Wreath-laying in honour of slave trade abolitionists held in Accra

• Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer (second from right), Odeneho Kwafo
Akoto III, (fourth from right) and Mr Akwasi Agyeman (middle) with
some guests after the wreath-laying ceremony Photo: Ebo Gorman

A Wreath-Laying ceremony was yesterday held in Accra to honour individuals who played key roles in the abolition of the slave trade in British colonies.

The ceremony,which forms part of the activities to commemorate this year’s Emancipation Day celebrations, took place at the W. E. B Dubois Centre, the George Padmore Library, and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park all in Accra.

The event was characterised by lightening of aperpetual flame by the Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture, Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer.

This was followed witha tribute to the ancestors of the Emancipation Day by kids in tourism, tape-cutting of an art gallery of the legacy of Dr Efua Sutherland, and traditional dance performances by the Ghana Dance Company.

Celebrated annually, the Emancipation Day is to mark the abolition of slavery in the British Colonies in 1834, and its annual observance introduced in Ghana in 1998.

This year’s celebration,which started on Monday and would end on August 1, is under the theme, ‘Unity and Resilience; Building Stronger Communities for a Brighter Future.’

Mr Mercer laid a wreath on behalf of the government and the citizenry, the Paramount Chief of Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho KwafoAkoto III, on behalf of the traditional rulers, Ms Blandina Sika Gumenu, on behalf of the Youth of Africa, and the Executive Secretary of the PANAFEST Foundation, Mr Rabbi Kohain.

Delivering the keynote address, Mr Mercer said the launch of initiatives such as “Beyond the Return”and “The Year of Return” initiatives by the government underscored its commitment to fostering collaboration between the global African family.

Having been able to celebrate the Emancipation Day across the various regions of the country, Mr Mercer urged the citizenry and those from the diaspora to reaffirm their commitment to building a brighter future through resilience and unity.

Odeneho Kwafo Akoto IIIsaid, “despite the legacy of those dark days, our resilience has proved our greatest assetin the journey towards building a global African community we all want to see.”

He urged the citizenry and those in the diaspora to use the Emancipation Day as a tool to rekindle lost heritage of the African continent.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GTA, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, underscored the need for Africans, including Ghanaians, to emancipate themselves from mental slavery, considering therise of youth migration on the African continent.

There were also solidarity messages by the Director, Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President, Mr Akwasi Awua Ababio, Chairperson of the International Board of Trustees, PANAFEST Foundation, Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy, and the High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana, Mrs Juliette Babb-Riley.

BY PRECIOUS NYARKO BOAKYE