ANCESTRAL CONNECTIONS

Akyin akyin sen anyin anyin: The person who has traveled surpasses the person who has simply grown old. – Akan proverb. So much of who I am today is a direct result of the immensely rewarding experiences I have had living, learning and traveling in Afrika. Over the past decade I have been blessed to spend time in several countries including: Senegal, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali & Togo. I have also had the opportunity to facilitate bringing sisters and brothers of all ages home via my work at Adiama. My stays in each place have ranged from only a few hours (a layover in Senegal that I still count because it was my first time standing, breathing & being in Afrika) to well over a year when I was a student in Ghana from 2000-2001. Throughout my travels I have sought to rediscover the Afrika of my remembrance with an open mind and an a open heart. I have tried to retrace the forgotten paths carved out by the ancestors and unearth their deep wisdom buried underneath layers of present day amnesia. Each step I’ve taken along this path has been a healing process. Each step I’ve taken along this path has been a vital part of my destiny. My travels have brought me many blessings and even more lessons. Some of them bittersweet and others more inspiring than words can adequately express. In whatever towns, cities & villages I’ve found myself in along the way a few simple truths have remained constant: Afrika is home; Afrikans are beautyful; We Afrikans are all one people! I give thanks to the nananom/bakulu (ancestors) for allowing, guiding and protecting me on my journey. There is still so much to learn and so much work to do to recreate the home that I seek. Seeing as this is not the kind of work that can be done in a day nor accomplished by any single individual, I want to share the fruits of my travels with you. In a way, this is my open invitation for you to join me on my journey to see what I’ve seen, hear what I’ve heard and feel what I’ve felt. This my unfolding story. This is my attempt to do my best work and use every ounce of my creative genius in the cause of Afrika. This is my struggle to create a viable business guided by adiama i.e. reciprocity. This is me being and becoming. This is me leaving a legacy for my children. This is me doing the work I came here to do. This is Ancestral Connections!