Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has proposed the further development of the Assin Manso Memorial Garden in the Central Region into a world class tourist site.

She said, in this direction, the current community factor in tourism could be further refined and strengthened to stimulate the necessary investment through the mounting of exhibitions and capacity building for guards and site managers.

The Memorial Park has the Nnonkosuo (Slave River) where the slaves from other parts of the country took their last bath before being sent to the Cape Coast and Elmina castles to be transported overseas.

It also has the slave market, historical edifices and the Reverential Garden hosting the tomb of two renowned African slaves; Carson and Crystal, whose remains were reinterred over a decade ago.

Speaking at a Grand Durbar at Assin Manso on Friday to climax this year’s Emancipation Day Celebration, Mrs Ofosu Adjare said Assin Manso was the custodian of an important place of humanity and, therefore, the need to preserve that history.

The celebration was under the theme: “Our Heritage, Our strength” with “Reuniting the African Family for Development “as its sub theme.

This year’s celebration, which marked the 16th milestone of Emancipation Day Celebration in Ghana, brought together Government officials, chiefs and Africans from the Diaspora.

Emancipation Day Celebration is an annual event observed to commemorate the resistance and liberation of African people in the Diaspora against enslavement and violation of their human rights. It is held on August 1, each year, to mark the abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1834.

Mrs Ofosu Adjare commended the paramount chief, his elders and town folks who, through their active collaboration, led to the creation of the Memorial Park where Africans in the Diaspora reconnected to their roots.

She said the Ministry had launched a nationwide domestic tourism dubbed: “Explore Ghana” which was aimed at educating Ghanaians to know the nation through her culture, tourism and creative art resources.

The Central Regional Minister, Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, said the celebration was an opportunity to learn about the slave trade and find ways of turning the tragedy into something positive for the country and the entire continent.

He said the celebration had become a powerful vehicle that had enhanced, in a positive way, the process of uniting Africans and others in the Diaspora.

He said the celebration was a period to critically examine the society and remove any cultural, economic and political shackles that held back the progress of society.

Barima Kwame Nkyi XII, Paramount Chief of Assin Apimanim, commended the people for their commitment towards the celebration and appealed for its sustenance.

Dr Michael Baffoe, who spoke on behalf of Africans in the Diaspora, bemoaned the dependence of the country on donor support, describing it as shameful, and appealed to Ghanaians to be more patriotic to facilitate development.

Wreaths were laid on the graves of the two slaves at Reverential Garden.