The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Panafest Foundation under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) will host the 2021 Panafest/Emancipation Day Celebrations from 26th July, 2021 to 1st August, 2021.
According to a statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Department of GTA, the theme for this year’s Emancipation celebration is “Reclaiming Our Right to Weave Our Own Narrative”.
The 2021 edition of the Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) is to honour heroes like Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Dr Edward Burghart Du Bois, Dr George Padmore and other great ancestors who have built on the Pan-African ideals.
Meanwhile, this year’s celebration is planned to bring the African family together to review the dynamics of ‘The Return’ or the ‘Sankofa’ Principle and explore it as an impetus for the future and forms part of activities commemorating the “Beyond The Return” celebrations.
The Celebration is also structured around experiences and platforms which are designed to constructively raise and examine important belligerent issues, foster healing processes and also celebrate the strengths and resilience of African culture and the achievements of Africans.
The festival is to be seen as a home and hub for creative Africans across the globe to both showcase their work and interact with each other in a meaningful way, and feature community events such as Tribute to the Ancestors: Wreath laying Ceremonies in Accra, a Pan African Arts Market (Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park) and Creative Explosion: African World Artists at the National Theatre in Accra on Monday, July 26, 2021.
Wreaths will be laid at the following venues, W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, George Padmore Research Library and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park while on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, there will be Return Journey & Akwaaba Ceremony from Cape Coast Door of Return to Elmina Castle Forecourt, Opening Ceremony for Colloquium at the University of Cape Coast, Opening of Bazaar/Expo and Evening Performance at the Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast.
On Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Colloquium continues at the University of Cape Coast where there will be Interfaith Dialogue Workshops and Performances at the Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast.
There will be Women’s Day on Thursday, July 30, 2021 at the University of Cape Coast, Wreath laying & Prayers at Assin Praso Heritage Village and Performances at the Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast.
On Friday, July 30, 2021, there will be Wreath Laying, Memorial Prayers & Traditional sacrifices at Pikworo Slave Camp, Upper East Region, Honouring our Traditions at Emintsimadze Palace, Cape Coast, Performances at the Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast while on Saturday, July 31, 2021, there will be Youth Day Programme at the University of Cape Coast, Family conversation by renowned Pan Africanists & Youth at the University of Cape Coast.
In the evening, there will be a Reverential Night at Cape Coast Castle, where a Candlelight Procession will begin from the main entrance of Cape Coast Castle, there will also be Wreath laying, Testimonies and Spoken Words, Roll Call of Ancestors and Reading of Proclamation and Declaration of Emancipation Day.
On Sunday, August 1, 2021, there will be a Commemorative Durbar to climax Emancipation Day Celebrations as well as Wreath laying, visit to the Nnonko Nsuo (Slave River) for Healing Prayers at the Reverential Gardens, all at Assin Manso.
Emancipation Celebration is an annual event in Ghana which was originally celebrated in the Caribbean to commemorate the final abolition of Chattel Slavery in the British colonies on 1st August 1834.
The Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) is a cultural event held in Ghana every two years for Africans and people of African descent. It was first held in 1992 with the idea to promote and enhance unity, Pan-Africanism and the development of the African continent.
