By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
Pomadzi (C/R), Sept. 22, GNA – Construction works on Africa’s state-of-the-art Pan-African Heritage Museum in Ghana has begun in earnest at Pomadze, about one kilometer uphill from the Winneba Junction in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region.
The $50-million multipurpose facility will offer the people of African descent the privilege to share a common space to bridge the wide gap deliberately created by miseducation and historical suppression.
The ultramodern facility is envisioned to become the perpetual site of pilgrimage for all people of African descent, for healing, inspiration, and a one-stop shop to unlearn and relearn true African history as curated by Africans.
Scheduled for completion in two and half years, the complex, shaped like a horn, is being built by DW Construction Limited.
In April 2021, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo performed a groundbreaking ceremony to commence the construction of the edifice.
The public could have a feel of what to expect by visiting the virtual version showcasing the history, arts, culture, sciences, religions, and technologies of ancient Africa from ancient early civilization to contemporary Pan Africa.
The facility is made up of a one-acre five-storey museum; a three-acre Herbal Plants Village with chalets, and a conference hall.
Others are food stores, restaurants; a palace of African kingdoms, an African cuisine court; Pan-African Heroes and Heroines Park; library, an innovation and convention centre, and a Hall of Fame.
The brain behind the Africanists Museum, Professor Kojo Yankah, founder of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), said the facility would help all people of African descent to discover and reconnect to their roots and rich inheritance.
He told the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of an official ceremony to commence construction on Thursday that it would help the people in the Diaspora to learn of their collective culture that created advanced colonial kingdoms across Africa.
It would enable them to understand the extraordinary and creative contributions of African cultures and civilization in world affairs.
“The Pan-African Heritage Museum’s mission is to create an environment for people of African descent and all others to discover and experience the true history of the origins of humanity,” he said.
“The development of cultures and great civilizations that influenced the past, informs the present, and shape the future, serving as an inspiration for generations to come.”
Odeefo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, the Paramount Chief of Breman Traditional Area, and President of the Central Region House of Chiefs, said museums played an important role in preserving history, and displaying artifacts and arts.
Aside from boosting tourism, museum reinforces the Central Region’s commanding stage as the fortress of tourism in Ghana whilst providing unique educational opportunities for people of all ages.
“Museums help us to understand the world around us and our place in it. Without museums, many essential items would be lost or forgotten,” he said.
“They symbolize unity of purpose by celebrating a collective heritage, offering a great way to get to know the history of a particular area.”
GNA