GTA to commission Salaga Slave Market for 2024 Emancipation Day celebration

THE Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) will commission the Salaga Slave Market and Wells in the Savannah Region as part of the 2024 Emancipation Day celebration.

The celebration, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC), is scheduled for Monday, July 22 to Thursday, August 1, 2024.

This year’s theme: "Unity and Resilience; Building Stronger Communities for a Brighter Future", aims to ignite unity among the global African family.

In a statement, the GTA announced that Emancipation 2024 would feature the unveiling of the newly restored Salaga Slave Market.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer, will lead the commissioning ceremony, accompanied by the Kpembe Wura, Babanye Ndefosu II, and the Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Mr Akwasi Agyeman.

The 2024 Emancipation Day celebration will feature a range of events, including a durbar at Pikworo Slave Camp in the Upper East Region on July 23, to honour the resilience and shared heritage of our ancestors.

This will be followed by an event to pay homage to the legacy of Dr Efua Sutherland.

A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park on Thursday, July 25. Later, a durbar of Chiefs will take place at Assin Praso on July 29, followed by a celebration of cultural heritage at Elmina on July 30.

The events will end with a special and respectful night in Cape Coast on July 31. This will include a procession with candles, a call to honour ancestors and poetry performances.

Finally, the Emancipation Day Durbar will be held at Assin Manso on August 1, where wreaths will be laid to honour the resilience of former enslaved Africans, followed by a visit to the Donkor Nsuo, the River of Return.