The Hedzranawo Museum of Slavery, one of the three-town tourism projects being developed in the Somé Traditional Area of the Ketu South Municipality, is expected to be commissioned in November, this year.
The other two, Adzido Slave Market Centre and Adafienu Palace Slave Museum, which are at different stages of completion, received funding from Gerda Henkel Foundation in Germany, aimed to help put the three communities; Hedzranawo, Adzido and Adafienu, on the slave map and boost tourism potentials in the Volta Region.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the sites showed work on the Hedzranawo Museum of Slavery was almost complete, while that on the Adzido Slave Market Centre required some carpentry works, water reservoir, a functional washroom and painting.
Much more work is required on the Adafienu Palace Slave Museum project.
Prof Wazi Apoh, a Development Archaeologist and initiator of the projects, told the GNA that work on the Hedzranawo Museum was 95 per cent complete, while those on Adzido and Adafienu museums were 70 per cent and 50 per cent complete, respectively.
“So far, we have done most of the work on Hedzranawo Museum of Slavery and what is left is to bring the exhibition materials to put in the showcases inside the museum galleries,” he said.
“We are also working on the underground vault to have a canopy over it and put some wooden staircases into the vault for people to have some additional experience.”
“We are hoping to get some national service personnel from October (2023) and a curator and a manager to manage the facility. And I’m hopeful that by November, we will commission the project to start accepting visitors.”
Prof Apoh, also a Heritage Expert and Dean of Arts, University of Ghana, said each of the seven sessions of the museum would feature aspects of slavery in the three-town area.
The area abounds in tangible and intangible relics of slavery including centuries-old buildings for keeping slaves and materials involved in the trade.
GNA