She made the call during a wreath-laying ceremony at the W. E. B. Du Bois Centre, George Padmore Library, and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, held as part of the 2025 PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebrations.
Madam Gomashie called on Africans to reclaim their cultural dignity and resist historical oppression.
“We must not allow the silencing of our voices, beliefs, arts, and intangible heritage anymore. We should resist that oppressive rule.
“We must run away from the shackles that hold us to look down on our heritage, fight and be proud of it, including the things that were stolen,” she stated.
The Minister paid tribute to the legacies of W. E. B. Du Bois, George Padmore, and Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, describing them as pioneers of Pan-Africanism and cultural reclamation.
Reflecting on their contributions, she said: “When we choose to look down on our culture and our heritage, we have chosen the other over ours. How will ours develop if we do not show appreciation for it?”
She lauded Du Bois for choosing Ghana as his final home, Padmore for building bridges between Africa and its diaspora, and Nkrumah for founding the Institute of African Studies in 1961 to promote African research.
Reflecting on advancements since the African Union’s formation in 2002, Madam Gomashie encouraged Africans to revisit their historical roots not defined by external disruption but grounded in their original identity.
“In 2002, the African Union was established to build on the legacy of the Organization of African Unity, moving the conversation from decolonization to integration, cooperation, and economic development, so today, I urge all Africans to examine our history, not from when the world disrupted us, but from who we were before,” she said.
The Minister also made a personal pledge to defend African values and identity.
“I pledge to speak up, stand up, and stand out as an African, to defend my Africanness anywhere, everywhere, and every day, fearlessly with pride and conviction. I resist intimidation and humiliation of my language, my culture, my tribe, it in my mind and in everything I do,” she said.
Madam Gomashie announced the launch of “Afro Gastro,” a new initiative aimed at promoting culinary diplomacy and fostering unity among Africans and the diaspora, scheduled for September 15 as part of the Black Star Experience.
“It is to serve as a platform for culinary diplomacy, where embassies, chefs, and creatives from across Africa and the diaspora will showcase traditional foods and drinks to spark conversations around identity, unity, and pride.
“We are inviting embassies and all of you to come and cook what we have in common, prepared differently, tasted together, because food breaks barriers. You do not need to speak the same language to understand a dish. It must just taste right,” she stated.
The Minister called on corporate Ghana to support the initiative, saying it would instil cultural pride in the youth.
“We must create more spaces to exhibit what is within us, both learned and inborn, for our youth to find pride in their talents and chosen fields. We must live in ways that will make our ancestors proud, so they can bless us, and make the road ahead less rocky than the one they walked.”
Mrs. Maame Afua Houadjeto, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, said the ceremony was a moment of remembrance and reverence, celebrating a collective legacy.
“These were men who dared to dream of a free and united Africa, paying a huge price, and they would never die in our sights for what they did for us,” she noted.
Mrs. Houadjeto said laying wreaths was more than ceremonial — it was a spiritual, political, and cultural reaffirmation.
“As we lay wreaths at their feet, we reaffirm our commitment to the ideals they lived for, immerse ourselves in a timeless dialogue between the past and the present, the living and the departed, and the motherland and the diaspora.”
Mrs. Houadjeto stressed the importance of moving from remembrance to action, saying, “Reparative justice demands that we go beyond sanity and solidarity, to match remembrance with responsibility.”
She commended the diaspora for participating in the event.
“Your presence today is a testimony that the story of Africa did not end with slavery, it continues in the spirit of strength and unity.”
She urged Africans to continue the journey with humility, pride, and hope, guided by the spirit of the ancestors.
The event was organised by the Ministry in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Authority and the PANAFEST Foundation, under the theme: “Let us speak of reparative justice: Pan‑African artistic activism.”
GNA
