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Writer's pictureEleanor Moody-Shepherd

A SANKOFA EXPERIENCE: Messages from the Ancestors


Blessings from the ancestors in the motherland known and unknown down through our ancestral line. They are reaching out to us in the diaspora who have developed the consciousness that can enable them to experience the practice of the Sankofa. Sankofa is the act of reaching back into the rich repository of wisdom imbedded in African history and traditions and “fetching” it so that it can be used to navigate the challenges of western ideology.


Annie Suggs, shares these words of insight from her experience here in Ghana. “My first trip to Ghana in the Year of Return, is not a mere physical vacation but a psychological transformation in understanding and applying the Akan concept of Sankofa; to prepare for the future we must comprehend the past. I am now prepared to look back to the past to move forward with wisdom.


The trips to the Kwame Nkrumah Park, William E. B. DuBois Center, and the Cape Coast Castles provided a wealth of historical information that will be a reservoir from which they can look back and “fetch” valuable information.


Annie Suggs, Laura F. Adams, Charline Salley, Crystal Matthews, and Sanayi Beckles-Canton also visited the capital city Kumasi in the ancient Ashanti kingdom and bought some Kente cloth. Kente cloth originated in that region as woven cloth for the monarchy. It is still a thriving industry that is open to visitors. The woman enhanced their experience by going into the local market! They described the experience as being so intense and dense with human bodies and products that they came out of it slightly traumatized! However, they were rewarded with an assortment of beautiful authentic kente cloth and an international souk experience! To travel to Ghana and not visit a souk is a missed opportunity to have a cultural experience.


The other experience that is critical for people who are engaged in church life is to attend a Sunday worship service. The woman worshipped with two congregations in Akropong; Christ Church and Grace Presbyterian Church of Ghana. They were able to see some of the genesis of the African American church even though it has been westernized over the centuries. They had many “ah-hah” moments during and after the services.

My beloved sisters returned to the United States on the 23rd of August with new clothes, beads, painting, and gifts for family, friends, and colleagues. Most importantly, they returned with many potential Sankofa experiences.

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