On Thursday, 22 October, the World Resources Institute (WRI) highlighted how art and culture can make ecological restoration more meaningful to local communities in Ghana. Landscape Restoration Manager for the Ghana Cocoa Belt, Eric Lartey, spoke at the inaugural Climate x Culture Summit in Accra, stressing that restoration is fundamentally about people.
“Restoration is more about people,” Lartey said, explaining that music, oral traditions, festivals and customary practices shape how many Ghanaian communities relate to land, forests, water and biodiversity. He added that integrating culture can connect restoration to community identity and tap into traditional ecological knowledge, which can also inform more effective restoration practices.
Lartey highlighted the Restoration Artists Network (RAN), a global initiative under WRI that brings together musicians, visual artists, storytellers and cultural leaders to make ecological restoration more accessible. “Artists are powerful storytellers and cultural influencers,” he said, describing their ability to translate technical restoration concepts into simple, engaging messages.
He cited a collaboration between Ghanaian and American artists that produced six songs drawing on Ghanaian musical traditions and local languages. The project aims to give landscape restoration “a local and a human voice.” “Art is an access point. It can invite attention, stimulate conversation,” Lartey added.
While acknowledging that art cannot replace investment, science or policy, Lartey warned that for restoration efforts to endure, they must be locally led and culturally grounded. He pointed to the Restore Local framework as a model for this approach.
The summit, themed “Designing Sustainable Creative Experiences For Africa,” was organised by Culture Joint Media in partnership with Ghana’s Minister of State for Climate Change & Sustainability at the Presidency. It brought together stakeholders from the climate, creative, business, media and technology sectors to explore how culture and creativity can contribute to climate action and sustainable development.
What comes next? WRI and partners plan to expand the RAN network across Africa, encouraging more local artists to embed restoration narratives into community life.
