I decided to call my experience to Ghana “My Return Home through the Door of No Return” because it embodies how I have felt since arriving to Ghana. An audacious sign that was displayed over a doorway to dispel the hopes, dreams and memories of a group of people rich with tradition and culture has been figuratively destroyed by the descendants of the very same group of people. In life, you have experiences which can change you in a way you could never have imagined. Well I must say, this absolutely is mine.
From the first moment the plane landed, a smile has been engraved on my face. Not knowing why, I chose from that moment to not try to understand the feeling behind the smile, but to live in it! Greeted with a smile and a sign, my new family member met me at the airport. I say this very important detail because my philosophy has always been to greet people in a warm way because you never know what they are carrying. Approximately 400 to 500 years ago, my new family member could have been the person behind my pain and anguish on this very land, but yet he is the one who is welcoming me back home. Isn’t GOD amazing! But I soon came to realize that this friendly greeting is not foreign here, but in fact is a common practice exercised by all who inhabit and visit. For some reason, the spirit of Africa infuses within you as soon as you touch soil. And from that moment I knew that I had come home.
An Informal but Formal Welcome
The melodic tones of the words spoken to you by Ghanaian people and all African people are so soothing. I can listen to it all day. It reminds me of my Liberian father as he sung to his young daughter to sleep with the same melodic sound of words surrounded by the drumming of his heartbeat. In fact, everything reminds me of my childhood here. The music, the laughter of people sitting around talking, the dance and the food …oh yes the food!! African food is so good. When the spicy Palavar Sauce and rice (Casava and rice we Liberians would say) sat down before me , let me just tell you it was all over! I totally forgot people were around me. My tastebuds were awakened with so many memories. My bowl was cleaned while others were still half full!! But the funny thing is I didn’t care. For the first time in my adult life, I was living in the present for me and enjoying every minute of it!
After listening to a presentation by Dr. Obeng, probably one of the most humble men I have ever met, receiving a blessing from a chief, walking through an informal/formal education lecture by Dr. Kuwor and dancing with Kofi and my new rainbow family, I understood the why behind the smile. You see Africa is not just a continent with many countries. She is a spirit which flows like the wind through her people and makes you feel beautiful, royal, joyful and powerful. I must learn how to bottle this up and take it back with me to the states!!
Cape Coast
Overwhelming does not even begin to explain the feeling that came over me as I walked through the dungeons. While staring over the same wall that my ancestors once looked over as they were taken to a distance land, I felt as if an elephant was standing on my chest. A very personal experience which I will keep to myself. However, I will share that what you read in books or see in museums does not even come close to the feeling you will experience as you stand in the same spaces once occupied by your terrified ancestors.
It will change you!
Elmina Castle
Here is where I truly experienced something different. I channeled Yaa Asantewaa’s spirit. She was an “African warrior “ who led a rebellion and was placed in a cell within the walls of the Elmina Castle before being sent away forever. Although she never was able to return back to the life she once knew in her homeland, she was able to leave behind her spirit of fight and inner strength which is interwoven within the essence of the people. That spirit may not be displayed in such a rebellious manner; however, it can be seen in the will of the people, the scholarship obtained through academics, the songs sung, the movements made illustrating the vibrations felt or the stories passed down through storytellers. Those walls may have encased her physical being, but they didn’t kill her spirit. She now has become a part of me.
Donkor Nsuo in Assin Manso
Although this location is often referred to as Slave River, I shall not reduce it to such a label. As shared by our group leader, we are not descendants of slaves, we are but descendants of an Enslaved people.
There is a difference.
This was a spiritual awakening for me. As I walked the path towards the river and felt the soil slip in between my toes, it ironically stripped away the effects of my past trials. I use the word ironically because it did the opposite for my ancestors. This was the location where they were bathed before being sold. But it felt as if they were present along the path while we were walking towards the river. I was imagining them standing along the sides watching us parade down to the river, smiling upon us, as if saying “through our sacrifices, you have returned home. Now honor those sacrifices with your lives.”
As I cleansed my hands of the fears, the hurts, the sadness, the failures and the negative thoughts about myself with the water that held the sacrificial tears of my ancestors, I felt renewed. I shamed the perpetrators of my ancestors’ pain and emerged from the waters with the spirit of joy and limitless possibilities.
It truly was an awakening.
The Meaning is in the Mystery
As stated before, Africa is not just a continent made up of many countries. She is a spirit consisting of culture, traditions and proverbial undertones. Often we look at resources which come from Africa such as music, dance, jewelry, clothing and stories as forms of entertainment or mere items which adorn our outer appearance. However, I’ve learned that everything from the songs, movements, stories, patterns of clothing, symbols and traditions were developed to teach her people the wisdom needed to live out a meaningful life.
We, as African Americans, may sometimes suffer from being a tree with shallow roots. Although we are taught about our American history, we seldom learn about the richness of our African heritage. This leads to a tall tree with beautiful leaves, but one which can easily sway with the wind because of its shallow roots. I hope all African Americans will get an opportunity to experience Africa’s mysterious spirit. Not only was she able to teach me more about myself, she was able to enlarge my territory with additional friends and family members of all shades.
How awesome is that?!!!
I would like to thank Tete, Liz and the Witness Tree Institute for helping me find my way back home!
By Fametta Jackson
Baltimore MD
