A virtual forum on leveraging African cultural heritage as a strategy for integration and regional development

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QUIBDO, CHOCO, REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA — On Thursday, September 17, 2020 the Pan-African Council alongside the Government of Choco, Colombia is co-organising a virtual forum entitled “Cultural Heritage as a Strategy for Integration and Regional Development”.

The Chocó Department is a region of Colombia known for its overwhelming Afro-Colombian population, nearing 90% of the total population. Located in the west of the country, it is the only Colombian department to have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. The Fiestas de San Pacho (The St. Francis of Assisi Festival) is held annual in the department’s capital Quibdó, which consist of sixteen days of barrio-based parades and religious observations, with other activities that begin a month earlier. These celebrations have served as an affirmation of community and a claim to belonging and ownership of African heritage, as a form of cultural resistance.

This virtual forum will be carried out with the objective of commemorating Heritage Month in the Department of Choco, Colombia, where local, national and international speakers will be invited to address the issue of cultural heritage as a regional integration and development strategy. Special guests will discuss ways in which culture can be used a catalyst for development and the lessons that can be learned from a global perspective that involves the experiences of people of African descent in the United States and Brazil. This forum is geared towards artists, creators, cultural managers, members of the area, culture and heritage councils, municipal cultural coordinators and secretaries, and the general public.

The event, held in Spanish, is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

On Monday, September 21, global leaders and notable personalities will be convening for the launch of one of the most important projects of cultural and historical significance of our time, the Pan-African Heritage World Museum.

The brainchild of Honorable Kojo Yankah, founder of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), The Pan-African World Museum will be a uniquely curated virtual and physical space located in Ghana, West Africa. The museum is dedicated to sharing the true story of Africa and its people under the watchful eye of the world’s most noted scholars from the birth of civilization to present day. The vision of the museum is to curate, preserve and communicate the history, ideals, philosophy, and cultural heritage of people of African descent within a 21st century context of social, economic and political development.

“After centuries of separation, people of African descent have an obligation to share a common space that helps to bridge the wide gap that exists among them as a result of deliberate mis-education and historical oppression. The Pan African World Heritage Museum fulfills this obligation,” said Honorable Yankah.

With a projected completion date of 2022, the museum is supported by an international NGO governance model with board of directors and the most prolific group of academic scholars overseeing the development. It has been endorsed by the government of Ghana, UNESCO, the African Union, the Association of African Universities, and more.

The virtual conference which is being organized by pan-African media company Face2face Africa, a partner of the project, will take place on Monday, September 21st from 11am to 12:30pm.

“Centuries ago when enslaved Africans walked through the “Door Of No Return” in Cape Coast to a world unknown, it was not simply an abduction of human resource. It was a symbolic moment that severed ties between those home and away. At Face2face Africa, the quest has been to mend these ties as well as be the loudest voice telling the story of Africans separated by chains and by choice. And that is why we are proud to be a part of a historic Pan-African Heritage World Museum project in Winneba, not far from the Elmina Slave Sastle,” said CEO of Face2face Africa, Sandra Appiah.

The vision for the museum including plans to raise $30 million to complete the project will be unveiled at the launch. President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo will be delivering the keynote address. Other speakers include Eminent African Traditional Leaders, some of the major Scholars on the Academic Council, and Coordinators from across the world. Ghanaian artist Sarkodie, and American rapper and singer Mos Def, Ambassadors of the museum project, will perform. Media Partners include Africa.com, Media General of Ghana, Africa 400 Radio, and DSTV.

The event is free and open to the public. To register, click here. To learn more about the Pan-African World Museum and how you can support, visit www.pahw.org or email info@pahw.org.

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