Emancipation Day – 1st August 1838

The word ‘emancipation’ means to set someone free from the control of another person.

In Caribbean history emancipation (or freedom) from enslavement took place on 1st August 1838.
Immediate Emancipation; In the West Indies; Aug. 1st, 1838.

https://goo.gl/images/4uqiGd or http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-f425-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
This picture (titled ‘ Immediate Emancipation) by the artist \\Alexander Rippingille) shows a family celebrating their freedom on Emancipation Day.
The original engraving (carved by Stephen Henry Gimber) is stored in the archives at the Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture ( New York, USA).

In 1998, Ghana for the first time invited the “dispersed children of Africa” to participate in the celebration of the Emancipation Day. It is an annual event celebrated in Ghana. In our days, Ghana is officially a unitary presidential constitutional democracy (wikipedia). In Ghana, slave trading started in the 16th century. 1998 celebration of the Emancipation Day started in 1998 by of former President Jerry John Rawlings. August 1st is the period that Ghana celebrates Emancipation day. Strategic venues for the celebration in Ghana are the Cape Coast, Elmina, Accra, Keta, Akwamu, Bono Manso, Assin Praso and Assin Manso.

* Black Star of Africa * first African nation to join in the celebration in 1998 to re-affirm her status as the Gateway to the African Homeland of people of African descent in the Diaspora * was a major exit point for slaves on the West Coast in the period that the infamous trade took place * commitment to the total liberation of all sons and daughters of African descent * Assin Praso town is the crossing point on the Pra River from the Northern sector of Ghana to the South

The Emancipation Day is always signifying what was done in the UK parliament in 1833. This came into effect on the 1. of August 1834 and became the date of celebration of the Emancipation Day in some countries in the Caribbean. In summary, it was the freedom of slaves under the British domain in that area . The Caribbean’s started to celebrate Emancipation Day around that period. It also had connections with a lot of British Empire states.

Former president Jerry John Rawlings went over to the Caribbean’s on one of the Emancipation Day festival weeks. It is unclear, if anybody is using the term festival but, it is a month of activities. Ghana got involved in it, when he brought back the idea to Ghana in 1998. However as for Ghana, he only got involved in it, a couple of years later.

It could be that, before 1998, there were some kind of celebrations with regard to PAN - African nations - culture and diaspora. This may have connected or merged with the Emancipation Day of what Rawlings introduced (copycat of what Jamaica was doing). This needs clarification.

So, first they were dealing with a day, then they were dealing with a week of activities. Then they got involved with cultural activities. Then the tourism got involved and then there was the situation where location was a bit of an issue. It was originally started in Accra, then there was a couple of other areas, then Assin Praso and Assin Manso.

The development of the Emancipation Day celebration was up and down.

Here you can review over the years

The Afrikan World Reparations and repatriation Truth Commission (AWRRTC) is an NGO that was founded by African American residents of Ghana under the patrinage of the Ministry of Communications and Ghana Tourist Board at the conclusion of Ghana's first Emancipitation Day commemoration in 1998 (author: Anne Reed, publisher: rudledge)