The African American Association of Ghana (AAAG), in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), has marked the 2025 Juneteenth, a commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States (US), with a parade and cultural festival.
The event featured a parade walk from the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre to the Accra Tourist Information Centre, showcasing cultural performances from cultural troupes, exhibitions and sales of African artifacts from vendors.
The parade and festival brought together people from the diaspora and Ghana, promoting cultural exchange and unity.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Freedom in Motion: Bridging Legacies and Building Futures”. The celebration in Accra was a testament to the strong bond between the African diaspora and the motherland.
The Juneteenth is an annual celebration observed by members of the Diaspora Africans to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States (US).
It marked the day when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to announce the freedom of all slaves in the state. It represented a day of resilience, freedom and the ongoing struggle for equality.
Juneteenth is not just a commemoration of the end of slavery in the US; it is a call to reflection, unity and forward movement for the global African family.
Education, support for reparation
In an interview, the Vice-President of AAAG, Maurice Cheetham, told the Daily Graphic that the event aimed to educate Ghanaians about the history and significance of Juneteenth, which is not widely known in the country.
He explained the history behind Juneteenth, saying, “During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, declaring slaves in the southern states to be free. However, it took two years for the news to reach Texas, where enslaved people were finally freed on June 19, 1865”.
Mr Cheetham indicated that the AAAG planned to make Juneteenth an annual tradition in Ghana, promoting cultural exchange and education about African American history. He emphasised the importance of sharing this history with Ghanaians, highlighting the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.
The Vice-President of AAAG expressed support for reparations, citing the need for governments and developed countries to acknowledge and make amends for the historical injustices of the transatlantic slave trade.
Commitment, call to action
The Director of Corporate Affairs, Bright Asempa Tsadidey, in a speech delivered on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of GTA, Maame Efua Houadjeto, expressed Ghana’s commitment to fostering relationships with members of the diaspora as the country continued to position itself as the Gateway to the African Homeland.
She assured the AAAG that their support was not only symbolic but “strategic and intentional and rooted in our belief that reconnecting with the Diaspora is vital to Ghana’s sociocultural and economic transformation”.
