The Chairman of the Council of State, Professor Kofi Awoonor, on Wednesday lamented that the African continent was in crisis and that there was a new conspiracy to “recolonize it in the name of democracy”. He said the recolonization agenda of today was similar to the earlier colonization of Africa where most of its human and natural resources such as gold, diamond, timber and slaves were exported to the Americas, and that the target today was on the oil resource of the continent and not the welfare of the citizens. Prof. Awoonor said this at the opening of a two-day colloquium held at the University of Cape Coast as part of activities marking the ninth edition of the celebration of Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) under the theme, “Reuniting the African family: challenges and Prospects”. The colloquium which was attended by professors, members of the PANAFEST Foundation, chiefs and a cross section of the public as well as students from Trinidad and Tobago, was to deliberate among other things pragmatic programmes and projects that would enhance the sustenance and development of PANAFEST into a world class event. Prof Awoonor noted with concern that due to the recolonization plan, the kind of education people acquired did not allow them to appreciate themselves, stressing that even degree holders refused to think of who they were and what they could do, but rather restricted themselves to a dependency syndrome, of which the West continued to exploit Africa’s wealth and leaving the continent to wallow in poverty. The Council of State chairman said the African continent had become the continent of shop-keeping for the selling of other people’s goods, stressing that more than 95 per cent of goods sold in most African markets particularly Ghana were imported. He was also unhappy that leaders of the continent had failed in their efforts to unify Africa which was still saddled with crisis, civil and ethnic wars in countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Libya and Cote d’lvoire, and stressed that perpetrators of such crises were from the West. Prof Awoonor urged the brothers and sisters from the Diaspora to trace their roots and integrate with their families in Africa, noting that this would be the greatest respect they could pay their ancestors. Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Minister of Tourism underscored the importance of the celebration of PANAFEST to the economy of Ghana and said everything would be done to sustain it. She called on the various universities in Ghana to conduct relevant research on Ghana’s tourism industry and come out with an innovative and creative programme that would help to boost the industry. Ms Dansua said the success of the industry depended on all stakeholders, stressing that the government alone could not provide the needed funds to sustain the industry. Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape coast, in her welcoming addressing commended the PANAFEST Foundation for sustaining the festival for the past 19 years, and indicated that Africa had rich experiences which should be used for the development of the continent. Dr Mohammed Ben Abdallah, Chairman of the PANAFEST Foundation, noted with concern that the enthusiasm with which the festival was celebrated in previous times had declined drastically. He said in this regard, it was imperative for the foundation and other stakeholders to “restart the engine and move forward” to avoid the collapse of the festival which, apart from its economic benefits to the country, also allowed Africans in the Diaspora to reunite with their families in Africa. Source: GNA