Ghanaian chief to promote tourism potentials in America

Barima Kwame Nkyi XII, Paramount Chief of Assin Apimanim Traditional Area of the central region of Ghana, will next month begin a tour of the United States to promote the potentials of the 'slave market' and 'slave river' located at Assin Manso in the Central Region.

The area, which has been designated a 'World Heritage Site' by the UN, served as a "stop-over point" for slave traders bringing slaves from the hinterlands during the slave trade era. The remains of two slave ancestors were re-interred at the site in 1998 and it has also served as the location for the celebration of 'Emancipation Day', an event which is always well patronised by African-Americans and Africans in the Diaspora.

A statement issued by Barima Nkyi at Cape Coast on Wednesday said the tour, which has been scheduled to coincide with the celebration of "Black History Month', will take him to New York, Washington DC, and Atlanta. It is aimed at educating American communities on the significance of the site as a tourist attraction.

It is also to encourage its use as a "Mecca" for African-Americans and Africans in the Diaspora "who want to reconnect with their African heritage". The statement said the educational tour will involve lectures and discussions in places such as universities and colleges, African-American museums as well as talk shows on radio and television.