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

 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