Tourism Ministry launches PANAFEST
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts yesterday launched this year’s Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST), with a call on traditional authorities and the various assemblies to develop innovative ways of increasing their ownership of the festival.
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The occasion was also used to launch the Ghana Carnival, a contemporary arts and culture event meant to celebrate Ghana from December 10-12, 2015 after PANAFEST, which is scheduled for December 5-9, 2015.
This year’s PANAFEST was moved from July/August as a result of the impact of the Ebola outbreak on travelling to West Africa.
Speaking at the launch of the twin events, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, stressed on the significance of the festival, saying, “Not celebrating PANAFEST this year would have had dire consequences on the brand worldwide.”
Background
PANAFEST was mooted by the late Efua Sutherland in the mid-1980s as a cultural vehicle for bringing Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora together around the issues raised by slavery that remain suppressed.
The biennial event addresses the traumatic interruption that occurred in the natural evolution of African societies.
This year’s event will run on the theme: “PANAFEST at the threshold of the Decade for People of African Descent”, a theme that echoes the United Nations’ declaration of 2015-2025 as the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The decade provides a solid framework for the UN and its member states, civil society and all other relevant actors to join together with people of African descent and take effective measures for the implementation of the programme of activities to fight issues including discrimination, marginalisation and racism in the spirit of recognition, justice and development.
According to UN figures, there are around 200 million people identifying themselves as being of African descent living in the Americas. Many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent.
In that regard, the minister said the goal of the ministry was for “Africans living on the continent to take ownership of this declaration if it is to have any real effect on the lives of African-descended people”.
Programme line-up
Programmes lined up for this year’s event include the opening ceremony and Akwaaba programme at the forecourt of the Cape Coast Castle on December 5, wreath-laying at the grave site of returned ancestors and a memorial service, procession to the Ndonkor Nsu for libation pouring, theatre performances, workshops and drama performances.
The carnival begins with a float on some streets of Accra, costume showcase, street carnival/float and performances by regional groups.
The minister said some West African countries had confirmed their participation in this year’s event which promised to be grand.
A member of the PANAFEST Foundation, Prof Esi Sutherland Addy, asked people of African descent to see themselves as inextricably linked together, not just by their roots but also their shoots and fruits.
