2025 Panafest: Chiana Pio calls for healing, unity, and Pan-African activism

The Paramount Chief of Chiana, Pe Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam III, has called on Africans across the world to seize the commemoration of this year’s Panafest and Emancipation Day to pursue healing, reconnection, and unity in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.

Speaking at the mini durbar held yesterday July 19 at the historic Pikworo Slave Camp in Paga, the Chiana Pio welcomed guests from Ghana and the diaspora, urging all to reflect deeply on the festival’s purpose.

“As we gather here to commemorate this sacred festival in the tourism calendar, let’s all see this day as a moment of remembrance, of healing, and of reconnection with our beloved families in Ghana and across the globe,” he said.

He described the Panafest and Emancipation Day as a time of “remembrance, reunion, and renewal,” noting that while the transatlantic slave trade ended many years ago, its legacies of injustice and inequality remain present in today’s world.

The Chiana-Pio also emphasised the need for collective strength to build an inclusive and just future for all Africans and people of African descent.

“As we mark this year’s celebration, let us remind ourselves that the legacies of slavery, colonialism, and injustice are still prevalent despite the fact these atrocities officially ended many years ago,”

“We must continue to confront the ramifications of the past, defined by our collective strength, unity and vision for an inclusive and just future for all.”

Pe Ditundidni further called on the youth to carry forward the values of unity, creativity, and dignity embodied in the festival.

“To our teaming youth: Let this festival inspire you to carry forward the values of our heritage for deep reflection, healing, and transformation.”

He also extended warm greetings to the African diasporans who travelled to participate, assuring them of their place among their people.

“You are welcome home. Your ancestors, our ancestors, remain forever linked to this land. As you walk your journey to Pikworo, Paga, and Upper East Ghana, may you find an opportunity for deep reflection, healing, and transformation.”

The festival featured cultural performances, artistic displays, and a solemn vigil at the slave camp. The Chiana-Pio, in his speech, reminded participants to let their commitment to Pan-Africanism guide their advocacy for a sustainable future rooted in dignity and creativity.

Pikworo Slave Camp

The Pikworo Slave Camp, established around 1704 near Paga-Nania in Ghana’s Upper East Region, served as a transit centre where enslaved Africans were held, auctioned, and marched southwards to markets like Salaga and eventually the coastal castles for shipment across the Atlantic.

Enslaved people were kept there under harsh conditions, and the site still bears carvings in the rocks used as eating bowls, water collection spots, and auction grounds.

Today, the Slave Camp stands not only as a reminder of the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade but also as a symbol of African resilience, strength, and hope for a united future.

Mike 105.3 FM | Navrongo | Alexander Kubabom