The National Commission on Culture (NCC) has raised concerns about the rising cross-dressing trend among male content creators in Ghana.
According to Dr Richardson Commey Fio, Deputy Executive Director of NCC, the act of publicly embracing female attire in the name of content creation is contrary to the nation’s cultural and moral foundations.
“It is very disappointing that we continue to experience such behaviours that are an affront to our rich cultural values and norms. And for such an event to happen in Kumasi, one of the leading cities in Ghana where culture and traditions are held in high esteem. This is totally unacceptable.
“Certain bad elements in our society who want to denigrate our culture and tear down the good moral fibre of our communities for parochial gains always want to hide behind a misleading narrative of globalisation and modernism,” Dr Fio noted in an interview.
Dr Fio proceeded to criticise those who use the guise of globalisation and modernity to justify actions that, in his view, degrade the moral fibre of Ghanaian society.
“What happened in Kumasi is a total disrespect to our Ghanaian culture and more directly an insult to Otumfou Osei Tutu II, Manhyia and all custodians of culture in the Ashanti Region and Ghana at large,” he stated in an interview with Graphic.
He asserted that although culture should adapt to the times, people should ensure the preservation of the unique characteristics of Ghanaian identity, preventing any undue compromise of these traits.
Dr. Fio also revealed that steps are being taken to amend PNDC Law 238, which established the NCC, to grant the commission more power to address these issues.
“We are amending PNDC Law 238 which established the commission. And we believe that when that is done, we will be empowered to deal directly with some of these issues. At the moment, the commission’s mandate only allows us to condemn such acts and bring them to the attention of the appropriate bodies for the necessary actions to be taken”.
However, notable male content creator Deaconess Abokoma, whose real name is Ebenezer Arthur, in a recent interview explained the motivations behind cross-dressing, arguing that it was often misunderstood.
He argued that for a male content creator to dress as a female to create hilarious content does not mean the person is gay.
“We are not gay. We do it for entertainment. We want to assure everyone that we identify as straight and do not identify as gay. For us, dressing up in female outfits and exploring different fashion styles is simply a fun and creative way to entertain people”.
Story By Grace Tsotsoo Quaye
