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Virtual Experience Part I

Virtual Experience Part II

Virtual Experience Part III

Akwaaba: This is my Ghanaian greeting as you read about my rich experience in Ghana. I would be remiss if I did not mention the length of this post; however, it was an extensive experience, and I hope what is shared below allows you to enjoy a journey that will forever be life-changing. This moment in time would not have been possible without the immense contributions of Solomon, Regina, Samuel, Patrick, & Joey, as well as Kweku Ansong and the part he played in our naming ceremony.

Eat & Excerise

Before going, a colleague, who is from the area, warned me about the spiciness of the food. I told her, “Bring it on!” I was doing well until I bit into a pepper that had seeds…

I wouldn’t say that I veered too far off the path of familiarity and enjoyed tasting the foods my friends ordered including Fofo and Jollof rice, Beef Carbonate, and Per Peri chicken. By day 3 of this experience, I recognized that if I did not pack a lunch, it would be a long day between breakfast and dinner. Thank goodness that the ability to make a good PBJ sandwich is like muscle memory and when you combine that with a fluffy croissant, it was as if I struck gold. Sometimes it is about the simple things in life, right? I normally am not a fan of beer, but did find one with lemon that I enjoyed and would recommend, Club Shay.

There were no McDonald’s but plenty of KFCs. As I never made it to one, I cannot confirm or deny if they received the colonel’s secret 11 herbs and spices. The two most memorable meals were from Ike’s Bar and Grill (we met the owner who also has a restaurant in Atlanta), and the Sky Bar. The two runner-up meals were courtesy of Cafe Bar Noir and Bosphorus.

Now to exercise, for the most part, I hit my exercise goal daily and on the trip back to Accra from Kumasi, my iWatch counted the bumpy ride as exercise… Let’s just say, I will never complain about potholes in DMV. Unfortunately, this trip did not allow me to exercise an experience at Ma’ati Spa but the waterfall massage is on the bucket list for sure!

Pray

I recently came across a quote that deeply resonated with me: “Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you’ll never get the same moment twice.” When asked what this quote meant to me, I replied, “Time is precious, and every moment of life should be lived and loved in a way that positively impacts others and oneself.”

I have started the year by reading Brené Brown’s book, “The Gift of Imperfection,” and I have a lot of work to do to live a wholehearted life. What does that mean? It means moving away from perfectionism, self-certainty, self-sufficiency, and judgment, and moving towards a space that allows the mind and heart to live in harmony with hope, authenticity, creativity, faith, play, and love. For someone like me, who loves a neat and tidy checklist, this journey will be anything but…It will be messy, but it will undoubtedly be worthwhile.

Love

I feel incredibly blessed to have visited my fifth continent, which is also the birthplace of my ancestors. Although I was unable to visit Nigeria this time around, which accounts for 47% of my DNA according to MyHeritage DNA, I was only an hour and a half away. I was in West Africa which accounts for another 12%. It was an amazing experience to see so many beautiful faces that looked like mine and to feel the rhythm and strength that is part of my heritage. Hearing the voices, yes sometimes in French, seeing the dancing, and feeling the rhythm of the drums brought my heart joy. For many of our tours, we heard our brothers and sisters from Africa say with pride and a beaming smile, “Welcome Home.”

Teach

Below are some highlights from the twelve-day tour of these three countries in Africa: Ghana, Benin, and Togo. Again, lest the post become too lengthy, I tried to catalog the most memorable experiences and am ending this post with pearls of wisdom gathered along the way.

Ghana (Once the center of the European slave trade): The few days spent in Ghana included adventures that led us to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Old Accra, specifically, Jamestown and Usshertown, Cape Coast, Osu Castle (also known as Fort Christiansborg), which is located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, and the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture – a memorial. Highlights from these locations are as follows:

Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts of Accra. What first catches your eye is the iconic lighthouse with the bright colors of red and white, flanked by other vibrant colorful buildings. This fishing town is a mixture of strength and savviness, as the women are said to be the lifeline to success. What does this mean? The men work and bring back the goods that only the women sell, as they are wise entrepreneurs. Solomon, one of our main tour guides, also said, “If you educate a man, you educate one. If you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” Although poverty is present, also palpable is the perseverance of my people and the creativity of their spirit, heart, and hands. Each day I saw faces and spirits that radiated resilience.

I will admit that I do not remember learning about Kwame Nkrumah much in school when growing up. His story is nothing less than remarkable. One of the quotes mentioned resonated with me, “We face neither east nor west; We face forward.”

W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture is where the man, some say to be the most important Black protest leader in the United States during the first half of the 20th century, is buried. He became a citizen of Ghana. The center opened in 1985, is a research facility and tourist attraction. In speaking of citizenship to Ghana, in 2019, the government partnered along with U.S.-based Adinkra Group to lead the campaign, ‘The Year of Return.’ It was intended to encourage African diasporas to come to Africa (especially Ghana) to build homes and businesses and it is still being encouraged 5 years later.

By day 3, I have a light touch of jet lag and there is nothing like a trip to a rainforest walking on a plank with encased nets, to awaken the senses. Kakum National Park, where the main attraction according to Lonely Planet is the canopy walkway suspended 98 feet above the forest floor over trees that are 300-plus years old, did not disappoint. There are seven walkways and the hymn, “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” didn’t subside in my spirit until the third bridge.

This day also provided a visit to Elmina Castle, which was built by Portuguese traders in 1482 and is known as the first European slave trading post. There are no words to describe what occurred to those kissed by the sun as a result of those who were deviant, and destructive, and who made it their mission to dehumanize those who did not look like them and who looked like me. The Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River, also known as Nnonkonsuo or Donkor Nsuo, and sadly known as the door of no return, was also in Kumasi, Ghana. I would like to think that I grew up in a home that taught and enhanced my education. It was not until I had the experience of the castle and the river, that I truly felt the importance and the resilience of Kunta Kente in Alex Haley’s, Roots. My eyes witnessed dungeons that once housed slaves, who sometimes walked barefoot for weeks and months, only to be led to cells where they remained until it was time for them to begin their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Those of my African descent, if they survived, were led through a dingy corridor to an exit that faced the Atlantic Ocean. Those who were deemed too weak to make the journey or too deviant in obeying their new masters were often either tossed in mass graves or left to rot in a smaller cell until their bodies could be disposed of in the ocean. As I briefly mentioned above, the Ancestral Slave River was a soul-stirring experience. The tour began with us singing the first stanza of the black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” We traveled barefoot on the sacred ground on the path our ancestors took to the river. When we made it to the river we sang, “We Shall Overcome,” “It is Well,” and after praying and being sprinkled by the power that resides in that river, we ended the experience by signing, “Redemption.” Kofi, our tour guide for this site, led us through a spiritual experience that has left an imprint on my mind, heart, and soul. Our emotions went through a rollercoaster experience and ended with him saying in a jubilant voice, “Welcome Home!” I would say that another reason why the phrase, “Welcome Home,” means so much is because it is the phrase we use as Kingdom Fellowship AME when a brother or sister accepts Christ or joins the family of faith. When it is said, you can feel the rich unity and can draw from the strength of the faith of those around you.

Togo: The phrase “To Togo, we go” ended with the thought “Togo, no go!” Why you may ask? Because of the border crossing experience. Traveling in a large group comes with its own set of challenges; however, a 3-hour process to cross a border pushed the limits. I appreciate that I was traveling with tour guides turned family and my close friends whom I consider family as we were able to make the most of it. So overall the border experience left me saying in their native French tongue, “Comme ci Comme ça.”

Another positive from Togo was the stay at Hotel Onomo. The atmosphere was full of beautiful art and the black soap was E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. The manager, Ben Badji was very accommodating and made the stay much more pleasurable.

Benin: While I’ve visited Venice in Italy before, I must say that it’s strikingly distinct from the Venice of Africa. Ganvié Lake Village, located in the Benin Republic, is known to be the largest floating village on the continent. This village was constructed over 400 years ago during the slavery era, right in the middle of Lake Nokoué. It has a population of around 20,000 people who have their own hospital, schools, and way of life. The village was created by the Torino people who took to the lake to avoid being held hostage and turned into slaves by the Europeans.

This tour also provided an intimate experience with Ambassador H.E. Christine Chucher. The hospitality shown as we visited the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana will forever be cherished. She and her team listened to our appreciation of Ghana and were asked to provide feedback on what could make the experience in Ghana even more enriching. Ambassador Churcher spoke with a full heart and her words were felt and received as such.

The biggest highlight, thus the last mentioned in this section was in Kumasi, Ghana, where I took part in a naming ceremony. Kweko from TripAdvisor delivered an experience that I will forever cherish. Your African name is based on the day of your birth and is given on the eighth day on earth. I had to provide the elders with my date of birth, and after being dressed in traditional garb and participating in a ceremony, I was named, Akua Sarfowaa, which means that I am a pacesetter and unifier.

Teach – Other Interesting Facts

The people of my ancestors celebrate birth, coming of age, marriage, and death. To marry a woman, the man must present her family with a dowry. When a loved one goes home to glory, some families even take out loans. At first, I wondered why, but as I drove through the country I saw beautiful tributes posted on billboards and even saw the shop where you can have custom-made caskets made to display your profession or love (airplane, bus, sneaker, crab, beer bottle). The death notices witnessed ranged from age 32 to 102. Some of the death notices described the loss of life with these phrases: What a Shock, Gone to Glory, Painful Exit, and Forever Cherished.

The main two skills in the region are fishing and boxing. Solomon told us on the first day, “Don’t look for a fight for me.” Boxing is a skill that is taken so seriously, that if a boy comes home and says that he lost, that boy’s mother will bring him back to fight until he learns how to fight and win on his own.

The flag of Ghana and various flags in Africa have colors in their flag that represent the following: Red represents blood; Black represents the strength of the people of Africa; and Green represents the richness of the vegetation.

Everything that lives has multiple purposes. This is most definitely seen in how the palm tree and cacao tree are utilized from making products that are consumed, used for beauty, to providing shelter.

Teach – Quotes

Be diligent around those that are deviant.

I am because you are. You are because I am.

If you educate a man, you educate one. If you educate a woman, you educate a nation.

Where the heart is, that is where solutions are. Where the heart is, that is where strength resides. Where the heart is, that is where connections are made.

Teach – New Slang

Yes please: Yes, thank you; Yes, I can do that; Yes that is possible; Yes I will be there; etc.

No please: No thank; No that is not possible, etc.

Please do well to be on time; Please do well to complete the task; etc.

So if you have made it to the end of this post, please do well to live life to the fullest by living with a full heart.