A SOLEMN wreath-laying ceremony was on Thursday held as part of this year’s Emancipation Day celebration and the Pan-African Festival of Arts and Culture (PANAFEST).

The wreaths were laid on the tombs of Du Bois, Padmore and Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for their respective roles in Pan-Africanism and the fight against colonialism.

The ceremony took place in a funeral setting with many of the participants adorned in black and white outfit amidst singing of dirges in honour of the ancestors who endured the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism in the face of adversity.

The wreath-laying ceremony, which officially begins the Emancipation Day celebration, was on the theme: “Unity and resilience: Building stronger communities for a brighter future.”

The event was led by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, and graced by the Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto Ill, students and other stakeholders in the tourism sector.

Significance

The sector minister, Mr Mercer, explained that the tradition of laying wreath served as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by the ancestors and the resilience they exhibited in the face of adversity.

He said the event was also meant to welcome those seeking to reconnect with their roots, foster unity and engage in cultural exchanges.

“May we create a Ghana where unity prevails and promises await every citizen,” the minister said.

The Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Akoto Ill, highlighted the resilience of the people of Akwamu in the struggle against colonialism.

“I look forward to working together with stakeholders to use these sets of history to rekindle the lost heritage and build a stronger community where the youth will be educated to uphold, defend and cherish our rich culture for a better and brighter future for the African people,” he said.

Condemnation

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, condemned social media conversations that downplayed Africa and what it represented.

“We have a lot of work to do as Pan Africanists, if the young people that are supposed to grow and take up leadership positions feel that they will rather get a Dutch passport to clean toilets, then possibly the work these three gentlemen did is not finished” he said.

For her part, the Chairperson of the International Board of Trustees of PANAFEST Foundation, Prof. Esi Sutherland-Addy, said: “We are being emancipated for something, and we must remember what that thing is and pass it on to the next generation.

Background

Emancipation was originally celebrated in the Caribbean to commemorate the final abolition of chattel slavery in the British colonies on August 1,1834.

Ghana became the first African nation to join in the celebration in 1998 to re-affirm its status as the gateway of African homeland of diasporans.

Emancipation Day has since become an annual festival, and in the year in which the biennial PANAFEST is celebrated, the two are held together.