Through a stage play, the pupils of Rovega Preparatory School reenacted the transatlantic slave trade perpetrated by the West, depicting the horrors and enduring wounds of slavery left in the hearts of Africans and the continent.
The performance, staged at the historic Pikworo Slave Camp in Paga, Nania as part of this year’s PANAFEST/Emancipation Day celebrations, portrayed the deception, betrayal, and brutality meted out to Africans by European slave traders.
The Pikworo Slave Camp, established in 1704 by slave masters, served as a transit point where enslaved Africans were kept, auctioned, and resold at the Salaga Slave Market in the then Northern Region (now Savannah Region), and then transported to the coast for shipment to Europe.
Through the drama, the pupils showed how the initial hospitality shown by African ancestors was betrayed by the arrival of slave traders, who lured, captured, and forcefully chained their hosts before transporting them to the coast.
With emotional display, the pupils refreshed the memories of the audience, showing how Daggaw from Mali (the one who started the slave trade in Nania) and his two friends, Samori and Babatu from Burkina Faso, worked with Europeans to enslave their fellow Africans.
The young actors also emphasized the emotional and psychological scars the slave trade left behind, scars that, according to the pupils, continue to affect generations of Africans.
The performance moved many in the audience and served as a haunting reminder of the injustice endured by the continent.
The celebration, held on the theme: “Let us Speak of Reparative Justice – Pan African Artistic Activism,” was organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, the Regional House of Chiefs, and the PANAFEST/Emancipation Committee.
The event featured cultural dance performances by various cultural troupes from across the region and brought together chiefs, community members, people from the diaspora, and stakeholders, creating an avenue to showcase the region’s rich artifacts, traditions, and culture.
Mr Ekow Sampson, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations at GTA, said the memories of the slave trade were a reminder to all stakeholders to strive for the collective good, taking inspiration from the resilience of African ancestors.
He commended the pupils for their performance, saying, “Let us all, Ghanaians, Africans, and people of African descent across the world, look forward to a future of truth and justice.”
Pe Professor Pwakweah Atudiwe Atudipare Manchi III, Paramount Chief of the Manyoro Traditional Area, who co-chaired the function, underscored the urgent need for Africans to tell their own stories and not allow themselves to be let down a second time.
“In our various communities, we still have traces, trees, natural and cultural heritage, that allow us to showcase to the world what happened. We will not highlight these traces in order to forget our pain; we will highlight them to underscore our firm resolve never to lapse into such a low point in life,” he said.
Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, the Upper East Regional Minister, called for the commitment of all stakeholders to advocate for policies that would help address critical issues such as poverty, illiteracy, and inequality.
Mr Wisdom Ahadzi, the Upper East Regional Director of GTA, noted that the Pikworo Slave Camp was a sacred and significant tourist destination, and called on the government to prioritize its redevelopment to attract the needed tourists for regional development.
GNA
