See What Ghana’s President Had To Say About Ghanaian Shoe Makers, Heel The World

The honorable president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, took it upon himself to voice out on social media what he thinks about the Ghanaian shoe-making label, Heel The World, also known as HTW. Heel The World is an upcoming shoe-making label popularly known in the Ghana fashion circles for the HTW empowerment beads.

In reference to a video/article published on CNN, the president wrote on his facebook wall “Please read the article below. Yes, most of our people cannot afford to buy such shoes, but these are the spirit and the initiative I am looking for in the “Made-in-Ghana” campaign. This story is not the only example of the entrepreneurial energy in Ghana.” The comment was made in line with his call to increase your patronage of Made-in-Ghana goods.

This is great on both levels. A great achievement for HTW to appear on the facebook feed of the president of the first independent African country. It is also great to know that creatives in Ghana are pushing boundaries so much so that the government can not help but to acknowledge such achievements. Hopefully, the government and president of Ghana will play a more developing role in the fashion and creative industry so they can also take some credit in the spirit they complement.

As some know on FashionGHANA.com, for many reasons we do not publish stories about how great it is for Ghanaians or Africans to be published by other media, but one main one is, it’s condescending and belittles our media, our judgment, and our own appreciation for ourselves. ie. It is a shame if HTW was not published in CNN the president might have never acknowledged their hard work on his facebook, just as much as if a European agency had not turned Alek Wek into a star we as Africans would not have given her such high respect, etc.

However, a lot of African creatives and talents are breaking through onto international platforms and media and that needs to be commended. Congratulations to Heel The World shoes for their great efforts, and we hope the president will consider tweeting and facebooking more homegrown talent before they get published on CNN. Such articles are what makes me unpopular in some circles, but it must be said.