This year’s Pan‑African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) and Emancipation Day celebration was officially launched at the Accra Tourist Information Centre on Monday, June 23, 2025.
The event, organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority, is set to run from 17th July to 2nd August 2025, culminating with Emancipation Day events in Assin Manso and Cape Coast .
The theme for this year’s celebration is: “Let us speak of reparative justice: Pan‑African artistic activism.”
The Chief Executive Maame Efua Houadjeto, Ghana Tourism Authority, described the occasion as “a statement” on cultural restitution, unity and healing through artistic expression, reaffirming Ghana’s role as the “Gateway to Africa” .
Since its first appearance in 1992, PANAFEST has been recognised globally as a vital platform for reflecting on the Trans‑Atlantic slave trade, honouring ancestors and promoting Pan‑African solidarity .
Under the theme of reparative justice, Maame Efua highlighted the festival’s role in confronting collective trauma and reclaiming narratives through drama, dance, visual arts, spoken word and digital storytelling.
The Ghana Tourism Authority, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the PANAFEST Foundation and international collaborators, will also amplify voices from the diaspora through academic symposia, youth dialogues, exhibitions and dramatic reenactments.
At the launch, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie urged younger generations to “reconnect with Africa’s rich heritage” and confirmed commitments to material restitution and institutional reform within the reparative justice framework .
Highlights of the festival schedule include:
• Ceremonies and visits to heritage sites in Tamale, Salaga, Bono Manso, Cape Coast, Elmina and Assin Manso
• A Grand Durbar of Chiefs and Emancipation Day observances at Assin Manso (the “last bath” site)
• Reverential Night candlelight vigil and midnight declaration of Emancipation Day
• Naming ceremonies, diaspora return rituals (“Door of Return”), youth forums, academic sessions and a Creative Explosion Concert
• A cultural marketplace and mini‑festival showcasing Pan‑African creativity
This year’s programme continues to promote culture and heritage tourism as vital tools for economic transformation under Ghana’s National Reset Agenda, reinforcing the country’s reputation as an intellectual and cultural hub.
The launch drew a diverse crowd including traditional leaders, diplomats, tourism officials, media professionals and representatives from Barbados, Brazil, the UK and Jamaica .
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