[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E899-E900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

TRIBUTE TO THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA

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HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

of new york

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 50th
anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Ghana. On March 6,
1957, Ghana became the first country in Africa south of the Sahara to
gain independence from colonial rule. The theme for the anniversary is:
Championing African Excellence. There are three main objectives for the
jubilee celebrations, which are: celebrate and commemorate Ghana's
landmark achievement as the first country in Black Africa to attain
independence from colonial rule; reflect on the evolution, development,
achievements and drawbacks of the country over the past 50 years; and
to look forward to the future vision of excellence in all fields of
endeavor in the next 50 years towards the centennial anniversary of the
nation.
Year-long activities marking the Golden Jubilee have been scheduled,
beginning in January 2007 and ending in December 2007, with monthly
themes including: Reflection, African Unity, and Heroes of Ghana.
April's theme is ``Our Nation, Our People,'' and I would like to enter
into the Record this article, regarding another ``first'' for Ghana,
reported by BBC News International on April 24, 2007, entitled ``La
Scala Brings Beethoven to Ghana.'' It details the recent visit to Ghana
by Milan's La Scala orchestra and chorus and speaks about the hopes of
expanding the appreciation of classical music to other countries in
sub-Saharan Africa.
The Republic of Ghana continues to experience economic growth and the
government continues to work on improving the energy generating
capacity of the country. Recently an Educational Reform Program has
been implemented, which primary vision is to align education to
national aspirations to develop disciplined, socially conscious and
well-rounded Ghanaians who can hold their own as global citizens
anywhere. All these efforts promise that Ghana will reach its goal of
excellence in all fields as they look towards the centennial
anniversary. I urge fellow members to continue to support Ghana's
independence by working towards victory over poverty, disease, gender
in equality, and lack of education.

La Scala Brings Beethoven to Ghana

(By David Willey)

Italy's famous La Scala orchestra has played in sub-Saharan
Africa for the first time.
The venue: Accra's 1,400 seat ultra-modern National
Theatre.
The occasion: celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of
Ghana's independence.
The cast: Daniel Barenboim and 160 members of the orchestra
and chorus of Milan's La Scala.
The programme: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the Choral,
whose Ode to Joy has become the official anthem of the
European Union.

electric

The evening began in an unusual way, with the beating of a
traditional tribal drum, a traditional Ghanaian welcome.
It ended with a standing ovation for the prestigious
orchestra and their equally famous conductor.

[[Page E900]]

A member of the Ghanaian organising committee told me he
remembered having music appreciation lessons at school 50
years ago, when Ghana was still a British colony, but he
could not remember any similar event in his lifetime.
Most of the audience were invited to attend, with the few
hundred tickets actually put on sale costing between US $30-
50, well beyond the reach of the pockets of the average
Ghanaian.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 60 per cent of people live on less
than two US dollars per day. So, unsurprisingly, the
auditorium was packed with local officials and diplomats.
A quick trawl around Accra's teeming markets confirmed
earlier suspicions--that the Ghanaian capital completely
lacks CD shops selling classical music.
While African faces on the crowded stage were limited to
two, one the African-American bass-baritone Kevin Deas, and
the other, the soprano Measha Brueggergosman, a Canadian
national.
The impact of the music on those lucky enough to be present
was, however, electric.
Daniel Barenboim, the musicians and the four soloists (who
included La Scala newcomer and rising British star, tenor Ian
Storey) gave their all. They had time for only a single
rehearsal, but their performance was impeccable.
Barenboim told me during rehearsal: ``The problem is, you
cannot articulate the content of music in words. This can
only be expressed through sound. This is what I hope we are
bringing to them.''
This extraordinary event was the result of a casual
invitation to Daniel Barenboim in New York last December by
Ghana's highest-profile international figure, Kofi Annan,
former UN Secretary General and a friend of La Scala's new
``maestro'' conductor.
The president of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, and the Mayor
of Milan, Letizia Moratti, also helped to make Kofi Annan's
dream come true.

spirited rendition

Annan was beaming afterwards at the Ghanaian President's
post-concert party in Accra's State Banqueting Hall.
``In international affairs, you have to learn how to create
pillars and foundations in order to realise dreams,'' he
said.
At the post-concert party some of La Scala's violin players
playfully took over from a local Accra orchestra, giving a
spirited rendition of Guantanamara.
But was it really worth the vast expense ($500,000) to
charter an Airbus and fly this huge and talented company
6,000 miles across the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara
desert to Ghana, and back, for a single Beethoven
performance?
Barenboim says emphatically ``yes''. He would like to
return to Africa, either with La Scala or to give a series of
solo piano recitals in various African countries.
The former child prodigy, who has replaced Riccardo Muti as
conductor at La Scala, and who built up the now famous West-
East Divan orchestra of Israeli and Palestinian musicians,
believes music may hold the key to bridging the North-South
cultural, and even economic, divide.
``You have to listen to the other players if you want to
play in an orchestra,'' he said.
But as one of the first violins in the orchestra whispered
to me as we were flying back high over the Sahara desert,
while she had enjoyed this unique experience, she was not so
sure that a charity concert in Milan to raise money for Ghana
might not have been preferable.
The audience shouted for more after the Accra concert, but
a performance of this quality of Beethoven's Ninth hardly
lends itself to an encore.
Now we shall have to see whether Daniel Barenboim's
ambitious dream of stimulating a demand for classical music
in Africa is going to be fulfilled.
It will require a lot of money, and a lot of politics. The
encore is not yet assured.

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