The Black Star Experience must move beyond its association with Ghanaian football and become a shared national identity rooted in the country’s culture, creativity, heritage and way of life, Head Coordinator and Presidential Staffer for the Black Star Experience Secretariat, Rex Owusu Marfo, has said.
He said the initiative would achieve its purpose only when Ghanaians understood, embraced and actively participated in it.
Mr. Owusu Marfo made the call at a stakeholders’ engagement in Takoradi on September 30, 2026.
It was on the theme “Enhancing National Understanding and Ownership of the Black Star Experience.”
He explained that the Secretariat operates from the Office of the President at Jubilee House and works with relevant ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.
Mr. Owusu Marfo stressed that the Black Star Experience is not intended to replace the Year of Return, Beyond the Return or PANAFEST, but to strengthen and connect such programmes to a broader national story.
“We are not here to destroy foundations; we are here to build upon them.”
He said the initiative forms part of the broader Reset agenda and seeks to influence national attitudes, habits and consciousness.
The Black Star Experience is built around seven pillars: Cinema, Audio, Cuisine, Aesthetics, Style, Literature and Heritage.
The pillars encompass Ghanaian film and storytelling, music and comedy, food, arts and design, fashion, literature, history and cultural heritage.
Mr. Owusu Marfo said promoting Ghanaian cuisine should be part of the effort to strengthen the country’s cultural identity, questioning why international foods have achieved global recognition while local dishes such as kelewele and gobɛ remain less prominent internationally.
He said the seven pillars provide a framework for developing a distinctive Ghanaian experience and expanding the country’s participation in the global creative and cultural economy.
Mr. Owusu Marfo said the Black Star ultimately represents every Ghanaian who contributes to national development.
He appealed to Regional Ministers, MPs and MMDCEs to support the initiative through community engagement, advocacy and investment in festivals, tourism sites, education and creative activities.
Credit: 3news.com
