More African Diasporas Visit Ghana As Part Of ‘The Year of Return’

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Africans march on New York streets during the African Day Parade.png

President Nana Akufo-Addo declared the Year of Return in September 2018 in Washington, D.C.

By Benson Afful

Photo Courtesy: Alamy /Richard Levine: Africans march on New York streets during the African Day Parade

More than 200 Africans in the diaspora visited Ghana this year as part of the ‘Year of Return’ an initiative of Ghana’s President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to mark the 400 years since slavery.

President Nana Akufo-Addo declared the 'Year of Return' in September 2018 in Washington, D.C., for Africans in the Diaspora to come to Africa and explore the cultural heritage of the continent.

The Year of Return, Ghana 2019, campaign target the African–American, and Diasporas, marking 400 years of the first enslaved African arrived in Jamestown, Virginia.

Many of these Africans have spent all their lives in Europe and America visited for the first time an Africa country to familiarize themselves with the African culture. Most visited places like Kwame Nkrumah Museum, Kakum National Park, Elmina Castle, and, Cape Coast Castle — most slaves were kept before finally shipped to Europe.

President Akufo-Addo addressed the African Diasporas at a durbar in Matse Abona, a suburb of Accra, popularly called 'British Accra' or ‘James Town Accra’ where the British colonial masters built one of their forts, known as, the Ussher Fort.

The event coincided with the ‘Homowo’ festival. A festival by the indigenes of Matse Abona or Jamestown, Accra. Many African in the diaspora participating and catching a glimpse of the cultural display of the indigenes. Some ‘home-comers’ couldn’t hold their excitement, involved with the cultural display put on their African costumes, and locally made products to show their root.

They also took part in one of West Africa’s biggest street festival known as the ‘Chale Wote’ festival.

‘Chale Wote’ literally means 'friend let’s go' is a street festival depicts art, music, color, and talent amongst Africans.

As an annual event, the ‘Chale Wote’ street festival has gained popularity among art lovers and people who appreciate the telling of the story through art and music.

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Theo Edwards

Theo Edwards has over twenty years of diverse Information Technology experience. He spent his days playing with all things IBMi, portal, mobile application, and enterprise business functional and architectural design.

Before joining IBM as Staff Software Engineer, Theo worked as a programmer analyst and application specialist for businesses hosting eCommerce suite on IBMi platform. He has been privileged to co-author numerous publications such as Technical Handbooks, White paper, Tutorials, Users Guides, and FAQs. Refer to manuals here. Theo also holds a degree in Computer Science, Business Administration and various certifications in information security and technologies. He considers himself a technophile since his engagement at Cable & Wireless then later known SLET.