The Ancestral Renaming Experience — Coming Home
A deeply sacred and transformative day for members of the African diaspora. Receive your Akan name from the queen mother and palace elders, trace the path of your ancestors at the Slave River, and stand at the Door of No Return — this time returning, not leaving.
- Akan ancestral renaming ceremony with the queen mother & palace elders
- Personal Akan name certificate — hand-signed by the palace
- Kente cloth presentation & traditional drumming & dance performance
- Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River & Cape Coast Castle
- Round-trip transportation
- Hotel pickup & drop-off
- Queen mother & elders ceremony fees
- Akan name & official certificate
- Kente cloth presentation
- Drumming & dance performance
- Breakfast en route
- Lunch & afternoon snack
- Bottled water & snacks
- Knowledgeable guide
- Professional driver
- All site entry fees
Driver and guide meet guests at hotel. Guide delivers a thorough briefing on the significance of the day. Respectful attire required: no all-black clothing; vibrant colours or white preferred.
Hot Ghanaian breakfast at a trusted roadside stop. The guide helps guests identify their own Akan day name ahead of the ceremony. All dietary needs accommodated.
The centrepiece of the day. The queen mother and palace elders welcome the diaspora group. The six-stage ceremony: opening invocation, traditional libation pouring with guest participation, individual renaming by the queen mother, Akan name certificate, Kente cloth presentation, and celebratory drumming & dance.
Guests walk together to the Slave River immediately after the ceremony. Having just been named and welcomed back, this visit carries an entirely different emotional weight. Entry fee included.
Sit-down lunch at a well-regarded local restaurant. Ghanaian staples: light soup with fufu, jollof rice, banku with tilapia, or waakye. Vegetarian options available.
Full guided tour — the dungeons, the governor's quarters, the chapel, the museum, and the Door of No Return. The guide frames the visit: your ancestors left through this door. You came back. Entry fee included.
Quiet snack stop by the Cape Coast waterfront. Each guest speaks their new Akan name aloud. Group photos with Kente cloth.
Return drive to Accra. Light refreshments in vehicle. Dinner not included — guide provides recommendations.
To prepare your Akan name ceremony, we need a few details from you at booking: your full name as it should appear on the certificate, your date of birth (day and month), your country of origin, any dietary requirements, and confirmation that you'll avoid all-black clothing on the day — vibrant colours or white are preferred. We submit this to the Assin Manso palace at least 7 days in advance to prepare everything. Group size is capped at 20 guests to keep the ceremony intimate — if you're a larger group, we'll arrange across multiple dates. Dinner is not included. Cancellations are accepted up to 7 days before the tour due to the advance palace preparation required.
Free cancellation up to 7 days before (palace confirmation required)