HACSA Summit 2019, 400 Years On

The summit aims to link, reunite and reconcile affected communities and share examples of innovation and creative strategies to overcome the persistent effects of the transatlantic slave trade.

The event will coincide with Ghana’s National ‘Year of Return’, which symbolically marks the 400th anniversary since enslaved Africans arrived in the US and will take place at the prestigious Kempinski Hotel in Accra from 5th to the 11th of August 2019.

HACSA is a volunteer-led, volunteer-run, non-profit, non-partisan non-governmental organisation and social enterprise founded by Ambassador Johanna Odonkor Svanikier, Ghana’s former Ambassador to France, Portugal, UNESCO and La Francophonie.

successful launch of the event took place in April and was attended by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, The Honourable Barbara Oteng-Gyasi MP and other notable personalities from both public and private sector institutions.

The Summit will examine the 400-year legacy of the trans-Atlantic trade in enslaved African people.

This year, the event will bring together Heads of State, opinion leaders, practitioners, academics and participants from Africa and the diaspora to have open and meaningful debates on how to develop the continent including the Vice-President of Liberia, H.E Jewel Howard Taylor; Ghana’s First Lady, H.E Rebecca Nana Akuffo-Addo; former President of Ghana, H.E John Agyekum Kuffuor, Vice-Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Prof. Arthur Mutambara; Impact Investor & Advisor in Africa.

Topic to be discussed at the event are Legacy, Communities and Innovation and it will be a unique opportunity to bring people together, create a global valued network of Africans from the Diaspora, African-Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, young people, large delegations of African Diaspora bankers from Wall Street, investors and those who are interested in reconnecting and see Africa’s potential and opportunities.

Activities
The Summit will include keynote speakers, panel discussions, academic presentations from descendants of the renowned enslaved African-American Venture Smith and the descendants of Barclays Bank, Innovation, Trade and Investment Expo, an archaeological exhibition of objects salvaged from the Marine Drive Site by the Department of Archaeology of the University of Ghana, a film screening with some cast/crew of The Black Panther Movie, a remembrance and candlelight vigil, a Gala dinner dance showcasing African food, fashion, music and guided tours of key heritage sites in Ghana.