By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, June 26, GNA – Osabarima Kwesi Attah II, Chairman on the local organizing committee of the 2025 PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebration, says the time has come to demand reparative justice for the African continent.
He said, “we have consistently been asking for reparative justice for the harm and the loss caused the African continent, especially, Ghana, through the slave trade, but it has fallen on deaf ears.”
“This is why this year’s PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebration theme ,
“Let us speak of reparative justice: Pan-African artistic activism”, was chosen to remind those who conveniently have forgotten that the slave trade ever happened.”
Osabarima Attah II was addressing the launch of this year’s PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebration, in Accra.
He said the theme was carefully chosen to remind the perpetrators of slavery that the continent was demanding reparative justice for the sadness caused through apology and doing something substantial to alleviate the loss suffered because of the slave trade.
“The earlier this is done the better for both of us. Those who perpetrated and those who suffered will thereafter be happy because due acknowledgement has been given to the loss, they have caused us.”
The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee said the theme was also to portray the African artist. “It is important to let the whole world know the important role African artists play in the lives of people.”
He appealed to all to embrace the celebration and government to participate fully and support it, so that this year’s celebration would be meaningful, memorable and enjoyable.
Prof. Kojo Yankah of the Pan African Heritage Museum said reparative justice must not to be taken for granted, it should be a matter of concern.
He said, “the commemoration of PANAFEST and Emancipation must serve as a remembrances, that would unify our narration of how we got here.”
He said the commemoration was initiated by an individual, inspired by the force of redemption, and everyone, including government must continue to put its weight behind it.
Prof Yanka noted that Africans had been badly educated about themselves. “Never in the history of our continent did we learn anything. We should know where we are, and where we are going and work towards it.
“We must expand the vision of PANAFEST by providing a space where we will tell the story of Africa, not from slavery, but from the riches of our civilization, from Egypt, through the invasion by the Greeks, the Romans, Arabs, and to the present day.”
He assured that the executive council as well as all committees of the museum
were committed to PANAFEST, saying “we need a bigger PANAFEST, to better understand the freedom we are talking about, and be able to help people in our steps.”
He later appealed to the Ministry of Education to have African history as a compulsory subject.
GNA
Christian Akorlie