The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has recognized 10 outstanding artists with the prestigious 2025 Inaugural Artist Laureates Award during a ceremony held at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
Among the distinguished honorees are acclaimed figures such as Professor Ablade Glover, Professor Ato Delaquis, El Anatsui, Francis Kwatei Nee-Owoo, Frances Ademola, Peggy Appiah, Kwame Akoto, and three others.
The event, organized in collaboration with the Manhyia Palace and UNESCO, celebrates the artists’ extraordinary lifetime contributions to African art and history. It also aims to inspire emerging talents in both traditional and digital art forms.
This inaugural ceremony marks the beginning of a decade-long initiative to honor industry pioneers and encourage the next generation of creative professionals.
In his address, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II highlighted the enduring influence of art in shaping Ghanaian society, especially among its diverse ethnic communities, from pre-colonial times to the modern era.
“Art as we know it played a critical and functional role in the formation of societies and among virtually all the ethnic groups in Ghana from pre-colonial times through the cultural imperialism that followed and our terms of a nation from 1957.
“Our first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, used it to unify this country and supported some of the great artists we came to know and who defined vision for us, the symbol of our new independence,” he stated.
The ceremony also seeks to attract policymakers and art enthusiasts from Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and a delegation from the Republic of Seychelles.
