On February 23, 2025, the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts, hosted a commemorative occasion marking the 157th anniversary of the start of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois.
The ceremony, held on the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture in Cantonments, Accra, Ghana, featured reflections on his life and work, together with a solemn wreath-laying ceremony to honour his enduring contributions to Pan-Africanism, racial fairness, and social justice.
The programme commenced with the arrival of the delegation led by Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff, who represented the President of the Republic, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.
The occasion opened with an invocation, adopted by the Ghanaian National Anthem, setting the tone for a day of insightful discussions and tributes.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie emphasised Ghana’s privilege and accountability as custodians of the stays of nice Pan-African figures like W.E.B. Du Bois.
She highlighted the Du Bois Center as a key cultural and historic web site below her ministry, reaffirming the federal government’s dedication to preserving and selling Pan-Africanism.
The minister acknowledged the alignment of this initiative with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto and her private dedication to making sure its success.
Expressing gratitude to all who’ve contributed intellectually, financially, and thru advocacy, she famous the current World Bank-funded renovation of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park for instance of ongoing efforts to reinforce Ghana’s cultural heritage.
She welcomed the monetary commitments made towards the Du Bois Center’s restoration and pledged to assessment earlier plans to advance the undertaking.
The Minister additional emphasised the significance of the Black Star Experience, a flagship programme championed by her ministry, and known as for collective help, prayers, and goodwill in fulfilling these objectives.
In a second of cultural reverence, she invited the viewers to face and applaud in honour of W.E.B. Du Bois on his 157th birthday, underscoring the importance of his legacy in shaping Ghana’s inventive and cultural panorama.
Japhet Aryiku, the Executive Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, prolonged a heat welcome to all in attendance to all in attendance and clarified that the Government of Ghana had neither offered nor leased the Du Bois Centre land to the muse.
He revealed that as an alternative, the muse has dedicated to elevating tens of millions of {dollars} to develop the power for the advantage of the Ghanaian folks.
He emphasised that below the settlement, the muse is devoted to restoring and renovating Dr. Du Bois’ iconic bungalow, with full funding already secured.
Mr.Aryiku additional introduced plans to assemble a brand new memorial to accommodate Du Bois’ stays, alongside an area for reflection and meditation, that includes an everlasting flame. Additionally, a state-of-the-art museum will probably be established to honor the life and work of Dr. Du Bois and Shirley Graham Du Bois.
Given Du Bois’ in depth world contributions over his 95-year life, Aryiku acknowledged the monumental nature of the undertaking however reaffirmed the muse’s dedication to perform it.
He additionally highlighted the important have to protect Du Bois’ in depth assortment of books and papers, that are deteriorating because of Ghana’s humid local weather.
To deal with this, the muse has partnered with the Library of Congress below a four-year settlement to supply technical help for restoration and conservation efforts.
Mr.Aryiku expressed pleasure in regards to the upcoming building of a world-class analysis library that may home these invaluable works, making them accessible to students and most people.
Representatives from the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, the Du Bois household, the Government of the United States, and the Government of Ghana positioned wreaths in his reminiscence, accompanied by music that underscored the second’s significance.
This was adopted by remarks from Mr. Daniel Rose, Chairman of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, delivered by Dr. Deborah Rose.A distinguished panel shared reflections on the outstanding life and work of Dr. Du Bois.
Among the audio system have been Odell Murry, Custodian of the Du Bois Legacy, Dr. Preston King, an American tutorial and civil rights activist, Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste, Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, Prof. Alhassan S. Anamzoya, Head of Sociology on the University of Ghana, Ramsey Ryan, Chief of Staff on the Library of Congress, and Jeffrey Peck, great-grandson of Dr. Du Bois. Each speaker shared highly effective insights into Du Bois’ affect on civil rights, scholarship, and world Pan-African actions.
The occasion was additionally graced by the presence of a number of dignitaries and crucial figures, together with Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, Hon. Samia Yaba Nkrumah, H.E. Irchad Razaaly, European Union Ambassador to Ghana whose help and participation additional emphasised the importance of this gathering.
The W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation stays dedicated to preserving Du Bois’ legacy and fostering schooling on Pan-Africanism and social justice. The gathering served as a robust reminder of his lasting affect and the continuing efforts to honor his contributions to world historical past.
The mission of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation is to honor the lifetime of W.E.B. Du Bois and Shirley Graham Du Bois by reworking the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture right into a world-class museum complicated, selling a deeper understanding of African and African American historical past, and fostering world dialogue on racial fairness, justice, and cultural heritage.
At the guts of its imaginative and prescient, the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation seeks to advertise the examine and appreciation of African and African-American heritage, historical past, and tradition.
Through exhibitions, analysis, and academic initiatives, the muse strives to encourage new generations to embrace and proceed Du Bois’ imaginative and prescient of justice, equality, and mental empowerment. With a steadfast dedication to preserving historic narratives, the muse works to make sure that Du Bois’ teachings and philosophy stay related in right this moment’s society.