By
Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, June 19, GNA – The Black Star Line
Cooperative Credit Union (BSLCCU) has launched the Marcus Garvey Awards Ball
and Banquet, to reward people who embodied the concept of Pan-Africanism and
helped to achieve economic strength.
The awards night, which comes off on August 18
at the Swiss Spirit Alisa Hotel in Accra, seeks to promote and celebrate
African excellence in the Diaspora across different categories.
The day, which falls on Marcus Garvey’s 131st
birthday anniversary would award Africans, who are doing marvellously in the
area of business, science and innovation, arts and culture, sports, governance
and politics, and education, among others.
Tickets are available on sale at Airport
Shell, BSLCCU offices as well as delivery on call.
Marcus Garvey was an advocate of Black
Nationalism in the United States and most importantly Jamaica. He was a leader
of a mass movement called Pan-Africanism and he founded the Universal Negro
Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL).
Mr Garvey in his quest to create wealth and
help Africans in the diaspora, founded the Black Star Line, a shipping and
passenger line, which promoted the return of Africans to their ancestral lands.
Madam Naomi Palmer Buchanan, the Chairperson
of BSLCCU, speaking at the event, said a number of people, who are doing great
things for Africans liberation, would be nominated by shareholders of the Union
but a few would be shortlisted for the awards.
She said the proceeds from the awards ball
would be used as the seed capital for the land on which a Marcus Garvey Centre
would be built.
The Centre would provide accommodation, shops,
a restaurant, sporting facilities, a recreation park and office spaces for
local and international clienteles.
The Centre would serve as the headquarters for
the BSLCCU, Ghana Caribbean Association and UNIA-ACL Accra chapter.
“It will be designed specifically to accommodate
a family atmosphere and will house a research library, conference and sports
facility,” she said.
The Marcus Garvey Centre would be a
multimillion cedi facility, envisioned to be a globally relevant light house on
the continent of Africa for the preservation of his philosophies, principles
and the advancement of Afrocentric achievement across all endeavours.
This is expected to attract and generate a
steady stream of activity that would entice international visitors for
conferences, tours, seminars, workshops, among others, and contribute
significantly to the local economy.
Madam Josephine Ohene Osei, the Director,
Ministry of Tourism, who represented the Minister, congratulated the BSLCCU for
coming out with such an initiative to help Africans find their identity as
Black people.
She said the Ministry was happy that the
Marcus Garvey awards would be given the leverage to commemorate this
illustrious son of the land.
Madam Osei pledged the Ministry’s support to
the initiative and urged that organisers created a social media platform to
educate young ones to keep the African history alive.
There will be a “Life Time Legacy Award” given
posthumously to Madam Winnie Nomzama Zanyiwe Madikizela for her personal
dedication and drive to fulfil the liberation of oppressed people.
Former President Jerry Rawlings will also
receive a “Special Award” for his contributions to the development of diasporan
relations with Ghana.
The Black Star Line Cooperative Credit Union
(BSLCCU) is a credit union focused on fostering economic reawakening among
pan-Africans for wealth creation within communities.
GNA