The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced plans to redevelop key tourist sites, focusing particularly on the historic slave routes.
As part of this initiative, several notable locations such as the Pikworo Slave Camp, the Salaga Slave Market, and the castles would undergo rehabilitation and reshaping.
This effort aims to honour African ancestors’ and diaspora’s courage and culture.
During a durbar of Chiefs in the Upper East Region as part of the 2024 Emancipation Day celebrations, the Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Akwasi Agyemang, emphasised the need for Ghana to embrace the Emancipation Day celebrations as an opportunity to showcase the country’s tourism potential to the global community.
He highlighted the importance of sharing the true story of the slave trade and colonisation, which has been distorted by those who enslaved Africans.
“We are excited that at least Emancipation is now not just an Accra, Assin Manso and Cape Coast celebration. Now we’re starting from the Northern part of Ghana where the real story started at the Pikworo Slavery Camp and also at the Salaga Slavery Market and the wells. Thankfully these have been rehabilitated and we know that going forward it will all be part of one complete story.”
“It’s important that we take steps to ensure that our brothers and sisters who are coming back to the motherland feel the true story of what happened. So, we embarked upon this slave routes project where we are rehabilitating and reshaping all the various touchpoints starting with Salaga, Pikworo here. There’s work ongoing and then we go all the way down to Bono Manso, Assin Manso, Assin Praso to Elmina and Cape Coast.”
“We want the true story to be told and we want ourselves as Ghanaians to understand the real story. You know our history has not been told the way it ought to be because it was detected by those who enslaved us. So now is the time for us to really tell that story of the slave trade and tell the story of our colonisation.”
Meanwhile, the President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, Chiana Pio Pe Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam III, on his part, urged the country to use Emancipation Day as a moment for reflection and dedication to heritage and a brighter future.
He stressed the importance of continuing the fight against all forms of discrimination in the 21st century and emphasised the importance of celebrating diverse cultural heritage and promoting inclusivity.
“We encourage everyone to never give up in the fight against all forms of discrimination in the 21st century. There is no space for any form of discrimination on the basis of either race, colour, sex, language, religion or where they were born. Let’s use this Emancipation Day to celebrate our diverse cultural heritage,” he stated.
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
