Paga: Water Wells Festival draws hundreds to Pikworo Slave Camp

The 2025 edition of the annual Water Wells Festival has been held at Paga as part of activities to commemorate the Heritage Month celebrations.

Organised by the Management of the Pikworo Slave Camp in collaboration with Water Wells – a group of African-Americans who trace their roots to Paga-Nania in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.

The festival brought together hundreds of people both home and abroad to witness the display of rich culture,  tradition and get exposed to tales of the rich heritage of the historical slave camp.

Speaking on the sidelines of the festival, Tony Riddick, spokesperson of the African-American Group, gave an insight into the origin of the Water Wells Festival.

“We were coming from the United States of America and we were visiting the Paga slave camp. When we arrived, we noticed that women were walking long distances to fetch water so we decided to help them. We merchandized our first well, five years ago to help the locals of this community”, he said.

He said since then, Water Wells has not relented in its efforts to enhance the lives of people, adding that a total of five boreholes have been mechanized in different communities.

Riddick urged Ghanaians and Africans at large to rally behind the development of the continent, pointing out that it is the only way to make Africa great.

“We need you here building Africa, we need our talents to build Africa. The only way Africa will rise is you. The only way Africa will grow is you, you have to make it grow”, he encouraged.

Touching on the history of the Pikworo Slave Camp, a Board member of the camp, Simon Kugoriamo, took the gathering through the history of the camp;

“Here at the Northern part of Ghana, the Pikworo slave camp is actually the main camp that was supplying slaves at the time”,

“This part of the country was called the Upper Volta. So here, they gathered slaves and camped them for some time before they were sent to the sSalagaslave market, then to Cape Coast and then finally shipped to America”, he narrated.

Participants were treated to a colourful display of culture from dance troops, majestic singing and dancing from women groups, poem recitals from school children, good food and a tour of the Pikworo slave camp.

Mike 105.3 FM | Navrongo | David Adapuna