Assin Manso (Central Region) 23 March ?99
A number of people of African descent in the United Kingdom are to attend the forthcoming Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) to be held in Cape Coast, Elmina and Accra from July 30 to August 8, this year.
Barima Kwame Nkyi the twelfth, Omanhene of Assin Apimanin Traditional Area who disclosed this on his return after a tour of the U.K., said those who showed interest did not however, know the date for the festival. He therefore, took the opportunity to brief them on the programme and the essence of the festival dedicated to the enhancement of the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the development of the African continent.
The Omanhene's month-long tour was by courtesy of KLM (Royal) Dutch Airlines after winning the Ghana tourist board's national award for his exemplary traditional authority support for tourism development in 1996. Assin Manso, seat of the traditional area which has a slave route project, also won the "Visitor attraction of the year" award for 1997 organised by the regional tourist board.
During the celebration of Emancipation Day last year, the remains of two persons of African descent, Samuel Carson from New York, USA, and Madam Crystal from Kingston, Jamaica, were interred at Assin Manso to signify the re-unification of Africans in the Diaspora with their kith and kin on the African continent. Barima Nkyi said the visit took him to the transatlantic slavery gallery at the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside in Liverpool. He stressed the need for his colleague chiefs to establish museums in their various traditional areas in addition to their festivals to serve as tourist various traditional areas in addition to their festivals to serve as tourist attractions. In a related development, the executive secretary of the PANAFEST Foundation, Mr S.S. Annobil, said the PANAFEST programme would be launched in London, next month.
