A founding member of Osibisa Band, Mac Tontoh, has called on stakeholders in the music industry to help revive brass band music in the country.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Agona Duakwa Youth Brass Band at Agona Duakwa in the Central Region, Mac Tontoh said the revival of brass band music should be the collective responsibility of all.

The formation of the Agona Duakwa Youth Brass Band is meant to rekindle brass band music, which reached its peak between 1960 and 1980.

The band which is made up of youth between the ages of 12 and 16, selected from various primary and junior high schools at Duakwa comprises five girls and 15 boys.

He appealed to the stakeholders and prominent personalities in the town to assist in the development of musical talents across the nation.

He urged the people in the area to pool their resources to sustain the newly formed youth brass band in the area and make it a beacon of national pride.

Mac Tontoh also commended Professor Kwesi Yankah, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and Mr Ben Mensah, former Municipal Chief Executive of Agona West Assembly, both citizens of Duakwa, for their initiative and commitment towards the formation of the band to train the youth.

Prof Yankah and Mr Mensah, in a brief joint statement about the Agona Duakwa Brass Band, noted that the Agona area of the Central Region was once the treasure bed of brass band music in Ghana.

Mr Kojo Yankah, a former Ashanti Regional Minister in the first National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, stated that the emphasis on the youth this time was meant to ensure the continuity and sustenance of the musical tradition from one generation to another.

Mr Isaac Osei, Member of Parliament for Subin in the Ashanti Region and a former Chief Executive of Ghana COCOBOD, urged people to give prominence to the beautiful Ghanaian culture to enable it to become a good legacy for the youth.

He urged the elite and well-to-do in the area to remember where they hailed from and always endeavour to support development projects to raise the living standards of the inhabitants.
Mr Osei also praised Prof Yankah and Mr Mensah for their initiative and urged others in the town to emulate them.