On Saturday, that is tomorrow, the township of Nuhalenya, a small farming community in Ada, where Nkyinkyim Museum is located, will receive arts lovers, people from the academia, diplomats, traditional leaders, students, visitors from abroad, and various music groups, for this year’s Ancestor Veneration.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s festival is taking place in October but will have the same spiritual significance as before. Known for its spiritual impact, visitors will witness the beauty of African prayers through libation.
There will also be the performance of traditional rites for enslaved Africans. As part of the ceremony, a solemn procession will take place, and visitors will see various sculptures representing some of those enslaved and the state in which they were found. Again for this year’s event, a conversation will take place and will be on the topic, ART OF HEALING DESCENDANT PAIN.
The panellists will be Darius Mattheson, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, the creative brain behind it, Mary Yeboah and Sela Adjei. The conversation takes place later this evening at 7pm, and will be moderated by Elizabeth Tayo Johnson.
Mainly reflecting on the trauma associated with enslavement, the panellists will try and offer some perspectives on the pain the painful scars descendants of those enslaved continue to live with, and how the pain can addressed and in what form. In a press statement, organisers say the Ancestor Veneration ceremony will focus on; prayers for the ancestors, special prayers for the enslaved ancestors and those lost in travel.
The famous rites of twins who have lost their other half and fertility blessing for those who want to bear children, especially twins. The ceremony is one of the sacred projects for the museum.
It is also dedicated to undemonizing African traditional religions, promoting cultural awareness, fostering community spirit among locals and the broader African diaspora, and providing a meaningful platform to honour our shared history and traditions.
The Ancestor Project is a non-profit organization founded by Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist, activist, and educator Kwame Akoto-Bamfo.
The Ancestor Project is dedicated to fostering healing for people of African descent from the legacies of colonialism and enslavement through art, education, and cultural heritage preservation. The organisation also seeks to empower Africans and preserve our rich cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible.
Nkyinkyim Museum is an ongoing project under the Ancestor Project, led by founder and CEO Kwame Akoto-Bamfo. The museum is constantly evolving to seamlessly combine community-based African art, spirituality, history, and performance to promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage, such as traditional African art and its related intangible heritage; drumming, dancing, traditional rites and healing traditions, knowledge of natural spaces, land cultivation, and cooking skills.
The Nkyinkyim Museum, through its various programs, is committed to guiding visitors (the public) through restorative and transformative justice leading to healing.
This year’s festival will be attended by the Youth Chief of Prampram, Nene Teye Nartey I. Since his enstoolment in the Prampram Traditional Area, Nene Nartey I has been engaging various youth groups in the traditional and how they can work together to grow the town together.
Among other things, part of the plan is to engage the arts community in Prampram for them to revive abandoned spaces for the starts of arts programmes. His participation in the ceremony is an opportunity to observe the process and also how to forge a collaboration between the museum and his office in Prampram.
Additional file from Nkyinkyim…
