Mark Okraku-Mantey
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched the 2024 edition of the Emancipation Day Celebration in Accra.
The celebrations will take place from July 22 to August 1, 2024, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture.
It is on the theme, ‘Unity and Resilience; Building Stronger Communities for a Brighter Future’.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture, Mr. Mark Okraku-Mantey, said the theme for this year’s celebration “reflects on our ancestors’ struggles and triumphs, drawing strength from their resilience as we strive to build stronger, more cohesive communities.”
He said the harsh reality of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and its consequences could not be denied, adding that recrimination, suspicion, blame, and mutual distrust between the African Diaspora and those on the continent would only perpetuate the exploitation of the blackman.
Mr. Okraku-Mantey encouraged Africans, home and abroad, to acknowledge the importance of Emancipation Day to pay tribute to our forebearer of the struggle for freedom from bondage.
“I wish to state that those of us Africans at home and abroad must be encouraged to see the wisdom of the internationalisation of the Emancipation Day celebration.
“Its acknowledgement is essential so we must all come together on August 1 each year to praise our great ancestors who featured prominently in the emancipation process,” he said.
He added that “they have paved the way for us with their gory spirit, determination, purpose, and meaning of Emancipation. Let us allow their blood, sweat, and tears to continue to inform our lives as we prepare to meet the challenges ahead.”
Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman, highlighted the plans to refurbish tourist sites, to observe the courage, community, and culture of African ancestors and the diaspora.
“We are looking at the redevelopment of the various tourist sites for the Emancipation Day. Currently, we have work ongoing at the Salaga Slave Market and many more.
We are basing this on the courage of our ancestors who fought relentlessly, we also want to celebrate the community of African diaspora, the culture of Africans,” he added.
Executive Director, PANAFEST Foundation, Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy, pleaded with traditional leaders to look within our culture and find things that would move us to understand that every time a festival is celebrated, it is important to acknowledge those who fought for our independence.
She said there was a need for a deliberate effort to use social media to promote some of the past information about how Ghana became emancipated and those who contributed to the journey that has brought us this far.
“From today let us try to get back on track to do things that will grow us. It will not happen by itself, but we have to deliberately do it,” she added.