Cape Coast Sister City Committee Announces Ghana Trip
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— "Sisters" from Pittsfield and Cape Coast, Ghana, will meet in West Africa this fall to celebrate their new Sister City designation.
Last month, Mayor Peter Marchetti and Metropolitan Chief Executive George Justice Arthur, of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, made the partnership official with a virtual signing ceremony. The second half of the event is a delegation trip from Nov. 1 to Nov. 11.
In a Monday newsletter, Cape Coast Sister City Committee Chair Teeashia Scott said the June 19 signing "marked the beginning of a relationship grounded in shared history, culture, and a vision for a stronger future between two communities and the broader diaspora."
She said the group is now looking ahead to 11 days in Ghana, West Africa, "the second half of our Sister City signing." The $3,200 trip, called "Sacred Roots — Cross Cultural Experience," includes a mixture of culture and sightseeing, community engagement, and celebration.
"Highlights of the trip include: Traveling the sacred paths that connect Ghana's past and present, from ancient landmarks to modern-day centers of education and development. Look forward to engaging with local communities and experiencing different regions of Ghana firsthand through art, music, dance, and cuisine," the description reads.
"Be part of establishing long-lasting connections between Pittsfield and Cape Coast by participating in leadership workshops, collective discussions, and collaborative sessions focused on education, culture, sustainable development, and cross-cultural exchange."
Costs include hotels, welcome and farewell dinners, transportation, daily breakfast, all tours, activities, and events, and a beachside wellness spa experience. A $333 deposit is required, and payment plans are available.
Over the week and a half, residents, community leaders, and cultural ambassadors will gather from both nations to celebrate unity, exchange knowledge, and deepen connections. At the signing ceremony, Marchetti and Arthur said they hope to honor the past and build the future through cultural, economic, and idea sharing.
Cape Coast is the former national capital of Ghana and is considered an educational hub and tourist destination. In 2021, it had nearly 190,000 residents.
"Honestly, it started as an idea for just an annual Ghanaian celebration here in Pittsfield," Scott explained at the signing ceremony.
"We do have a lot of Ghanaians. There's a large Ghanaian population here."
Those interested in attending are asked to register before Aug. 9 to reserve a spot. The flight departs from JFK Airport in New York and lands in Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
On the first day, guests will be welcomed in the city of Accra for an Akwaaba (welcome) dinner. In the coming days, the group will tour the city, visit the "Last Bath" site in Assin Manso that was a stop along the transatlantic slave trade route, and visit the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles. From Nov. 5 to Nov. 9, the group will be in Cape Coast learning about the community and celebrating, and on Nov. 10, there will be a wellness spa experience by the beach.
The tour of Accra includes a visit to the National Museum of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Independence Square, and a visit to the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre.
Du Bois, a sociologist and founding member of the NAACP, was born nearby in Great Barrington and moved to Ghana at the age of 93.
The Ghanaian government opened the W.E.B. DuBois Centre for Pan African Culture in 1985. Its website explains that DuBois was referred to as the "Father of Pan Africanism" for organizing several Pan African congresses in the early half of the last century.
"The most significant among them was the 1945 congress in Manchester. This congress paved the way for Africa's independence from colonialism," it reads.
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