High air fares killing PANAFEST

Chairman of Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST), Mohammed Ben Abdallah, has stated that PANAFEST is fast losing its significance.

This, he attributed, to the cost of air tickets.

According to him, the historical theatre festival has been recording low patronage from Africans in the Diaspora in recent times as a result of the exorbitant charges of the various airlines operating in the country.

Mr. Abdallah indicated that air fares have been shooting up regularly making it practically impossible for many Africans abroad to attend the festival which is observed bi-annually.

The chairman made this known on Wednesday during this year’s launch of PANAFEST and Emancipation Day at Elmina.
The launch, which was on the theme; “Re-uniting the African family-Challenges and Prospects”, is expected to start from July 22 to 31.

He disclosed that due to the high air fares, countries participating in this year’s celebration have been forced to drastically reduce the number of delegation from their respective countries.

He lamented that the situation, if not properly addressed, would defeat the purpose of the festival which seeks to promote unity between Africans on the continent and those in the Diaspora in promoting Africa’s contribution to world civilization.

Mr. Abdallah has therefore appealed to the Ghana Airport Authorities to put in place mechanisms to ensure that airlines operating in the country offer special discount, especially during PANAFEST and Emancipation celebrations, to increase patronage.

In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Ben Anane Nsiah, the Executive Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, Mr. Julius Debrah, explained that PANAFEST and Emancipation aims at bringing together blacks who were transported abroad during the slave trade era home to trace their ancestry.
He further explained that government therefore instituted the festival to re-connect the African family and to enable Africans tell the slave trade story the proper way and the lessons learnt from it.
“This festival is also to make Africa a medium for investment and also help to pass on the heritage of Africa to our brothers in Diaspora,” he said.

The Omanhene of Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, who chaired the function, reiterated the need to re-unite with Africans in the Diaspora saying “once their ancestors are here in Africa, they need to come home.”
He appealed to corporate organizations and the private sector to sponsor the programme to enable blacks scattered around the world through no fault of theirs, to visit their motherland (Africa).

The Executive Secretary of PANAFEST, Rabbi Kohain Halevi, on his part, revealed that this year’s celebration would be different in focus to serve as a sober reflection on all previous celebrations since it begun in 1992.

He stated that the festival would begin on July 22 with an Akwaaba Dinner in Accra and officially opened on July 25 in Cape Coast where all the ten regional houses of chiefs would be represented until it has officially ended on July 31st.
PANAFEST was inspired by Dr. Efua Sutherland, a dramatist and Pan-Africanist in 1991 in Cape Coast to establish the truth about the history of Africa and experience of its people using the vehicle of African arts and culture.

Attached pix shows Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. James Agyenim-Boateng, launching the official website for PANAFEST after launching this year’s festival in Elmina

Pix two shows From left the Omanhene of Assin Apimanim Traditional Area, Rabbi Kohain Halevi, Barima Kwame Nkyi, Osabarima Kwesi Atta and James Agyenim-Boateng during the programme launch