By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, July 24, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has commissioned the newly refurbished Salaga slave market and the Salaga slave wells.
The commissioning which kick-starts the 2024 Emancipation celebration, is aimed at transforming a painful past into a beacon of remembrance and healing.
Mr Andrew Agyapa Mercer, Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, commissioning the project said there was the need to honour the memory of those who suffered during the transatlantic slave trade.
He reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to promoting heritage tourism and fostering connections with the diaspora.
Mr. Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer, GTA emphasized the importance of the Salaga slave market and wells to the nations heritage tourism offerings.
He said Ghanaians needed to acknowledge our past while looking toward to a future of healing and unity.
Mr. Agyeman expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts that led to the restoration and preservation of these historical sites, highlighting GTA’s commitment to sustainable tourism and cultural heritage.
Municipal Chief Executive for East Gonja, Mr Richard Broni, commended the ministry for staying true to its word to redevelop the market and well during their visit to the Kpembe Wura in 2023.
The Lepowura Bore-Enasa I, speaking on behalf of the Kpembe Wura, pledged the support of the traditional authority to preserve the site.
Other activities lined up for the celebration include a durbar at Pikworo Slave Camp in the Upper East Region in honour of resilience and shared heritage on July 23, a tribute to the ancestors in Accra to honour those who paved the way, a legacy of Dr. Efua Sutherland photo exhibition, and a wreath-laying at Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, on July 25.
There would also be a durbar of Chiefs at Assin Praso, on July 29, Echoes of culture at Elmina, on July 30, Reverential night at Cape Coast, candlelight procession, ancestral roll call, and spoken words under the stars, on July 31.
On August 1, the Emancipation Day Durbar would be held at Assin Manso, where wreaths would be laid in honour of the resilience of former enslaved Africans. There would also be a visit to the Nonko Nsuo—the River of Return.
GNA