He believed that the African continent and the diaspora had the capacity to rise up again and reshape their destiny.

“Africa has everything to be the most efficient continent, yet, we have been destroyed by the Europeans. But, we can use the creative ability to challenge the system through the ‘vessel’ of Pan Africanism and begin from the beginning,” Prof. Akosa stressed.

He said these on Friday when he spoke on ‘Pan Africanism: The obstacles’ at the second Bisa Aberwa Museum lectures held at Nkontompo, near Sekondi in the Western Region with supports from the United Nations  Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Ghana Tourism Authority(GTA).

The renowned pathologist recalled how Europe from the 15^th to 19^th centuries had moved across the oceans, robbed and totally exploited both the human and material wealth of the African continent through slavery and colonial market economy, dominated by profit motives, for about 400 years.

He explained that Africans did not understand his situation because “we are all in mental slavery, and absolutely dysfunctional.”

Africa, Prof. Akosa said, was colonised by people who knew nothing about the continent, saying “everything we had was taken away and we are totally de-culturalised. They said, teach them to talk like us. All these happened with propaganda against you. That we were savages living in the bush,” he added.

He agreed that religion was “the opium of the masses” and also taught Africans of a ‘better life tomorrow’ while Europeans believed in a ‘better life today’  and the business of hope prosperity.

The educational system, he said, also distorted the realities of the African continent.

The Omanhen of Essikado, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, recalled the roles of Pan Africanists,  including WEB  Du Bois, Marcus Garvey Franz Fanon, Kwame Nkrumah and George Padmore, saying “ the struggle of Pan Africanism  is a journey.”

He added, “To be an African is about African consciousness, free from mental slavery, from cognitive dissonance.”

The Country Director of UNESCO in Ghana, Abdulrahman Diallo, applauded the Bisa Aberwa lectures and assured the management of the organisation’s support to champion the course of the African continent and the diasporas to promote peace, political and social progress of the people.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr Kwaw Ansah, said the lectures were designed to tell and share the stories of the African and Pan Africanism.