Emancipation Day Celebrations 2023
Emancipation Day Celebrations is celebrated in Cape Coast by the Chiefs and people of Ghana and Africans in the Diaspora. It is a festival of arts and culture which serves as a homecoming event for Africans living elsewhere as a assault of Slave Trade. The festival unites Africans and Africans in the Diaspora by tracing ancestral roots and linkages. The festival revisits the political and socio & cultural effects slavery had on the African continent.
Day 1
Arrival – Accra
Upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, a representative of Blastours will meet guests for a hotel transfer.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Accra
Day 2
Accra
Join in a wreath laying ceremony with tributes to the Ancesters at the George Padmore Library.
After lunch, we visit the W.E.B Dubois Centre for Pan Africanism, a library to commemorate the late W.E.B DuBois. The Centre was established in 1985 by the Ghana government to encourage visitors to contemplate the ideals to Pan Africanism and to reflect upon the work of Dr. Du Bois.
Continue with a walk through the fishing village of James Town. Situated where the Gulf of Guinea sends tidings from the Atlantic Ocean, Jamestown happens to be one of the oldest settlements full of beautifully disheveled colonial buildings, clapboard houses and corrugated iron shacks – but it remains one of the most vibrant districts in the Accra
Here, we will spend the evening to a live band performance.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Accra (B)
Day 3
Accra – Kumasi
Depart for the Ashanti Region ‘the Kingdom of Gold’ with a legacy of fine craftsmanship and cultural traditions.
On arrival, we visit the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Ashanti Kingdom. Its large compound holds statues of past Kings and Queens of the Ashanti Kingdom. This palace remains in use today and houses an interesting history museum.
End the day at the Kumasi Cultural Centre, which offers a good account of the rich Ghanaian culture, provides evidence of the Ashanti Kingdom’s eminent past. It houses the Prempeh II Jubilee museum, which provides a fascinating collection of Asante’s history.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Kumasi (B)
Day 4
Kumasi – Cape Coast
Morning depart to the Assin Praso Heritage Village to witness a Durbar of Chiefs and the People.
Continue trip to the Central Region. On arrival, we visit the Cape Coast Castle (Fort Carlsborg), which was under Swedish administration.
Experience a walk through the Door of No Return. Marking the beginning of a perilous journey of our ancestors. Only this time we will also experience a return through the same doors. Take a walk through the ancestral Cape Coast township.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Cape Coast (B)
Day 5
Cape Coast
Participate in a naming ceremony amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the villagers and also be given traditional African names.
Set off on a day trip to the Western Region along a coastline marked with forts and castles including Fort St. Sebastian, a prime example of both Portuguese and Dutch influences.
Visit the Bisa Aberwa Museum, dedicated to promoting African values and celebrating Pan-African heroes.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Cape Coast (B)
Day 6
Cape Coast/Elmina
Experience a guided tour of the Elmina Castle, declared as a UNESCO World heritage site, was built by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine). It is a well preserved castle with an incredible history and infamous for its pivotal role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Continue with a walking tour through the Elmina township to view some houses built in colonial style, including the Dolphin house, Churches and the Dutch Cemetery. Also visit the Asafo Shrines, where warriors prepared mentally and spiritually before going to war.
In the evening participate in the reverential night at the Cape Coast Castle; candle light processions and vigil to commemorate the Africans who died in the slave trade. There will be a ceremony and re-enactment of the slave passage through the “Door of No Return”. Midnight Declaration of Emancipation Day.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Cape Coast (B)
Day 7
Elmina –Assin Manso – Accra
Set off to participate in an Emancipation Day celebration, which will be opened with a Grand Durbar of Traditional Chiefs. Witness this grand ‘colorful’ and spectacular event that showcases the pomp and pageantry of Ghana’s traditional rulers. These festivities are held at Assin Manso, the site of the “last bath” where slave are taken for bath before being shipped to the new world. This is also the venue of the annual Emancipation Day celebrations, held in remembrance of the gallant Africans who died during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and to immortalise their souls.
Return to Accra in the late afternoon.
In the evening, we visit +233 Bar and Grill also for a live band performance by a local band.
Overnight stay at a Boutique Hotel in Accra (B)
Day 8
Accra – Departure
Start the day with a visit to the Artists Alliance Art Gallery for contemporary African art. This is a well-respected gallery of painting and sculpture by established and up-and-coming Ghanaian artists.
Continue with a drive by the Osu Castle (Christiansborg), which was originally built by the Danes.
Stopover at the Independence square, the location where Ghana was first declared a free country. Here, we will see monuments dedicated to Ghana’s independence struggle.
Visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum (the final resting place of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President). The Mausoleum is surrounded by water which is a symbol of life. Its presence conveys a sense of immortality for the name Nkrumah. It shows that even in death he lives on in the hearts and minds of generations here and generations yet to come.
No overnight stay (B)
Tour Dates
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End Date:
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Customised
Inclusions
- Transportation daily in an Air Conditioned vehicle
- Accommodation in the best boutique hotels
- Breakfast daily
- Entrance fees to listed attractions and activities
- Bottled water daily
- A dedicated English speaking tour guide
Book a Tour
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