National Cathedral of Ghana

The National Cathedral of Ghana is a planned interdenominational Christian cathedral scheduled to be built in Accra, the nation's capital, as part of Ghana's 60th anniversary celebration. A 9-acre landscaped garden area next to Osu Cemetery will house the cathedral. The design for the cathedral was unveiled by the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, in March 2018.[1][2]

Design

The cathedral will have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 as well as the requisite chapels and a baptistery. The site will also house a music school, an art gallery, and a museum dedicated to the Bible.[2]

The design of the cathedral reflects the art and culture of Ghanaian ethnic groups; the high pitched and staggered roof is reminiscent of Akan inspired architecture and the façade will be concave and decorated with timber in imitation of Ashanti royal stools.[2] The architect for the project is the British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, who also designed the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Reception and debate

In an opinion piece for The New York Times, art historian Chika Okeke-Agulu wrote that the cathedral "...signals that the country is poised to consolidate the gains of decades of democracy," adding that it would "inspire ambitious civic architecture projects across the continent that harness the talents of Africa's emerging artists[.] This Accra commission is not just a recognition by his homeland of Mr. Adjaye acclaim. It also signifies that Africa can build a major work by a leading architect at the top of his game."[2]

A 2018 article from the Financial Times covered the backlash within Ghana coming from those who saw the $100 million project as a "white elephant" and a low priority. Yaw Nsarkoh, executive vice president of Unilever for Ghana and Nigeria, was quoted as saying "At a time when taxes are going up, banks have collapsed ,and you can't pay for social programmes, is it really the thing to do to build a cathedral?" Other figures disagreed, such as Edward Effah, chairman of Ghana's largest bank, who said "You can't say: 'Until we are wealthy, we cannot afford national pride'", to rebut these concerns.[1]

A 2022 article in Bloomberg News noted that the cathedral's original price tag of $100 million had quadrupled amid record inflation and the devaluation of cedi in 2022.[3] By 2022, the Ghanaian government had spent over $58 million on the cathedral, with about half of it going to Adjaye's architecture firm.[3]

In July 2023, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources stated during a session in parliament that instiutions that were destroyed to build the cathedral havdbeen compensated.[4]

References
  1. Pilling, David (2 November 2018). "Colossal cathedral plans divide Ghana and stir religious angst". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  2. Chika Okeke-Agulu (14 April 2018). "Ghana Deserves This Cathedral. Don't Fight It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  3. Munshi, Neil; Dontoh, Ekow; Gokoluk, Selcuk; Monteiro, Ana (8 December 2022). "Emerging-Market Debt Is Sliding Into Distress. Just Look at Ghana". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  4. "All institutions demolished for National Cathedral construction compensated - Lands Minister". GhanaWeb. 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
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