The 2025 editions of the Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) and Emancipation Day concluded with a grand durbar at Assin Manso in the Central Region. The event emphasized themes of unity, accountability, environmental sustainability, and reparative justice.
Held under the themes “Community Development through Environmental Sustainability and Tourism” (Emancipation Day) and “Let Us Speak of Reparative Justice: Pan-African Artistic Activism” (PANAFEST), the climax brought together traditional leaders, government officials, diaspora members, and hundreds of Ghanaians to reflect on slavery’s painful legacy and renew commitment to Africa’s progress.
Cultural displays like kete dances and Asafo processions added vibrancy to the ceremony.
Tourism Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie stressed that the effects of slavery remain present in global injustices. She urged Ghanaians to use their history as fuel to demand change and cautioned against seeing the diaspora as outsiders, saying, “If they feel like visitors, slavery is still winning.”
Other speakers echoed calls for national transformation. Central Regional Minister Ekow Eduamoah emphasized the need to improve local systems to encourage diaspora return. Nana Kwame Nkyi XIII urged unity and peaceful conflict resolution, while Rabbi Kohain Halevi of the PANAFEST Foundation called for self-healing and accountability among Africans.
Environmental sustainability also featured prominently. Assin South DCE Jonathan Birikorang condemned activities like illegal mining and river pollution, urging environmental protection to support sustainable tourism.
MP John Ntim Fordjour highlighted Ghana’s central role in slavery history, advocating for a cultural center to strengthen diaspora ties. Nana Owuraba Abetsen called for a Royal College of African Studies at Assin Manso to serve as a hub for research and heritage.
The event ended with the laying of wreaths at the ancestral graveyard and a visit to the historic Slave River, where libations were poured in memory of ancestors.