The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on Africans across the world to recommit to the unfinished mission of reparative justice, cultural liberation, and Pan-African unity as envisioned by Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
She made the call during the 2025 PANAFEST and Emancipation Day Wreath-Laying Ceremonies held on Wednesday, 23 July 2025, at the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, George Padmore Library, and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra.
Speaking on the theme, “Let us speak of reparative justice – Pan-African artistic activism,” the Minister said the event was not only about remembering the past, but about continuing the fight for political, economic, mental and cultural emancipation.
“Emancipation did not begin with speeches in foreign capitals, nor will it end with symbolic gestures. It began with the conviction that we must stand on our own feet and will be completed only when every African everywhere is truly free,” she said.
According to her, the legacy of Dr Kwame Nkrumah must be understood as a call to action that continues to resonate globally, especially among people of African descent in the Caribbean, the Americas and Europe.
“He understood that the wounds of slavery and colonialism could not be healed by silence or by time, but only by courage, truth and unity,” she stated.
Dzifa Gomashie also highlighted the importance of Pan-African artistic expression in shaping the continent’s future, describing reparative justice as a transformational agenda involving re-education, narrative change, and institutional development.
“We must emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. Break that chain of bondage. Reclaim your glory,” she added.
She further assured members of the diaspora that they remain an integral part of the African story, reaffirming that “Kwame Nkrumah never forgot you—and we here today have not forgotten you.”
The Acting CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Maame Efua Houadjeto, in her address, described the ceremony as a spiritual, cultural and political moment of reflection and reconnection. She stated that PANAFEST and Emancipation events are not isolated activities, but sacred annual journeys that call all people of African descent to remembrance and responsibility.
“We stand not as individuals but as descendants, inheritors, and guardians of a rich and enduring legacy,” she stated. “We gather to honour Pan-African trailblazers whose sacrifices and intellect shaped African and diasporan consciousness.”
Houadjeto said the wreath-laying was more than a commemorative exercise—it was a reaffirmation of shared values and historical purpose. She described the gathering as a “timeless dialogue between the past and the present, the living and the departed, the motherland and the diaspora.”
She stressed that this year’s theme— “Let us speak of reparative justice – Pan-African artistic activism”—resonates deeply in a global context where the struggle for justice, equality and identity remains ongoing.
“It is not enough to remember. We must activate memory into motion. Reparative justice demands that we match remembrance with responsibility,” she added.
Welcoming members of the diaspora, Houadjeto said their presence was a powerful reminder that the African story did not end with slavery but continues in the spirit of resilience and renewal.
“To our brothers and sisters from the diaspora, we say Akwaba. This is your home,” she said. “The rebuilding and renaissance we witness today would not be complete without your presence.”
The wreath-laying ceremony took place at three historic locations central to Ghana’s Pan-African legacy: the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, the George Padmore Library, and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
The ceremony featured cultural performances, reflective silence, and traditional rites. Dignitaries, cultural leaders, youth groups, members of the diplomatic corps, and diaspora representatives gathered to pay homage to those who fought for Africa’s liberation and global Black dignity.
The event forms part of activities marking PANAFEST 2025 and Emancipation Day, organised annually to commemorate the struggles of enslaved Africans and celebrate the resilience of African identity and heritage.
The ceremony brought together government officials, representatives of the African diaspora, traditional authorities, cultural activists and members of the diplomatic corps, with a renewed call for unity across Africa and the diaspora, anchored in the shared commitment to justice, heritage preservation, and the continuation of Nkrumah’s vision of a free and united continent.
