The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has condemned the act of public nudity displayed during the recent Karnival Kingdom Festival and petitioned the Ghanaian authorities to probe the police protection for the immodest event.
In a statement issued on Monday, 4 May 2026 and signed by the President of the Conference, Most Rev. Mathew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Ghanaian Bishops demanded that the authorities probe the police protection for the event.
The Conference decried that it “has taken note of the public nudity at the Karnival Kingdom Festival (22-28 April 2026), during which participants received police protection.”
“We, Pastors of our Land, unequivocally condemn the act of public nudity…”
According to the Bishops, the police presence at the festival to give protection to participants in an event that was characterised by public nudity contravened the Ghanaian extant laws.
“The event was an eyesore, denigrated our values as a nation and breached the laws of our land (cf. section 278 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, Act 29).
“Provision of police protection for acts that breach the criminal code represents a serious failure of official duty. Enforcement of laws is urgently needed,” the Bishops lamented.
They further reiterated: “We, Pastors of our Land, unequivocally condemn the act of public nudity and call for immediate investigation into the role of State Institutions, and the importation of foreign cultural practice.”
The Catholic Bishops lamented and questioned the authority that permitted the police to protect the event.
“Who approved the permits and the deployment of police to protect participants engaged in public nudity?
“The Conference is deeply concerned that state agencies responsible for protecting public order may have facilitated rather than prevented this misconduct,” they stressed.
They urged the authorities to carry out an impartial and non-interference investigation into the matter, noting that “a thorough impartial investigation with public findings”, and with a “review of permitting processes with clear decency guidelines.”
The Conference also urged “all parties to allow the investigative process to proceed without undue political pressure.”
“A national dialogue on limits of cultural expressions in public spaces,” required
The Bishops further recommended for “a national dialogue on limits of cultural expressions in public spaces.”
The Karnival Kingdom Festival was held in Ghana at Labadi Beach in Accra between 22-28 April 2026.
It was major cultural and music festivals that brought the youngsters and many uprising stars and artists across the country in Ghana.
The Karnival Kingdom Festival is a fusion of Caribbean carnival energy and African heritage, often described as a “cultural takeover” that reconnects the diaspora with the motherland.
Editor’s Note: Featured photo is courtesy of coverghana.com.
