Black Americans Continue to Return to Africa

Akwaaba! This greeting means “Welcome” in Ashanti, which is one of the 50 indigenous languages spoken in Ghana. In 2019, Ghana executed a campaign called The Year of Return, marking 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to U.S. shores from West Africa. It was part of a multiyear initiative to increase global tourism to Ghana and to make the nation a destination of choice for U.S. travelers – specifically calling Black Americans to make a physical and cultural reconnection to the land of many of their ancestors.

Since then, Black Americans have been taking up the offer to go to Ghana in order to reconcile with a lost part of history. Many who have visited have discovered that Ghana is a vibrant, lively, enriched community, quite unlike what is often portrayed on Western television. There is a strong sense of culture and celebration that gives Black Americans a idea of just how connected we are although hundreds of years apart and thousands of miles away. Ghana offers a unique history of stories told and untold along with a deeper understanding of the truth. In American schools, much of what is learned about Black history begins with the enslavement period; however, this is simply not true. Black history begins in Africa and Ghana provides a history lesson that will close holes in one’s own ancestral story.

Tours of the infamous Elmina Castle where the first enslaved people were captured and shipped during the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade after entering through the Door of No Return, give Black Americans a deeper understanding of what the ancestors endured and a way to reclaim all that was lost, including a sense of identity. Embracing hair and skin as beautiful parts of a person’s being and where the history of African kings, queens, and leaders are celebrated are attractive considerations when deciding to go. Ghana also offers dual citizenship making it an even more attractive destination for Black Americans looking to relocate to the continent.