in addressing societal issues. We have every right to criticize our leaders and if we do that responsibly no political office holder can use his position to attack artists or infringe on their rights.' Mr Carl Ampah, National Professional Officer for Culture, UNESCO said UNESCO was excited to be part of the journey of empowering artists in the country, saying the outcome of the project was to help sustain their work and improve economic conditions. He said the project, established by UNESCO in 1956 but was revamped over the years to address contemporary issues of creatives, and artists, which include artistic freedom, streng thening artistic freedom, and issues of social and economic rights of artists and many more.? 'In 2021, the Programme was notably redesigned following the COVID-19 crisis, to address the structural challenges that left many artists and cultural professionals, particularly women and youth, vulnerable in the face of economic precarity and multi-faceted crises.' Mr Ampah said, in general, the project was looking at empowering creatives to give their best.? 'We have provided funding. We have provided technical assistance, and we are hoping that at the end of all this, you will find space in there to use your talents and gifts to point out societal ills that need attending to.' He assured that UNESCO would continue to support and accompany the work of creatives and for that matter the cultural space. Source: Ghana News Agency