As part of activities to mark this year’s World Folklore Day, the National Folklore Board (NFB) on Friday, August 23, presented licenses to companies that have duly gained permission for the use of Adinkra symbols in running their businesses.

The Board visited three entities including the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City and MTN Ghana to present them their licenses for having applied for permission, provided the needed documents and consequently paid the fees required for the authorization of their usage. NFB had also presented licence to the Accra Brewery Limited the day before.

In a speech, Acting Director of the Ghana Folklore Board, Nana Adjoa Adubea Asante said Ghana’s heritage is something that should be promoted and protected, adding that the their commemoration of World Folklore Day is focused on encouraging other entities using Ghana’s folklore expressions outside the authorized space to seek permission and engage with the board on its legal and accepted process.

To the recipients of the licenses, Ghana Stock Exchange, Kempinski and MTN Ghana, using Ghana’s folklore such as the Adinkra symbols has proved to be a great starting point for their brands by showcasing the country’s authentic cultural heritage while deepening the fact that their brands are Ghanaian at heart.

 

Kempinski hotel has the Adinkra symbol “Funtunfunafu-Dnεkyεmfunafu” as its logo. Its literal meaning – “the Siamese crocodiles that have one stomach yet fight over food” symbolizing “Unity in Diversity”.

MTN Ghana as a multinational brand has proved its firm local roots with the use of Adinkra symbols on their starter packs as a way of promoting the country’s folklore.

Nana Adjoa said these companies and all others processing their licenses have been diligent in their compliance with the law by respecting what is uniquely Ghanaian and relevant.

She admonished folklore users to desist from using artefacts for commercial purposes without authorization by the board, emphasizing that doing the contrary will attract stern consequential penalties.

“We should be proud of who we are, we must promote and protect what we have and pass this on to the next generation in good condition” She noted.

In case you haven’t already gotten the memo – 2019 is all about Ghana. The country’s “Year of Return” campaign has Black people from across the globe flocking to the Gold Coast excited to experience their “home” away from home.

From every day people to celebrities like Steve and Marjorie Harvey, it seems like everyone and their momma – literally – is in Ghana this year. One woman who always knew Ghana was lit and never needs an invitation to visit, is business badass Bozoma Saint John. As the #BlackGirlMagic behind the country’s Full Circle Festival in December and a “daughter of the soil,” you can always count on her to show you the real beauty of Ghana.

Currently, Bozoma is in town for the annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival, and the photos of her adventures have us ready to go to the Motherland tonight. From trips to the market, to partying with Kofi Siriboe, to meeting royalty alongside Colin Kaepernick to just being flat out fabulous, we are living our best lives through her.

Source: essence.com

US preacher Roxanne Caleb blinked away the tears as she emerged from a pitch-dark dungeon where African slaves were once held before being shipped across the Atlantic to America.

“I wasn’t prepared for this. I’m heartbroken,” she said as she toured the Cape Coast slave fort on Ghana’s ocean shore.

“My mind still can’t wrap around the fact that a human being can treat another worse than a rat.”

Caleb is among the African-American visitors flocking to Ghana as it marks the “Year of Return” to remember the 400th anniversary of the first slave ship landing in Virginia.

The West African nation is banking on the commemorations to give a major boost to the number of tourist arrivals as it encourages the descendants of slaves to “come home”.

Cape Coast Castle, 150km from the capital Accra, is a major magnet for those visiting

The white-washed fort lined with cannons was one of dozens of prisons studding the Atlantic coast where slaves were held before their journey to the New World.

A string of prominent African-Americans have headed to the site this year to mark the anniversary since the first slave landing in 1619.

Among them was a delegation of Congressional Black Caucus led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that toured last month.

‘Can’t forget history’

For those visiting it is an emotional rite of passage.

“This has been understanding my history and my roots where I came from,” Caleb said.

“I am very thankful I came here as part of the Year of Return.”

Sampson Nii Addy, a corrections officer with the Montgomery police department in Alabama, said he and his family had found the tour an “education”.

“I think every black person needs to come around to learn history; how people were treated,” the 52-year-old said.

“We can’t forget history but we can always learn something from it.”

Ghana, one of the continent’s most stable democracies, has long pitched itself as a destination for African-Americans to explore their heritage and even settle permanently.

In 2009, former US president Barack Obama visited with his family and paid homage at the Cape Coast Castle.

The “Year of Return” has added fresh impetus and the country is hoping it will increase visitor numbers from 350,000 last year to 500,000 this year, including 45,000 African-Americans.

Kojo Keelson has spent nine years guiding tour groups around the Cape Coast Castle and says this year has seen a surge in interest as Ghana looks to rake in tourism revenue of $925 million.

“It’s like a pilgrimage. This year we’ve a lot more African-Americans coming through than the previous year,” he said

“I’m urging all of them to come home and experience and reconnect to the motherland.”

‘Love to come again’

Akwasi Awua Ababio, the official coordinating “Year of Return” events, pointed to high hotel occupancy rates as he said “enthusiasm is very high and we’ve got huge numbers coming from the US and Caribbean”.

He insisted that beyond the major economic boost, Ghana was also looking to use the new connections it is forging to convince the descendants of slaves to resettle for good and help the country develop.

“Human resource is always an asset and we need to see how we can welcome them home to utilise their expertise and networks,” the director for diaspora affairs at the presidency said.

The African American Association of Ghana brings together those who have moved to West Africa and offers help to integrate them into their new surroundings.

President Gail Nikoi praised the “Year of Return” initiative by Ghanaian leader Nana Akufo-Addo and said the country was “setting the stage for future engagements and involvement of African-Americans and other Africans from the diaspora in the development of this country.”

But she said the authorities could still be doing more to help attract arrivals and convince them to stay.

“Dialogue and engagement is the first step,” she said.

While most of those visiting Cape Coast were not thinking about settling back permanently – they said the trip had opened their eyes to both their own history and what Ghana has to offer.

“It has broadened my horizons about how we came to be here and what our ancestors went through,” said William Shaw, 57, from Montgomery.

“I would love to come again. There is a lot more to see here in Ghana . . . at least once in a year I’d advise African-Americans to come back to their native land and learn about their history.”

Source: phnompenhpost.com

All year long, people of African descent have been making the voyage to Ghana to unite on the continent with their brothers and sisters of the diaspora for the “Year of Return.” So it comes as no surprise that with its mission, the NAACP would be next in line — and Airbnb would be right there to follow suit.

Two years ago, Airbnb partnered with the NAACP to create a program aimed at diversifying the company’s pool of hosts and its customer base, following a number of complains about discrimination on the platform. That’s when they brought in activist and diversity champion, Janaye Ingram (formerly of Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, and now Director of Partnerships for Airbnb) to focus on developing a recruiting program, which touts Airbnb as an economic opportunity for communities of color. Seeing success in this initiative the program has since rolled out in 8 cities, including Miami, Seattle, Oakland and more.

To expand this growing partnership, Airbnb embarked on a Jamestown to Jamestown pilgrimage along with the NAACP,  who has also hosted a series of events in the US as a part of the “Year of Return” commemoration, to supports the company’s commitment to cultural exchange and creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere. This included celebrating 5 diverse hosts from around the country who have continued to support Airbnb with this important theme.

Ingram, spoke more on the partnership with ESSENCE, “We want people of color to be able to tap into that [entrepreneurship and economic empowerment]. There’s a lot of intentionality that has gone into creating the partnership with the NAACP, but also some of the other partnerships and relationships that we have, not just with communities of color, but all types of communities. This partnership was born out of that.

The hosts, who were handpicked, have special ties to Airbnb, with Ingram sharing that they have been “integral” in helping the platform launch these diversity initiatives in various cities.

“It is really about us connecting locally with communities,” Ingram explained.

The trip, which started in Washington, DC, then saw a bus ride to Jamestown,  Virginia for a prayer vigil and candle lighting ceremony to mark the 400 year anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arrival and honoring the memory of all those stolen from Africa over 400 year ago. They then embarked to Ghana, where activities included a visit to the Cape Coast Castle slave dungeons, the Assin Manso Last Bath Slave River and the Business, Development & Investment Summit.

“It was emotionally charged from the highs and the lows,” says Ingram. “When you think about the 400 years since the beginnings of slavery in this country it brings a myriad of emotions. We started the trip here in the U.S. and the first part of the trip was going to Jamestown, Virginia. That started the swell of emotions. You were able to be in this space and this place where our ancestors were brought — the first slaves were brought to Jamestown. There was a part of the ceremony that they had in Jamestown that we collected water from the banks of the river and we would carry that water with us, and we were able to write notes with our ancestors.”

Jamila Ross, one of the hosts who was also able to attend the Ghana experience also described her first visit to the continent with Airbnb as a “pleasant surprise.”

She explained, “It wasn’t until our first day, that we realized that we came on this trip with a purpose — with a goal of understanding our ancestry and to embark on a journey much much greater than ourselves. With that it came along the potential for business of where we could fit in with this economic increase in the country.”

Ross, along with her partner Akino West first started their hospitality group by purchasing a four bedroom, two bathroom house and renting the space as a vacation rental property in Miami and renting one room on Airbnb. The purchase of their first Miami home transcended into the creation of The Copper Door Bed and Breakfast.

The couple have Airbnb to thank for getting their feet wet for Copper Door, because they first ran a successful Airbnb property out of their home in Buena Vista, with over 24 properties now listed on the platform. This has prepared them to onsite at Copper Door, managing the day-to-day aspects of a B&B from emergency maintenance fixes to daily breakfast menus.

Ross and West are just numerous case studies on Airbnb’s commitment to diversifying hosts and experiences, while also creating economic opportunities for communities of color. Still, with this commitment, Ingram also shared that Airbnb has another local partnership coming up next month.

Source: essence.com

HAMPTON, Va. —They faced the sunrise to the rhythm of drums and waves on a windswept beach, dozens wearing white, near the spot where the first enslaved Africans arrived at the English colony of Virginia in 1619. On Saturday morning, they would release those spirits.

The cleansing and naming ritual, presided over by visiting chiefs from Cameroon, kicked off a weekend of events marking the 400th anniversary of the Africans’ arrival and the dawn of American slavery.

“The water was warm and salty,” said Tiffini Mason Johnson, who lives in Cockeysville, Md., emerging after a ceremony with women from an African cultural group. “They told me to just release myself, that I am released of anger and fear, and my grandmothers through me.”

The question of release hung over a day that walked a fine line: commemorating the nation’s fundamental sin of slavery but also celebrating the African descendants who survived its brutality and helped build America.

“Our perseverance, making it through 400 years, is something that should be honored,” said Terry E. Brown, who is African American and the National Park Service’s superintendent for Fort Monroe, the site of the first landing.

He started the day a few miles up the beach at Buckroe, watching the African ritual, standing out in his green uniform. He took off his hat, bobbed his head to the drums. “It’s honorable, it’s reflective and just connects me back to 400 years. I’m on a journey right now,” he said.

In 1619, an English pirate ship, the White Lion, arrived at Point Comfort, near today’s Hampton, Va. It was carrying what colonist John Rolfe described as “20 and odd Negroes.” The captain of the White Lion traded the enslaved people for food, bringing slavery to Jamestown and what would become Virginia.

The speeches and songs on Saturday were an emotional contrast to the celebration last month of 400 years of representative democracy in Jamestown. That event, designed as a pageant of pride in government, wound up revolving around the divisive presence of President Trump. Yet the protests that accompanied Trump’s appearance set the stage for Saturday’s event, highlighting the unfinished business of racial reconciliation in America.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he struggled to find the words to describe the themes of a day — and a country — embodying the roots of both freedom and slavery. The “dualism [of] high-minded principle and indescribable cruelty has defined us,” he said to hundreds of people gathered under a shelter on the shores of Hampton Roads at Fort Monroe.

“The transatlantic slave trade was one of the most cruel atrocities,” Kaine said, growing emotional. “And yet how fortunate we are as a country that the descendants of that cruel institution are part of our country.”

A cleansing ceremony and tribute to ancestors, organized by the group Roots to Glory. It was a day when Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck, who is African American, could draw hoots of pride by crowing that the first documented Africans arrived “in Hampton, not Jamestown!” But in the next breath, he noted the “indignities, dehumanization and atrocities” of the middle passage, which he said his own ancestors survived.

Perhaps no one embodied those contradictions better than Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who delivered the keynote speech despite being under the cloud of a racism scandal from earlier this year,when a photo Surfaced from his 1984 medical school yearbook page showing one person in blackface and another in Klan robes.

“If we are going to begin to truly right the wrongs of our four centuries of history, if we are going to turn the light of truth upon them, we have to start with ourselves,” Northam said, as a hush fell over the audience, more than half of whom were black.

“I’ve had to confront some painful truths,” Northam said. “Among those truths was my own incomplete understanding involving race and equity.”

As he continued, the crowd began to respond. Northam has disavowed the racist photo but admitted to wearing blackface that same year, and he has pledged to devote the rest of his time in office to fighting for racial equity. On Saturday, his voice rising as he recited a litany of societal sins from slavery to the state’s “massive resistance” to school integration Northam drew huge applause when he thundered: “Black history is American history.”

He announced a new state commission to review how black history is taught in public schools and cited recent steps to address racial disparities in areas such as housing access and maternal mortality.

“The legacy of racism continues not just in isolated incidents, but as part of a system that touches every person and every aspect of our lives, whether we know it or not,” Northam said. “And if we’re serious about righting the wrong that began here at this place, we need to do more than talk. We need to take action.”

As the crowd erupted, one woman blurted: “I think he done had a conversion!”

Speaker after speaker and there were 17 of them wrestled with the meaning of the day. One word was repeated by almost everyone: “perseverance.”

Former U.S. congressman James P. Moran (D-Va.), chairman of the trustees who oversee Fort Monroe, mused about “the paradox that a land settled in the name of freedom was also settled at the expense of freedom.”

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) said the point was to “challenge us to reject the simplistic versions of our history.”

Virginia House of Delegates speaker Kirk Cox (Colonial Heights) the lone Republican on the program said the purpose of the day was to acknowledge the “lowest of all lows” and the “genesis of a shameful evil.”

Last month’s commemoration in Jamestown was far more Republican than this one. As a special session of the General Assembly, that gathering allowed the GOP leaders who control the legislature to run the whole show. It featured a giant air-conditioned tent, costumed reenactors and, of course, a president and protesters.

Most of the Democrats in the legislature stayed away from the Jamestown event, including all members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. About two dozen General Assembly members showed up at Fort Monroe mostly Democrats, black and white, plus a few local Republicans.

The main program took place under a huge, open awning. There was no air conditioning, but the damp breeze blowing off the water kept it comfortable. Considerably more people attended than the 1,300 chairs could accommodate, with spectators even perched on the roof of the old Chamberlin Hotel nearby. At one point a giant cargo ship moved slowly past the scene, its low horn blowing several times.

Despite the somber history being marked, it was hard to escape a sense of celebration. The street along the outside of the old stone Fort Monroe was closed off and lined with tents set up by local history museums and food and craft vendors. Families crowded the sea wall, many in brightly colored African garb.

Events will continue through Sunday, when the Park Service will observe a “healing day” in honor of the events of 1619. At 3 p.m., bells will toll at landmarks around the country. Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith struggled with emotion as he noted the bells ringing from the Statue of Liberty in New York to Independence Hall in Philadelphia to the Harriet Tubman historical site on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Some said a sense of festivity was fine as a way to honor the long road to freedom of those brought here against their will. “We have made a way out of no way,” said Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), only the second African American elected to statewide office in Virginia. And it was wrong, he said, to suggest that the Africans arrived with “nothing.”

“What they had,” he said, “was spiritual wealth.”

The day’s youngest speaker, Virginia Beach middle-schooler Brycen Dildy, exhorted the crowd to take away a positive message. “I challenge you,” the 11-year-old said in a speech that left many in tears, “to let today also be a celebration of your commitment to become a more kind and caring individual to all!”

That was the same note on which the day had begun, at sunrise, on the beach. Jacqueline Hugee, 68, who lives in Chesapeake, Va., waded into the waves with the women from the African group. She crossed her arms to symbolize the chains of slavery, then uncrossed them in release. She felt, she said, like she was helping her ancestors find freedom.

“It was an awesome experience, I’m so glad I came,” she said, breathless. “It’s phenomenal for the country to recognize us as a people and how we got where we are today. We have come farther than our ancestors brought here in chains could have imagined.”

Source:Washingtonpost.com

The participants of the Jamestown to Jamestown journey continued the Ghanaian leg of their trip by exploring two complementing sectors in Accra, the cultural landmarks and monuments of the city, and the prime opportunities for investment the city, and to a larger extent, the country presents for the Black Diaspora.

Participants going through registration process for the ‘year Of Return’ #Jamestown2Jamestown Business Summit. #yearofreturn #Ghana2019 #naacp #ghana #Ghana @yearofreturn #Akwaaba #visitGhana #diaspora #culture #travelnoire #heritage #tourism #Accra #Ghana #travel #400yearson pic.twitter.com/Xe85Ni6tl4

— VisitGhana (@ghanatourismGTA) August 21, 2019

Hosted by the Ghana EXIM bank, NAACP President, Derrick Johnson, gave poignant remarks as to the purpose of the Jamestown to Jamestown trip and reminded the group that the threat to exploit Black labor is still an unfortunate reality across the world, and the need to recognize the value and power of Black labor and consumerism.

“We’re here to recognize the 400th year since the transatlantic slave trade. It’s important to note that we are recognizing it, not celebrating. You don’t celebrate a tragedy. And we cannot forget what that tragedy’s impact has had on our world.” @DerrickNAACP #NAACPinGhana pic.twitter.com/TmdVBsBuOV

— NAACP (@NAACP) August 21, 2019

The group also took part in a variety of group tours in the Accra and the surrounding area, visiting sites such as the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Park, the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine, and the very first cocoa farm in Ghana, the Tetteh Quarshe Memorial Cocoa Farm.

The day ended with a dinner reception, which treated guests to gourmet Ghanaian cuisine, a fashion show, and musical selections by Lady Elsie Otoo, Mrs. Ella Duncan Williams-King and Rev. Ifueko Ebhota.

Source: naacp.com

American actress Adrienne-Joi Johnson well known as A.J. Johnson and President of TV One and Cleo TV Michelle Rice are in Ghana.

The two who arrived in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, spoke at a specially organized masterclass put together by the Year of Return office, Ghana Tourism Authority and Creative Arts Council.

The masterclass which took place at the Golden Bean Hotel saw in attendance over 150 professionals made of film producers, actors, actresses, screenwriters, producers, media and other industry professionals.

Speaking on the topic “Master the Business of Showbiz America and Ghana Creative Industries Collaboration”, the two engaged the industry professionals on the various prospects of the industry including the importance of consistency, importance of networking and the importance of being ready and what that means for opportunities. The two also spent time with answering questions from the professionals present in a Question and Answer session.

Speaking exclusively with NY DJ of Ghana’s Hub For Pop Culture & Urban Entertainment – www.nydjlive.com after the masterclass, Michelle Rice expressed excitement saying, “I enjoyed it immensely. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of great creators here in Ghana and I hope we can figure out how we can support and help the partnership”

A.J. Johnson also pointed out some of the challenges of the Ghanaian movie industry and suggested best ways to deal with it.

“I’m learning slowly but surely. For some reason, the speed of production is off here in Ghana meaning there’s got to be quality that’s produced fast and I feel like the fastest there are but not the quality.”

Source:ghanaweb.com

Since the declaration of 2019 as the ‘Year Of Return’ by the President, Nana Akufo Addo, many people of Africa origin have been visiting Ghana and many more are coming. Just some few days ago, US WNBA 2times Olympic Gold medalist Angel McCoughtry announce her upcoming visit to Ghana which has now been confirmed.

Angel McCoughtry who plays for the Atlanta Dream in the @wnba is landing in Ghana today. She will be doing a Basketball Clinic at Tema’s famous Chinese Basketball Court in Community 4 on Friday 23rd August. That’s tomorrow!!

Basketball lovers who want to learn here’s your chance. Ladies who are dreaming of going pro! Here’s your chance to meet a woman doing what you can set your mind to do.

#basketballcamp
#yearofreturn#Accra#Tema#sports

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Babara Oteng Gyasi has expressed optimism that the interests and investment “The Year of Return” has generated will spill over into the year 2020.

“The year of return is just the foundation and we are leveraging and building on it going forward and we are going to derive immense benefit from it,” she noted.

At a durbar held on Tuesday, August 20 to welcome a number of Diasporans who had come to Ghana for the event, the minister reiterated that the commemoration is a year’s program because 2019 marks the 400th year of the beginning of the slave trade so we set out a yearlong program of activities.

“But we are leveraging it as a foundation going forward for the years to come.

So you might notice that there are people who may have heard what is going on in Ghana and were not able to visit this year and thus will come next year,” she said.

She noted that there are people who want to have activities but they couldn’t fit it in this year so we are looking at programming them for next year.

Activities like the Ghana carnival in November and the Sankofa music festival are expected to be part of the major events that climax the program.

The Year of Return Ghana 2019 is a marketing campaign targeting Africans in the diaspora to mark 400 years since the first slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia.

Source:ghanaweb.com