By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, May 13, GNA – The Sika African Tourism Art and Culture Club (SATACC) has welcomed a group of African diasporans returning to Ghana for the first time in an emotional ceremony.
The event celebrated their reconnection with their ancestral homeland.
With traditional drums and colourful displays of Ghanaian heritage, the ceremony began with libation pouring to honour ancestors and seek spiritual guidance.
A prayer was offered to “Grant them wisdom, strength, and prosperity as they reconnect with their roots. Make them walk in the paths of our forefathers, honouring our traditions and culture.”
The group was then purified with sacred herbs and water, cleansing them of negative energies before their initiation into the homeland.
Adepa Sika Onyamekese, Chief Executive Officer of SATACC, noting the significance of the event, said Ghana continued to strengthen ties with the African diaspora and promote cultural tourism.
“It comes in the spirit of the ‘Year of Return’ initiative and its successors, which have welcomed thousands of diasporans seeking to reconnect with their heritage.
“Our brothers and sisters from the diaspora are not visitors; they are family. This is their land, their heritage, and their story. We are honoured to stand with them as they reclaim their place in the African narrative.”
Mr Onyamekese noted that the group was also in Ghana for discussions on the upcoming Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC).
A representative from the group acknowledged their ancestral ties, pledging to remember their roots and share Ghana’s cultural heritage globally.
FESTAC is an international event bringing together artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers from Africa and the diaspora to celebrate Black culture and identity.
The festival, set to be hosted in Ghana later this year, is in collaboration with the National Commission on Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, and the Ghana Tourism Authority.
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