By Prince Acquah
Elmina (C/R), July 31, GNA – The Anomansa Palace, the seat of the Edinamanhen in the Central Region, on Tuesday received some enthusiastic Africans from the diaspora who have been on a cross-country journey in celebration of the 2024 Emancipation Day.
The chiefs and elders of the Edina Traditional Council, clad in exquisite traditional apparels and basking in their full glory, gave the group a hearty stately welcome in unalloyed tradition and culture.
The arrival of the diasporans, together with officials of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), was met with thrilling traditional music and dance from the “Ɔdɔ Na Ohia” Cultural Troupe who entertained them throughout their stay.
The visitors exchanged greetings with the chiefs and elders after which traditional prayers were offered to thank and evoke the blessings and protection of the gods and spirits of the ancestors.
After a few hours of cheerful, yet sober interactions, the diasporans were marked with clay and served ɛtɔ and egg (traditional food of mashed yam mixed with red oil) to welcome them back home.
The group commenced their journey from the northern parts of the country, visiting critical historical sites including the Assin Praso Heritage Village, which ‘tells and gives’ evidence of the slave trade in Ghana.
Emancipation Day, an annual celebration introduced in Ghana in 1998, marks the abolition of slavery in the British colonies on August 1, 1834. This year marks the 190th year since it was abolished.
The 2024 Emancipation Day is on the theme: “Unity and Resilience: Building Stronger communities for a brighter future”.
Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, the Edinamanhen, welcoming the diasporians, urged them to live among the people and not see themselves as strangers.
“We are one people, whether black or white. Let’s live in harmony and stay together as one family with a common destiny,” he said.
He entreated them to help establish businesses and create employment in the various communities where they found themselves.
The paramount chief, in the presence of the GTA officials, reiterated his displeasure with the refusal of the State to pay royalties from the Elmina Castle to the community.
“It is very painful that we host the castle and even incur some expenses pacifying the deities in there, but we receive nothing from it,” he said.
“I’m not ready to go to court because I don’t have the means to do that, but I know how to prevent people from entering the castle.”
Mr Ekow Sampson, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GTA, stressed the need for Africans to emancipate themselves from mental slavery, indicating that many people were still shackled mentally 190 years after chattel slavery was abolished.
He expressed disappointment over the recent argument over the Dutch passport being more important than PhD, saying it was a demonstration that “we haven’t learnt anything after 190 years.”
He said Africans were blessed with wisdom and intellect to shape their own future and that could be realised through sustained education and enlightenment.
Mr Sampson appealed to traditional leaders to deliberately instil in the youth the African culture, tradition and customs.
Mr Rabbi Kohain Nathanyan Halevi, the Executive Director of PANAFEST and Convenor of the Diaspora Coalition of Ghana, said the story and essence of emancipation must be told in a more relatable and far-reaching manner to enlighten the people.
He observed that both the Emancipation and Independence Day celebrations commemorated freedom from slavery, albeit in different forms.
“We are one people and so our destiny is intertwined and the more we enlighten people that we are commemorating something that belongs to our history, we are empowering ourselves with that history and that enlightenment lights our path for our future,” he said.
GNA