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We Are Not Descendants Of Slaves But Descendants Of Survivors – Boris Kodjoe
Celebrated Holywood African- American actor, Boris Kodjoe has voiced his opinion on the media’s depiction of Africa as a war-ridden continent. For him, the opportunity to showcase the other side of Africa to the world was not only to commemorate the 400thyear of the arrival of the first documented enslaved Africans in Virginia but to also help make that switch from the mentality of “Descendants of Slaves” to “Descendants of Survivors”.
According to him, they (Boris, his wife, his brother, Bozoma Saint John and his crew) wanted to show people the true side of Africa because the media’s narrative of Africa as a famine and war zone is quite disappointing and perpetuation of falsehood. He stated that Africa is not a country, as some people perceive. On the contrary, he stressed the fact that seven (7) out of the 10 fastest-growing economies are in Africa with a rich diversity in food, culture, music, people etc.
Speaking on the American talk show, THE REAL, the actor of Ghanaian descent asserted, “traditional media has painted a picture of Africa as a place of war and famine to Europe and it’s not true”. And we wanted to show people the True side of Africa”. He recounted all the fun they had with the huge crowds at the Afrochella festival and Afronation, which were two of the major events that took place in December in Ghana.
He made these remarks with regard while sharing his experience at the Essence Full Circle festival held in Ghana. He also spoke about visiting amazing Heritage sites in Ghana such as the Cape Coast Castle and many other heritage sites. He added that Africa was not just great for tourism but also great for business.
The Essence Full Circle festival was held in Ghana under the ‘Year of Return’ initiative, which was themed “Celebrating the African Resilience”. Thousands of people of African origin especially African Americans including several Hollywood celebrities visited Ghana for Christmas. Some of the stars include Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell, Akon, Rick Ross, T.I., Ludacris, Steve Harvey and several others from the diaspora who were all welcomed home to Ghana and will hopefully become one of the legacies which celebrate African resilience.
Also visiting Ghana in 2019 to partake in the celebration were the Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus, Kofi Kingston and also the Prime Minister of Barbados.
‘Year of Return’ draws thousands to Ghana’s stand at Vakantiebeurs 2020
Ghana’s biggest branding campaign “Year of Return” ended last year with heritage tourism being the core pull factor for the African American population. It will go down as one of the country’s biggest branding and tourism campaign and its effect were felt around the globe.
The country’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who launched the project in America in 2018 has opened the new chapter which seeks to build on the goodwill the country has enjoyed to drive Diaspora investment into the West African country.
He launched the “Beyond the Return “ initiative and the Ghana Tourism Authority is expected to play a key role in the execution of this initiative.
Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) annually embarks on several marketing campaigns in its source markets. While there are new areas they seek to explore, GTA is equally keen to consolidate markets that have naturally been considered key to its marketing strategies.
The Netherlands is one of the countries they often showcase the country’s tourism assets. It’s capital, Amsterdam is connected to Accra daily by KLM and adds up to the factors which influence their choices. Vakantiebeurs Consumer Holiday Fair was the first stop for the Authority.
Millennials’ excitement about Ghana
Year of Return might have ended but the collateral success is still attracting people to Ghana. During the show, Millennials’ who visited Ghana’s stand were looking to visit Ghana at some point during the summer holidays. They made mention of programs such as Afrochella and AfroNation as some of the events they want to participate in.
Root/Heritage Tourism
The Suriname community in the Netherlands see Ghana as their natural home and can’t get enough of the rich Ghanaian culture.
Business & strategic meetings
The CEO of the GTA Akwasi Agyeman and his team held several meetings with hospitality and tourism institutions to explore a partnership to the benefit of Ghana’s burgeoning tourism sector.
Ghana Day Reception
The Ghana Day celebration has become one of the social events GTA holds to showcase the gastronomy of the country as well as the display of rich Ghanaian music and dance. Once again, the Year of Return vibe attracted hundreds of trade and consumers to the Ghana stand. Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands H.E. Sophia Honar Sam led the cultural dancers with “Adowa” dance.
Private Sector Participation
M&J Travel and Tours
Jolinaiko Eco Tours
Exotic Adventures Ltd
Prospects of Netherlands-Belgium Markets
The GTA CEO in his remark to the press at the just ended exhibition said, they would like to continue the marketing efforts in the Netherlands and also encourage diasporans and Ghanaians living in the Netherlands to come home and invest in the country’s economy since it offers a better return on investment.
Source: Voyages Afriq
‘Beyond the Return’: Afro-Nation Festival to stay in Ghana for 5 years
The Ghana Tourism Authority, on behalf of the Government of Ghana, and Event Horizon, Organisers of the Afro-Nation Festival, on Monday, 20th January 2020, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Ghana to play host to “the biggest urban music beach festival in the world” for the next five years.
The MoU, which was signed by Mr. Akwasi, CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), and Obi Asika, CEO of Event Horizon, was witnessed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in London, on the sidelines of the UK-Africa Investment Summit.
The signing of the MoU is part of a number of plans Ghana is putting in place, as it kick-starts the “Beyond the Return” project.
‘Beyond the Return’ aims to engage Africans in the Diaspora and all persons of African descent more positively in areas such as trade and investment co-operation, and skills and knowledge development.
The MoU will also allow the Ghana Tourism Authority and any governmental ministry, agency or authority it deems necessary to on behalf of the Government of Ghana, oversee all designs, content and production of Merchandise for the Afro-Nation Ghana Project.
The parties have also agreed, in preparation for the event every year, to establish a Local Organising Committee, comprising of representatives of each of the parties or their affiliates for the Afro-Nation Ghana Project with the LOC, amongst other duties, to be stated in the binding document responsible for securing additional sponsorship for the project.
In his remarks, after the signing of the MoU, Obi Asika stated that “Ghana is a welcoming destination, and we were happy with the warm reception we received since we took Afro-Nation to the country. The President’s commitment to the project is unparalleled, and we look forward to another successful event in December 2020“.
On his part, the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Akwasi Agyeman said “Afro-Nation is amongst one of the key events on which we are anchoring the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiative. We want to make Ghana the number one entertainment destination in Africa. December in Ghana will never be the same again”.
About Beyond The Return
Beyond the Return” is a follow-up to the successful Year of Return, Ghana 2019’ campaign which commemorated the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in Jamestown Virginia in 1619. The landmark campaign also celebrated the resilience of the African over the past 400 years and welcomed all people of African origin to return to Africa especially Ghana.