Reverential night held to usher in Emancipation Day

Cape Coast, August 01, GNA - More than 300 Africans from the Diaspora and a cross section of Ghanaians including traditional rulers on Sunday night defied the cold and misty weather to hold a 'Reverential Night' to usher in this year's Emancipation Day celebration.

With most of the visitors wearing white clothing, they gathered around a bonfire at the Mfantsipim School junction to "invoke the spirits of the night" and later processed through the streets to the Cape Coast Castle for the vigil.

Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, the Oguaahene, welcomed them into the castle by The ''Reverential Night'' formed part of activities to mark PANAFEST/Emancipation Day underway in Cape Coast, Elmina and Assin-Manso under the theme "The Re-emergence of African Civilization: Preserving and uniting the African family in the fight against HIV/AIDS."

The participants went through some of the dungeons at the castle where libation was offered to invoke the spirits of the ancestors some of whose names were intermittently called out.

Representatives of the government, Africans in the Diaspora and traditional rulers laid three wreaths and seven candles were lit in their memory.

At the stroke of midnight Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City, conducted a roll call of some renowned Pan-Africanists such as W.E Dubois, Williams Wills Brown, Marcus Garvey and Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and observed a minute's silence in their memory.

During the vigil Dr Leonard Jeffries, Professor of African Studies of the City University, New York City, described the event as a spiritual one that gives Africans in the Diaspora a chance to rededicate themselves to meet the challenges of the world".

He said castle should be called "dungeon" since it did not house kings and queens, but people captured into slavery.

Dr Jeffries said he was happy that some of the descendants of slaves have been able to trace their roots home. "We went through the door of no return but this time we are coming through the door of return." He appealed to all Africans to continue to love each other and come together to reclaim their lost destiny and said, "We are here to liberate African minds."

Prof James Small, President of the Organisation of African American Unity, said most Africans had fought in the past because they wanted the unity and freedom of African people and stressed that the night should be used to honour such people.

He echoed calls on Africans in the Diaspora to use their wealth, skills and entrepreneurship to help reduce poverty and disease in the continent.

''Some of them have the skills to create economic, social, cultural and political capabilities to enhance living conditions on the continent.''