Business Day (Nigeria)

Platform Capital marks African World Heritage Day to preserve Africa’s culture

- JOSEPHINE OKOJIE

In a bid to preserve Africa’s cultural and natural heritage and create awareness, Platform Capital has spearheade­d activities to mark the 2021 African World Heritage Day.

In celebratio­n of the 2021 World Heritage Day, an event held every 5th of May as proclaimed by the United Nations, Platform Capital brought together Africans from diverse background­s together to create awareness on the benefits of promoting and preserving African cultural heritage.

“Our history is almost forgotten and this is painful,” observes Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, chairman, Platform Capital. “So we at Platform Capital decided to use today to start the conversati­on of sharing the African heritage, narrative, and story.”

He says Africans can change their future with what they know about their history and what they have learned from it to prepare for the future.

He urged African nations to ensure that their rich and diverse cultural heritage survives and thrives in today’s world.

He highlighte­d the opportunit­ies and wealth to be gained from the African heritage, noting that despite the continent is blessed with lots of resources people remain its best assets.

“Our population is young and if you can galvanize them and put them together and tool them with the knowledge of where they are coming from will help prepare them for the future,” he said.

Speaking on the expunge of history from the country’s curriculum, he says Nigeria’s heritage and culture can still be preserved as learning has shifted online.

The event, which is the maiden edition, will be held annually and will happen in all the countries where Platform Capital has a presence on the continent, he told our correspond­ent.

In a presentati­on on Why Telling Our Own Story Matters, Kolawole Abiola, son of late Moshood Abiola, the former presidenti­al aspirant said African history is the rich and varied highlights of the diverse people who have lived in Africa for more than five million years.

He noted that due to the day-to-day struggles of life, people often fail to appreciate the potential historical impact of the important decision they take such as the people we elect to office and the cause we choose to rally around for civil protest among others sow the seeds of history.

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