A Centre for the study of Asante Twi and culture has been established in London by Ms Georgina Amma Tweneboah Sah, Croydon-based Ghanaian publisher.
The language centre which is the brainchild of the publisher has already won accreditation to teach Twi up to General Certificate of Examination (GCE) Advanced Level.
Ms Tweneboah said in an interview in London that the teaching methods of the centre largely involve the use of audio and visual material as well as cultural performances to impart the language.
She said the response from UK-based Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians had been overwhelming, adding that “after attending classes for 10 weeks they start speaking Twi fluently.”
The 65-year-old publisher, who hails from Akyem-Oda, said there was a large Ghanaian community in the United Kingdom (UK), “and we must take steps to ensure that our children do not lose their true identity as Ghanaians”.
In addition, she said there was now a tidal wave of people from Europe and other parts of the world going to invest in businesses in Ghana, and that the knowledge of a Ghanaian language would definitely give them greater confidence to do business in Ghana.
“Inter-marriage between Ghanaians and Europeans also continue to rise, and if the spouses of our children speak our language the better for the marriage”, Ms Tweneboah added.
She appealed for support from both governmental and non-governmental organisations towards expanding the centre.
