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The Upper East Region is set to host the third edition of the Panafest and Emancipation Day celebration from 18 to 19 July, with cultural exhibitions, historical reenactments, and renewed calls for reparative justice.
The two-day celebration, themed “Let Us Speak of Reparative Justice Through African Artistic Activism”, aims at highlighting the region’s significant yet often overlooked role in the transatlantic slave trade while using art and culture to educate and unite Africans and the diaspora.
Wisdom Ahadzi, Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), speaking to Asaase News, said preparations are well underway despite limited support.
“We are going to have the event. So far, so good,” Ahadzi said in an interview with Asaase News. “Just that the collaboration, the support—that is not coming. But we hope. Upper East has not disappointed us over the years.”
The programme will kick off on 18 July with a symbolic street float from Navrongo to Paga, followed by a night vigil at the historic Pikworo Slave Camp. The vigil will reenact the last night enslaved Africans spent in the Upper East before being forced on a harrowing journey through Salaga, Bono Manso, Praso, and finally Assin Manso—the final point of sale during the slave trade.
The second day, July 19, will feature a grand durbar showcasing over ten paramountcies, with each traditional area expected to exhibit their unique customs, regalia, and performances.
“Everything will be exhibited—our cuisine, our artefacts, our way of life,” Ahadzi said. “This is a platform that will unite all of us and give the diaspora a reason to return.”
The celebration will also include a wreath-laying ceremony, a cultural exhibition, musical performances, and a tasting session of traditional meals such as tinkana, dawadawa jollof, and tuo-zaafi.
Ahadzi explained that the combination of Panafest—a biennial festival celebrating Pan-African identity—and the annual Emancipation Day allows for deeper reflection on African heritage and the injustices of the past.
“We’ve suffered some injustices. Our human resources have been used to develop other places,” he said. “All that we are asking for is compensation.”
Ahadzi lamented that the region’s potential as a tourist destination is underutilised, largely due to a lack of tour operators and private sector investment.
“When I came to the region, I realised we don’t have a vibrant tour industry. Tour operators in Accra don’t know the region well,” he said. “People want to come; they call our officers looking for organised transport, but there’s nobody here to work with.”
He called on entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity, noting that tourism could drive job creation, boost incomes, and beautify the environment.
“This platform will enable people to wake up and say, ‘Look, there’s an opportunity. Let me take advantage of it,’” Ahadzi said.
The Pikworo Slave Camp was used as a holding site due to its strategic location and access to water. “It was selected because of the vegetation and an all-season fountain,” Ahadzi said. “It made it easy to hold people there before transport.”
Participants, he said, can expect a rich display of culture, including traditional dances, drumming, theatrical performances by the Upper East Actors Association, and a musical after-party.
Reporting by Mark Smith in the Upper East Region
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