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PANAFEST and Emancipation Day Celebration 2005 "Re-Emergence
of African Civilization" Duration: 13 days and 10 nights Airline: KLM/Northwest Departure airports from US: Most International Airports in the USA Departure
airport from Ghana: Kotoka International Airport, Accra. Day
1: Friday, July 22nd, 2005 Day 2: Saturday, July 23rd, 2005 Arrive at Schiphol Airport in the morning and transfer to a midday flight to Ghana, West Africa. Arrive at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana at 7.15 p.m. Upon completion of immigration and customs formalities, you will be met by our tour guides and transferred to your hotel for check in. After dinner, retire to your hotel room. Dinner
on own account, Overnight: Cresta Royale Hotel Day 3: Sunday, July 24th, 2005 After a breakfast and a brief orientation meeting we will begin our tour of Accra, the capital city of Ghana. Venues of interest include, W E. B Dubois Center, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and the Independence Arch and Square. We will also visit the Arts & Crafts Center to shop for Arts, Crafts, Jewelry and African Fashions. Early evening return to hotel to refresh ourselves. After a Welcome Dinner, spend the rest of the evening at leisure. Lunch
on own account, Welcome Dinner included, Overnight: Cresta Royale
Hotel Day 4: Monday, July 25th, 2005 We will embark on an early morning road trip to Kumasi, the former capital city of the Ashanti (Asante) Kingdom and current capital city of the Ashanti Region. Upon arrival, we will transfer to our hotel and check in. After lunch, the afternoon will be spent on a city tour of Kumasi. Venues of interests include the Kumasi Cultural Center and Manhyiaa Palace and Museum, the official residence of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, Enjoy your dinner and spend the evening at leisure. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included Overnight: Miklin Hotel Day 5: Tuesday, July 26th, 2005 The day will be spent visiting the various craft villages to see Asantehene's (Ashanti King) royal court appointed craftsman and artisans at work creating Kente Cloth at Bonwire Village. This will be an opportunity to purchase Kente Cloth at its source. We will also tour the Wood carving craft village of Ahwiaa and the Adinkra Cloth craft village of Atonsu. This visit will afford you the opportunity to see the craftsmen and artisans at work creating their wares and also to make purchases. After dinner, the evening will be spent at leisure. Lunch
on own account, Dinner included, Overnight: Miklin Hotel Day 6: Wednesday, July 27th, 2005 - Official Opening Ceremony Early breakfast and check out of the hotel. Depart from Kumasi on our journey to Cape Coast and Elmina the centers of the Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) and Emancipation Day Celebrations. Upon arrival, we will go directly to Cape Coast Castle to participate in a colorful Opening Ceremony of international dignitaries and invited guests and interact with other Africans from the Diaspora participating in the festival. We will transfer to our hotel in the afternoon and check in. After an opportunity to rest, we will go on a formal tour of the Cape Coast Castle classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the Slave Dungeons, the West African Museum and watch a documentary, "Cross Road of Trade and People" After the Castle tour, we will head to Center for National Cultures (CNC) and the PANAFEST Village at Adisadel Park to enjoy the diverse array of theatrical, musical and cultural performances. After dinner, the evening will be spent at the Center for National Culture or the PANAFEST Village. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included, Overnight: Elmina Beach Resort Day 7: Thursday, July 28th, 2005 - Colloquium: Women's Day and HIV/AIDS Participate in seminars through out the day at Cape Coast University and the Center for National Culture, discussing "Women's Issues and the HIV/AIDS Pandemic" Brainstorm and rigorously debate the state of the African Family particularly in the context of the HIV/AIDS scourge. Bring the knowledge systems, experience of Africans from throughout the Diaspora to bear in the development of creative solutions to these enduring problems. After dinner, the evening will be spent at the Center for National Culture and PANAFEST Village enjoying theatrical, musical and cultural performances. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included, Overnight: Elmina Beach Resort Day 8: Friday, July 29th, 2005 - Return Journey - Akwaaba Ceremony Participate in a Historic and Symbolic journey by Boat or Canoe from the "Door of Return" at Cape Coast Castle to Elmina Castle. Arrive to a rousing traditional Welcome Ceremony by the Paramount Chief, Elders and Citizens of Elmina Traditional Area. Spend the afternoon participating in the Youth Day Colloquium. Discussions will focus on how the "HIV/AIDS Pandemic affects the Youth of Africa" After dinner, the evening will be spent at the Center for National Culture and PANAFEST Village enjoying theatrical, musical and cultural performances. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included, Overnight: Elmina Beach Resort
Day 9: Saturday, July 30th, 2005 - Grand Durbar of Chiefs, Queenmothers and Elders Early morning breakfast and head out to Kakum National Park to experience the exhilarating heights and view from the Canopy Walk; a bridge suspended more than 100 feet above the floor of a tropical rainforest. Return to Cape Coast by 11.00 a.m. to join the Grand Procession of Chiefs, Queenmothers and Elders through the principal streets of Cape Coast to Victoria Park Witness the pomp and pageantry of Ghanaian Culture through the royal display of Traditional Rulers at a colorful durbar at Victoria Park. Traditional rulers play a central and important role in the governance of civil society. After dinner, the evening will be spent at the Center for National Culture and PANAFEST Village enjoying theatrical, musical and cultural performances. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included, Overnight: Elmina Beach Resort Day 10: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 Special Programs and Reverential Evening Spend the morning on a tour of Elmina Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour the dungeons and compound of this castle utilized in the Slave Trade and walk to the local fishing harbor outside the castle walls to learn about the main economic activity, which sustains these coastal towns and villages. In the afternoon, participate in pre-arranged - specially packaged programs for brothers and sisters from the Diaspora who either wish to go through or have their children go through Traditional Marriage Vows, Naming Ceremonies and Rites of Passage. After dinner, we will participate in the Reverential Evening activities by joining in the Candlelight Procession through out the streets of Cape Coast to the courtyard of Cape Coast Castle. The evening will be spent Commemorating our Ancestors and will end with a midnight Declaration of Emancipation Day. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included, Overnight: Elmina Beach Resort
Day 11: Monday, August 1st, 2005 - Emancipation Day After breakfast, depart on a drive to Assin Manso to join in the Emancipation Day Durbar of Chiefs and people. You will also have an opportunity to witness the Pouring of Libation before proceeding to the Slave River, "Nkonkonso" where our ancestors were afforded their last bath before being shipped off as slaves to the Americas. The evening will be spent at the official Closing Ceremony of PANAFEST 2005. It will consist of a Dinner/Dance Awards held at the Center for National Culture. Lunch
on own account, Dinner Included, Overnight: Elmina Beach Resort
Day 12: Tuesday August 2nd, 2005 Spend the morning packing for your return flight to the USA. Late morning check out of hotel to embark on a scenic drive along the palm fringed, golden sand beaches of the Atlantic Ocean to Accra. Arrive in Accra in the mid-afternoon and transfer to Kotoka International Airport to check in for your KLM Flight to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. After completion of the check in process we will head to a restaurant for a Farewell Dinner. Upon completion of dinner and saying our goodbyes, we will transfer to the Airport for final check in at 9.00 p.m. Lunch on own account, Farewell Dinner included
Day
13: Wednesday August 3rd, 2005 Upon
arrival in the USA, transfer to connecting flights or rides home.
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