Accra, July 23, GNA- African Americans in the Diaspora arrived in the country on Saturday to participate in the Pan African Festival (PANAFEST) and Emancipation day celebrations.

The PANAFEST, which would officially open on Wednesday July 27, and Emancipation day scheduled for August 1, are annual and biennial events respectively celebrated in remembrance of African heroes who fought against slavery and those who died as a result of the slave trade. The African Americans, basically from the United States, Carribeans and the Bahamas will spend most of their time at Cape Coast, Elmina and Assin Manso where the events would take place.

The first batch of the group, who arrived last week were presently at Salaga and Paga in the Northern part of the country to trace slave roots and would later join their colleagues in the final celebrations. Mr Kwame Ansong, Director of Sunseekers Tours LTD, who met the group on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, told the He said the celebration of Emancipation Day would focus on honouring Africans, who played key roles in the fight for freedom in Africa.

Dr William Godfred Davies (with Agbeko as the Ghanaian name) from Los Angeles said Ghana, which is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Human Rights, must fight for reparations from countries that engaged in colonialism since most of the labour force of affected nations were taken away.

He said most African countries are under-developed because the strongest people who would have worked to help develop their countries were taken away as slaves.

Dr Davis, an expert in jurisprudence, said FANAFEST and Emancipation day celebrations needed to be advertised more in the US to create awareness in order to attract more people to participate in the events. Dr Thaddus Macdonalds, Leader of the Bahamas National Children's Choir, who came with 63 members to sing at the events, expressed satisfaction about the organisation of the celebrations.

Mesdammes Pamela Pinkette and Tracy Nelson who would stay in the country for two weeks, said they hoped to have a good time while in the country and were looking forward to meet loved ones to give them the feeling of being at home again.