Atonement & Homecoming
- 10 Days
Adult
Description
Atonement and Reconnection Expeditions Spiritual Quest Tours:
The descendants of slave traders perform an Atonement to request forgiveness for their ancestor’s participation in the slave trade. The ceremony is sealed with the villagers washing the feet of slave descendants. Designed by the villagers as a symbolic form of apology.
Prior to departing on the pilgrimage experience we will take the results of DNA testing and coordinate with experts to trace your roots and reveal your ethnic group. The Pilgrimage experience starts with arrival to your ancestral homeland. You will meet other diasporans of this region and together you’ll learn the traditions of that ethnic group such as greetings, dancing, cooking and dressing. You will meet with prominent elders from the local community to learn about the family tree and history of your ancestors.
Next is a transformative experience at Salaga, a major slave market for slave trading during the 18th Century. There, the descendants of slave traders perform an Atonement to request forgiveness for their ancestor’s participation in such an inhumane act. The ceremony is sealed with the villagers washing the feet of slave descendants. Designed by the villagers as a symbolic form of apology. Your experience will conclude with attending the Panafest, a biennial festival held for the enjoyment of Africans, people of African descent, and for all who are committed to the wellbeing of Africans both on the continent and in the Diaspora.
Panafest unites through arts and culture, by highlighting the rich traditions of a people that have survived through years of change and movement. As a part of this experience, you will have the chance to visit beautiful parts of Ghana including rainforests, sites of ancient kingdoms and historic castles.
Duration
10 Days, 9 Nights
Group Size
30
Language
English
Included
- Accommodation
- Guide
- Security
- Meals
- Transport
- Nurse on Board
Excluded
- Car Rental
- Entry fees
- Personal Expenses
- Service Tax
- Payment for service provided on personal basis
Travel Itinerary
Day 1 - AKWAABA – WELCOME!
Arrive in Accra, Ghana where you will be met at the airport by your guide and chauffeur and transferred to your hotel for check in. Overnight at a hotel in Accra. Meals Included: Dinner.
Day 2 - July 24th, 2024 – ACCRA CITY TOUR
After breakfast, depart for a sightseeing tour of Accra, the Capital of Ghana. Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region.
In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artiste Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture, the Independence/Black Star Square, and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence. End the day’s tour at the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market.
Day 3 - July 26th, 2024 – ACCRA – TAMALE
Depart for a morning flight to Tamale (Flight time 1 hr). Upon arrival in Tamale, you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to your hotel. Overnight at a hotel in Tamale. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.
Day 4 - July 27th, 2024 – TAMALE – RECEIVE ATONEMENT AT SALAGA AND NAMING CEREMONY
Depart for a scenic drive to Salaga, one of the towns used as a major slave market during the slave trade. 
Meet with the traditional leader and tour the site where the slave trade started in the former Gold Coast.
In Salaga, you will find families whose ancestors were slave raiders, slave chains and shackles are still kept in some of the family homes.
The atonement will be sealed by villagers washing the feet of participants as an act of humility and a plea for forgiveness. This ceremony, designed by the villagers themselves, is a symbolic apology for the acts of their ancestors. Continue to the market site where the slaves were sold, known as the “Salaga Slave Market.”
Lay a wreath at the grave site commemorating those who did not survive the slave trade.
Then amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the villagers, participate in a naming ceremony where you will be given a traditional African name. The day will end with joyous celebration, including traditional drumming, dancing and a healing feast that includes the sharing of food between the descendants of the slave raiders and of the slaves who were taken to the new world. Drive back to the hotel in Tamale for overnight.
Overnight at a hotel in Tamale. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.
After dinner, participate in KASA (TALK TIME) – An opportunity to learn more about Ghanaian culture or simply talk to each other and share information about the experiences you are having on the tour. (This activity will be led by the tour guide).
Day 5 - July 28th, 2024 – TAMALE – KINTAMPO – KUMASI
Depart for a drive to Kumasi with a stop at the former slave markets of Kintampo and Assin Bono. Enjoy this scenic but haunting drive through the land where the slave trade took place. Notice the change in climate and terrain, which has a direct bearing on the population of Africans that the slave traders targeted. Visit the Kintampo Waterfalls to experience the cool, invigorating atmosphere created by nature and savor the breathtaking view of the cascading waterfall. Continue the drive to Kumasi.
Overnight at a hotel in Kumasi. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.
Day 6 - July 29th, 2024 – KUMASI CITY TOUR
This day is dedicated to exploring the legends of the famous Ashanti Empire, whose legacies are still evident today. You will visit Manhyia Palace Museum, to obtain firsthand information on the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. A regal history that dates back to 1700 is told with relics and artifacts.
Enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people. End the day’s tour at the National Cultural Center which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various studios of the brass makers, potters and batik makers.
Overnight at a hotel in Kumasi. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.
Day 7 - July 30th, 2024 – ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGE – ELMINA
This day, you will visit the three famous Ashanti craft villages. Depart for Ntonso the home of Adinkra cloth, and Bonwire, the Kente weaving village. You will have an opportunity to see how African crafts are made and to buy directly from the artisans who make them. Afterwards, depart to Elmina. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and relax.
Overnight at a hotel in Cape Coast/ Elmina. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8 - July 31st, 2024 – MEMORIAL AT ELMINA CASTLE – REVERENTIAL NIGHT
Visit the Elmina Castle. Another infamous castle and slave dungeon, Elmina was built by the Portuguese in 1482 as St. George’s Castle. This castle was the first European structure built in Sub – Saharan Africa. Explore the grounds and rooms full of haunting history. Stroll down to the beach for a memorial ceremony where each pilgrim will throw bread into the waters in remembrance of ancestors. A wreath with a candle will be solemnly pushed out to sea as a respectful moment of silence is observed in remembrance of those who died in the middle passage.
Enjoy a walking tour of the colonial town of Elmina. Elmina’s rich history is captured in its buildings. They tell the stories of the people of Elmina and their interaction with those who came from outside West Africa. Visit the colorful Asafo houses, which were used as a place for warriors to prepare mentally and spiritually before going to war. They are wonderful examples of how art is used in the daily lives of Africans.
After dinner, you will have the opportunity to participate in “Reverential Night.” There will be candle light processions and a vigil to commemorate the Africans who died in the slave trade. There will also be a moving ceremony and re-enactment of the slave passage through the “Door of No Return,” followed by a midnight declaration of Emancipation Day. This is the highlight of the Panafest celebration.
Overnight at a hotel in Cape Coast/ Elmina. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.
Day 9 - August 1st, 2024 – EMANCIPATION DURBAR AT ASSIN MANSO
Drive through the former slave route to Assin Manso, the final transit point for enslaved Africans before being shipped off to the new world. You will have the opportunity to visit the slave dungeons as well as the final resting place for two ancestors whose mortal remains were returned from the USA and Jamaica and re-interred in Ghana.
The Emancipation Day Celebration is opened with a Grand Durbar of Traditional Chiefs and people of the Central Region. Witness this grand, colorful and spectacular event that showcases the pomp and pageantry of Ghana’s traditional rulers, dressed in rich Kente and adorned in glittering gold jewelry. Discover the African rhythm in you as you dance to the beat of the ‘Fomtomfrom’ drums.
Overnight at a hotel in Cape Coast/ Elmina. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.
After dinner, participate in KASA (TALK TIME) – An opportunity to learn more about Ghanaian culture or simply talk to each other and share information about the experiences you are having on the tour. (This activity will be led by the tour guide).
Day 10 - August 2nd, 2024 – ELMINA – ACCRA – DEPARTURE
Return to Accra early in the morning. Lunch will be on your own in a local Ghanaian restaurant. Next, visit the Arts Center, where you will have an opportunity to use your bargaining skills to shop for artifacts from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. Early evening transfer to the airport for check-in and departure.
From $3,450.00
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