Ghana’s Kente has taken centre stage in Moscow, drawing more than 11,000 visitors to a special exhibition organised by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) as part of the Russia-Ghana Parliamentary Forum.
The exhibition, coordinated by the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry and featuring exhibitors from Ghana, is being held at the Academy of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Russian parliamentary group for friendship with Ghana.
Speaking at the exhibition, President John Mahama commended the organisers and hosts for promoting cultural understanding between the two nations.
“Let me thank the Director Anna and all our friends from the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and our friends from the Russian parliamentary group for friendship with Ghana,” he said.
The President noted that while government-to-government relations remain important, lasting partnerships are built on direct cultural exchange between citizens.
“While we have contacts from government to government, and we have relations between our two governments, the more enduring partnerships are the relations between people and people. People-to-people relationships, and the only way we can consolidate people-to-people relationships, is to understand each other’s cultures,” President Mahama stated.
He commended GEPA and its partners for bringing the iconic Ghanaian textile to the Russian capital.
“And so I’m very appreciative that the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, together with their partners, have been able to bring this Kente exhibition to Moscow,” he added.
The exhibition has been curated with Russian translations to make the history and symbolism of Kente accessible to local visitors.
“I understand almost 11,000 people have so far come to see this exhibition, and it is well laid out, and all the explanations have been translated into Russian, and so you can understand the Adinkra symbols and all the exhibits that are here. And so, I want to thank the Director of the museum and all the partners for inviting me here. Congratulations,” President Mahama noted.
The Kente exhibition forms part of broader efforts under the Russia-Ghana Parliamentary Forum to deepen trade, cultural and parliamentary cooperation, with Ghanaian exhibitors showcasing authentic Kente designs and Adinkra symbolism to a growing Russian audience.
