NUHALENYA-ADA, GHANA – Ancestral members from the African Diaspora participated together with the local community in a memorial ceremony held at Nkyinkyim Museum on Saturday that recognised their forefathers who suffered due to the transatlantic slave trade.
Set amongst striking sculptures created by Ghanaian artist and founder Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, including poignant depictions of enslaved people bearing heavy iron shackles, the gathering brought together participants from Suriname, the UK, the US, Nigeria, and various local tribes. Dressed in white traditional attire, attendees marched, sang, danced, performed sacred rituals, and presented symbolic offerings to foster spiritual reconnection.
Before the ceremony, participants attended restorative therapy sessions and workshops led by traditional experts, ensuring an inclusive, collective healing experience.
“It is our responsibility to identify the means of commemoration and make it a collective, holistic ceremony that recognises everybody’s community,” explained Akoto-Bamfo, highlighting the museum’s mission to preserve African heritage through sculpture, oral history, and traditional rites.
For many, the day proved deeply emotional. Diaspora participant Norma-Jean Richardson shared that she spent much of the gathering in tears, adding: “We need to keep the culture alive; we need our people to know that, because of all the trauma that our people have gone through, we need to love each other.”
Through art, heritage, and community healing, the Nkyinkyim Museum remains a key place of refuge where Africans can reconnect with their past and honour their ancestors’ legacy.
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