The Ghana Joseph Project

[Asafo37]

http://www.ghanatourism.gov.gh/main/index.asp

The Ghana Joseph Project...

THE PURPOSE
The purpose of “The Joseph Project� is to make the 21st. century the African century.

STRATEGY
To reconcile and unite the African Peoples so that their positive spirit and strengths are released in a focused manner to elevate Africa and Africans worldwide.

INTRODUCTIION
After more than 400 years of slave trading, colonial exploitation, cultural and economic and post colonial political manipulation much of Africa is a waste land of woes and war.

The African peoples everywhere have been taught to be self loathing, to see everything African as a negative: Taught to believe that Africa is a definition of failure and ugliness.

The time has come to put an end to the negative and begin the positive. The time has come for us to till our own vineyard; to produce inner and outer wealth for ourselves. The time has come for us to stand and state,� I am a proud African, proud of my land, proud of my people, committed to making the third millennium the African millennium�.

“The Joseph Project� is the code name for a series of activities, actions and interactions being spearheaded by Ghana to re-establish the African Nation as a nation of all its peoples, capable of delivering on the promise of God to Africa and the African peoples.

“I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem … I am dark, because the sun has gazed on me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; and made me work hard in their vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept�. (Song of Songs 1,5-6 )

The Ghana Government intends to use the year 2007, the 50th Anniversary of the country’s independence, to celebrate African excellence and to inaugurate “The Joseph Project�. Ghana will use the year to bring together, more closely, people in Ghana and brothers and sisters in the Diaspora and establish herself as the true gateway to the Homeland for Africans in the Diaspora.

THE GENESIS
Over almost 400 years, millions of Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean from West and Central Africa to be enslaved in the “New World�.

Almost as many as survived the crossing died during the journey.

The Atlantic Slave Trade remains the greatest example in history of man’s inhumanity to man. The memory of it can never be erased and so many of its negative consequences continue to divide and weaken us as a people today.

The Slave Trade happened and we must continue, with a contrite heart, to question why it happened so that we can make sure it can never happen again and also so that we can come to terms with what happened. We must also gather some strength from this otherwise cataclysmic event and to lay rest the disturbed spirits of our ancestors who have never known peace. It is the continued disturbance of their spirits that stops us from coming together as one reconciled people.

JOSEPH
Those of us who believe in the promise of God to Africa, take our hope from the story of Joseph in the Bible. For we believe that God loved Joseph and yet saw him cast into the hell of slavery and brought out in triumph, to magnify the scale of his favour.

Genesis 37 vrs. 28 - “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.�

Genesis 45 vrs 26 - 28 - “And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not;
And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived;

And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.“

AFRICA’S JOSEPHS
While it is miserably true that there are far too many Africans held down by the legacy of their chains, it is also true that there are many, like Joseph, who have risen above their captivity and are shining examples of the best of the human spirit and of what man can achieve.

History is replete with the names of Africans who rose not only above their chains but rose above those who sought to chain them.
Today there are still, by God’s will, many such distinguished Africans, in so many diverse fields, who pursue excellence and so continue to be held high and to inspire us all.

GHANA THE GATEWAY TO THE HOMELAND
Ghana is a nation of similar achievement to these luminaries, these Josephs.

Ghana was the first African colony south of the Sahara to gain its independence. The Black Star of Africa inspired and drew inspiration from the fight for the full emancipation of Africans in the Americas, especially the Civil Rights struggle in the US in the 1950s and 60s.

Dr. Martin Luther King attended Ghana’s Independence Day, March 6th, 1957, and made no secret of its impact on him.

Even before Ghana became fully independent she had reached out to kith and kin in the diaspora to return home to share in the great vision of creating the New Africa.

It is in Ghana that the remains of the late W.E.B. Dubois and George Padmore are interred.

Ghana has struggled and continues to struggle for the full emancipation and dignity of the African peoples.

Ghana today is a beacon in Africa of good governance: Ghana is the example of the capacity of the African to manage his/her own affairs in a decent, humane, disciplined and respected manner.

Ghana is a natural inspiration for African pride.

Ghana is a natural choice to spearhead the research into the slave trade and tell the real story of what happened. From Mauritania to Angola from where the slaves were taken, Ghana lies at the centre.

There are some 40 Slave Forts, Castles and trade posts that were used in the transportation of the slaves still existing in Ghana. Many of these are well preserved.

Ghana has dedicated itself to finding out the full story of the evil trade and making sure that this truly African story is told by Africans. Ghana has set up a Multi-Sectoral Committee to research and trace the slave routes of West Africa with special focus on Ghana. There are historians, archaeologists and restorers working together on this. Routes that captives took have been identified, where they bathed, ate, camped, and exited to the Americas.

WHY LAUNCH “THE JOSEPH PROJECT� IN 2007 ?
In addition to being Ghana’s 50th Independence Anniversary, 2007 is also the 200th Anniversary of The Act of March 2nd 1807, passed in the U.S., which forbade trading in slaves with Africa.

The Act of the British parliament in 1807 abolished the Slave Trade within their colonies. This had an immediate impact in South America leading to the trade being declared illegal in Venezuela and Mexico in 1810, Chile in 1811 and Argentina in 1812.

1807 is a historically acceptable date for the beginning of the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

The 200thanniversary of this date, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, gives the year a resonance suitable to the launch of this momentous project.

THE ACTIVITIES

1. The Healing

“The Rapprochement of the African Peoples�.
There can be no African century without unity of the Afican peoples.

The constraint to unity lies in the restlessness of the spirits of our ancestors. Un- atoned violence leaves the spirit disturbed; the 300 years of the slave trade and the years of slavery and subjugation that followed, subjugation that has yet to end, have been years of violence to our people.

We must lay the spirits to rest .This will be done through Act of Expiation and Forgiveness.

The HEALING, a ceremony of rapprochement in traditional and multi faith forms, to be mounted in Accra in July 2007, will assemble the traditional rulers of those tribes that engaged in the Atlantic slave trade from across the West and Central Coast of Africa: the traditional rulers of those tribes whose people still have living memory of being hunted by slave raiders; and recognized leaders of and the Africans in the diaspora.

There will be expiation, based on the recognition that great evil was done by those who traded in their kith and kin, by those in the Homeland for whom the memory of being hunted is still alive and by the ancestors of those who were forced into the agonies of the middle passage and chattel slavery. And there will be forgiveness of one another. This Act of Healing will begin the process of reconciliation.

This “Healing� will be in both modern religious and traditional forms. This Act of healing will begin the process of reconciliation and rapprochement.

The Act of Healing will be celebrated by the HEALING CONCERT, a concert by the best musicians of the Diaspora and West Africa, a concert of praise that will signal the new beginning, to right a terrible wrong, to get good out of bad.

2. A Pilgrimage
As every Muslim must visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime so we want to establish a pilgrimage to Ghana, one that every African in the Diaspora must undertake at least once in their lifetime.

This pilgrimage will be the re-introduction of the Diasporan African to the homeland.

Every Joseph must return home.
It was not enough that Joseph was honoured in Egypt - “Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all of them that stood by him ……………… And he wept aloud…………………. And Joseph said unto his brethren, ; doth my father yet live? …………. And Joseph said unto his brethren, come near to me, I pray you�. (Genesis Chap. 45 vs. 1 - 4)

For our Pilgrims there will definitely be sadness and anger in the homecoming pilgrimage but yet it will be an upliftment, a catharsis, a self re-discovery - a Strengthening.

They will reverse the Journey that started four hundred years ago with the “Door of no Return�.
Once in Ghana they will retrace the route from the coast to the areas where people were hunted.

They will visit the Slave markets, the slave baths, the rest stops on the long journey from the hinterland to the slave lodges, slave forts and slave castles from where people departed to suffer the agonies of the inhuman “ middle passage�.

This part will be painful. But it will be essential to coming to terms with the past so as to lay it to rest, to then gather strength to deal with the present and the future.

Along the pilgrimage route our pilgrimage will also experience the rich culture of Ghanaians. We will seek to expunge the years of being denied who they are and reintroduce them to their roots.

They will also meet ordinary Ghanaians; fisherfolk; farmers, traders, teachers, doctors, lawyers, schoolchildren. They will re-establish a kinship with their brothers and sisters here in the homeland.

In the Bible story of Nehemiah, the descendants of the slaves returned to Jerusalem, the homeland, to rebuild the wall that had broken down and the gates that had been destroyed. Thereafter, those in the diaspora covenanted to return to Jerusalem to the temple “To bring it (the wood) into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law:
And to bring the first fruits of our ground, and the first fruits of all fruits of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord:
�Also the first born of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law,�. Nehemiah 10 vs. 34 - 36

We want to create an experience in Ghana that will make our diasporans want to come back and hopefully use Ghana as the gateway to the fuller return to the homeland.

Without knowledge and understanding there can be no genuine reconciliation. Without reconciliation there can be no forward movement.

Every African in the Diaspora must draw strength from his/her roots, his or her sense of belonging
2a. The Slave Forts
Ghana has some 40 slave lodges, slave forts and slave castles still in place. The condition of these range from well preserved through deteriorating to mere remnants. These are hallowed memorials of an agonized past. They must be preserved for posterity and used to keep alive the memory of the evil times.

“The Joseph Project� will source funds and partners to preserve what we have; to develop each site into a unique experience ranging from a grave site at Elmina, to the “African Excellence Experience� at James Fort.

We will have diasporans returning to help in rebuilding and restoring these shrines to the suffering of our people.

2b. Assin Manso - “The Last Bath�
At Assin Manso captives on their way to the coast for shipment were given their last bath in the River Prah prior to leaving the shores of Africa. Here in Assin Manso we are developing a Garden of Commemoration for meditation, an interfaith prayer hall to pray for the spirits of the ancestors, a wall of return on which can be etched the name of a returnee/ pilgrim or that of an ancestor or deceased relative to proclaim the return.

2c. Salaga and the Slave Markets
Over the last 5 years Ghana’s historians and archeologists have been carrying out a major project to identify the “Slave Route�; those areas where captives were hunted and the routes by which they were marched to the coast.

The “Slave route� map that this scholarship has revealed has shown us the key way stations and markets on that route. We are now developing methods to be able to share the experience with our “returnee/ pilgrims�of what happened at some of those locations.

We have collected oral history, handed down from generation to generation, that can be shared to deepen and broaden the knowledge of those terrible times.


2d. The Walled Town of Gwollu and other Hideouts
We cannot but be aware of the real bitterness felt by many of our brothers and sisters in the diaspora against those of us still in the homeland.

However, it is important that those outside realize that their pain is shared by many brother and sister Africans still in Africa: For every son who went out to play and never returned and who grieves till today, there are the parents still lamenting their son who disappeared; for every mother who disappeared when out gathering firewood, there are the motherless infants; for every father who left to go hunting, there is the fatherless family.

Gwollu, in the North West of Ghana, was walled as a protection against slave raiders.
We have also identified hard to find caves that hid fugitives; forests where the porcupines allowed fugitives to enter and then protected them by firing their quilts at pursuing slave raiders.

These and other sites are being preserved and restored so that the voices and stories of the victims in these areas can also be heard.

3. Education
What happened during these 400 years must never be forgotten. Already there are signs of a growing amnesia about the slave trade in the homeland. The young, and not so young, in the diaspora are also showing a lack of interest in knowledge of that terrible period.

Almost all of what has been written to date, has been written by the “Europeans�. It is time that Africans told the story of this very African tragedy.

Underpinning everything we want to do in the field of education is the “Slave Route Project� being carried out with the support of UNESCO, not only in Ghana but across Africa and in the diaspora.

From the learnings of this project we intend to do the following:
Introduce studies of the Slave Trade into our schools in Ghana at all levels. We will create the syllabus and write the books. We will encourage others to follow our lead.

We will build the knowledge that we are one African people.

We will encourage our authors to produce the books, comic books, pop up books, etc. that will tell the story in a way that will generate interest and understanding.

We will use the new technologies including the internet to make the full history and the stories available to as wide a range of interests and intellects as we can reach.

4. Our Culture and Tradition
Along the pilgrimage route, from the coast in the south, through the middle of the country, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, to the North we will display and explain our culture and our traditions, all part of our heritage that the years in the diaspora have erased the memories of.

The re-establishment of their culture in our brothers and sisters will provide a more solid root, a rock upon which to build our self awareness and self value.

5. The African Excellence Experience
While we lament over the wickedness of the Slave Trade we must not lose sight of the display of greatness of the African spirit that it showed.

Our people were in bondage in the land of the oppressor, chattel slaves, yet they turned round to dominate their oppressors so that, today, African culture, African language ,African music dominate world culture, world language, world music.

The strength of this spirit is epitomized by those Africans in the diaspora who rose and continue to rise far above their chains to attain and display excellence.

The Ghana Government intends to convert one of the slave forts, James Fort in Accra, a fort that kept first slaves and then prisoners, a true example of the attempt to chain mankind, into the home of the African Excellence Experience. We will build in this slave fort, from which our peoples were shipped out supposedly never to return, a museum dedicated to those Africans in all walks of life who triumphed over slavery, who triumphed over every adversity; who triumphed and continue to triumph over those who sought to enchain them: - we will build a monument to The True Josephs.

At this monument you will relive the story of Mary MacLeod Bethune, Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, Toussaint L’Ouverture, Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King, George Washington Carver et al.

All the “Josephs� of blessed memory and you will also meet the Josephs of today, those still alive, whose lives are an inspiration to us, whose lives are blazing torches of the true African spirit.

Here in the “African Excellence Experience� we will find the inspiration to overcome all of life’s challenges.

Here we will share the strength and power and inspiration of those who rose and triumphed and continue to triumph over the greatest of all adversities.

In this fort we will mount a state of the art exhibition of the slave trade; from hunting captives, through the march to the coast, the middle passage and onto the plantations of the Americas and to the continuing struggle for civil rights.

We will tell not only the story of the gross inhumanity but we will also tell the stories of the continual struggle for freedom and against the imposition of the yoke. We will tell the story of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the Maroon revolts, the refusal by so many of our people to accept the shackles of those who have sought and continue to seek to subjugate us.

Having passed through this exhibition you will then enter the cells and dungeons of the slave fort/prison and here we will exhibit the life stories of the “Josephs�. Those who triumphed over the extreme adversity of the slave trade, its aftermath and consequences and triumphed in all areas of human endeavour.

An African, whether homelander or diasporan, visiting this experience should emerge strengthened, better able to overcome whatever challenges he or she may face through the examples of the “Josephs�.

Truly it will show that the African spirit can never be chained.
6. The “Josephs of today
There are “Josephs� alive today and new ones still being born, so it is our intention to form a nominating committee of Africans in the homeland and in the diaspora who will select those men and women who qualify to become a “Joseph�. These will then be en robed and featured in the “African Excellence Experience�.

7. The Diasporan visa
It is the Ghana government’s intention to introduce “A Diasporan Stamp� which when granted after an initial visit will allow the Diasporan visa free entry to Ghana.
The African Union (AU) Diasporan office is to be located in Ghana. It is this office, an adjunct of the AU that will work on Diasporan issues with AU member countries.

8. Owning land in the homeland
A variety of land and home ownership schemes are being evolved that will allow Diasporans to have real ownership of a piece of the Homeland. These will range from symbolic plots, real ownership but of a very small piece of real estate, time share apartments and land for private development.

9. Know your Roots
Programmes for the youth in two categories, Gifted but Poor and the Socially Difficult. Holiday tours and pilgrimages will be sponsored for these young people so that they can learn how privileged and culturally rich they are to be African. The installation of pride will hopefully benefit both groups.

10. The “gene map�
To irrevocably establish the genetic link between our returnees/pilgrims and the homeland, we intend in the medium to long term to collect DNA samples from across the length and breadth of West and Central Africa.
With this genetic database map we would hope to be able to establish for every returnee/pilgrim interested, a personal report on his/her antecedents: to be able to organize visits to the villages of the ancestors.


J.O.Obetsebi-Lamptey,
Minister,
Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of The Capital City,
Accra, Ghana

[Baba Ahmed]

Asafo, peace and power!

Asante sana for this piece; the Chief Justice of www.aareparations.com emailed a reference to this celebration awhile back as it relates to a call to repatriate there; not waiting for u.s. official reparations. I'll copy and closely read this; then send it along my grapevine.

Copy sent to Baruti? Everything cool there? Studies, etc? I have ur # will give to HABESHA folk, who should be there this week.


BlackXcellence to the nth
Baba Ahmed

[Kentake]

Greetings all,
A wonderful project in the making!!FINALLY!!!!, it truly brought tears to my eyes just reading it $) ..i will pass it on to my sistahs in the comm. It's interesting though- because i am in the active process of planning/organizing for my repartriation in the late yr of 2006/2007, by that very yr i'm sure i will already be in Ghana permanently ( i was there in 2002 and my sis. out there is hooking things up 4 me).

I sincerely appreciate the info, and 2 all y'all that have not been to GHANA /YET u need to go & see 4 urseff Cape Coast castle and Elmina castle (da dungeons dat our ancestors were held in b4 their FINAL DEPARTURE)-NO WORDS CAN EXPLAIN....THE OVERWHELMING FEELINGS OF ANGUISH,SADNESS,COMPLETE UNCONTROLLABLE RAGE & DESPAIR THAT TOOK CONTROL OF MY ENTIRE BODY MIND & SOUL.Needless to say I HAVE NEVER BEEN THE SAME...& NEVER WILL BE! Blk Ppl, it' time 4 us to head 4 THE BLACK STAR LINER...MAMA AFREE-KA'S CALLIN ON HER CHILDREN!


SANKOFA,
Sistah Kentake.

[OsunkoyaIfayomi]

I also thank you for this post

[Kentake]

Greetings Bro.Kwaku,
I just wanted to tell u that i like ur avatar/it's deep....
& by the way is anyone else on this site considering repatriation to West Afree-ka-have any of y'all even given it a THOUGHT?? I know y'all don't luv it HERE right?


SANKOFA, Sistah Kentake.

[OsunkoyaIfayomi]

I desperatly want to go. Hopefully Some day I'll have the funds to repatriate there. Have discuss it many times I have made up my mind when the opportunity comes for me I am gone. Anyone don't want to come I am leaving behind. Hopefully I wont have to leave anyone behind. But I definately don't want to stay hear peace

[Kentake]

Greetings Bro Kwaku,
I hear u brotha trus me!! But THE FACT is dat we should all get organized and make up our mind to work on dis 2 gether/that way if it's done globally we will have less problems and personal drama that will affect us in our strategy.
da ONLY issue 4 me is to get my funds $$$ organized & s...cause i am SO ANXIOUS to be outta dis place and i know U FEEL ME!!it ain' t gon be easy 4 any of us who are SERIOUS but it gotta b done -and i personally HAVE NO TIME 2 WASTE!! we must communicate openly with our global afree-kan comm./village in order to put our plans in FULL EFFECT-and we have to encourage da youts 2 do the same.
i would really like to adopt a couple of youts/ or organize wit a larger comm. of blk ppl (from whereever) and prepare 2 go down (in approx 2 yrs )dere 2 gether. i have no problem hookin up wit fam. in a different state.we could even arrange 2 meet face 2 face at 1 point(dat would b necessary anyway...)/as long we are all speakin da same language of liberation & as long as y'all are preparing ur s... on ur own end= funds $$$ etc.& everythang u will need to make the transition. i will do all i can do on my part & i have the hookups wit all the fam. in ghana/dey are really supportive and trustworthy so i can be a good resource to the link back in da mothaland, though i only know ppl in ghana not elsewhere.
if any of y'all want more info, you can check my profile and send me an email-I'M FOR REAL AND I AIN'T PLAYIN!!! -i have some emails dat i just received from ghana dat is crucial for any of u dat are considerin or even jus ponderin-talk to me...i'm listenin.. !! it's OUR TIME and WE BETTA MAKE S... HAPPEN

ASHE...LET DA CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN...
Sistah Kentake.

[Baba Ahmed]

Greetings

while y'all are waiting to repatriate to West Afrika (a grand idea) check following site re some Rastas who moved on Ethiopian land gifted, to us in 1948 by H.I.M. Haile Selasse, and are there now. He gave over 500 acres; political turmoil resulted in drastic reduction to about 50 acres:

http://www.shashamane.org/index.html

[Kentake]

Greetings Elder Baba,
Yes I checked da site and i did not know dat-thanx.,my bred'ren rec. showed me a movie on repatriation of the j'can rasta comm. to shasamane and it was VERY moving...(both my parents are j'can)-but 4 me since i already have da direct hook-ups in ghana i am setting up to head to da west .
plz send off da info below (2 ANYONE U KNOW) regarding my wishes to all bro and sis who will be down wit dis program cause i feel dat it would b more sensible to form a group rather than do things as an individual thang-since we been set-up 2 think dat way by the pale faced caveman,our way is each one teach one and collective partnership so i'm hopin to really work dis out in anyway i can wit my bro and sis around the afree-kan globe .again thanx 4 da info...i will check it out more 2 morrow cause i got 2 get some sleep now :zzz: ...liccle mo...


SANKOFA,
Sistah KENTAKE.

[Kushnology]

Thanks for the info, brother Baba. Greatly appreciated.

[Baba Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Kentake

Greetings Elder Baba,
Yes I checked da site and i did not know dat-thanx.,my bred'ren rec. showed me a movie on repatriation of the j'can rasta comm. to shasamane and it was VERY moving...(both my parents are j'can)-but 4 me since i already have da direct hook-ups in ghana i am setting up to head to da west .
plz send off da info below (2 ANYONE U KNOW) regarding my wishes to all bro and sis who will be down wit dis program cause i feel dat it would b more sensible to form a group rather than do things as an individual thang-since we been set-up 2 think dat way by the pale faced caveman,our way is each one teach one and collective partnership so i'm hopin to really work dis out in anyway i can wit my bro and sis around the afree-kan globe .again thanx 4 da info...i will check it out more 2 morrow cause i got 2 get some sleep now :zzz: ...liccle mo...


SANKOFA,
Sistah KENTAKE.

Alaafia my sistah Kentake (translation?)!

I ck'd your profile; allow me to honor you for b n a full time Mama. All of this talk 'bout revolutionary changes, etc will simply fizzle away unless we consciously & fearlessly keep our "lines of children productions" tight and and hopefully home birthed rolling... wit at least the papa standing guard ready to keep on becoming stabalized Afrikan Asafos! Then the each one teach is more meaningful and beneficial. That's elemental; Tru dat?

Btw the brutha who headed the group and his wife escorted our Granddauta to Ghana were scheduled to visit the now Rasta village of Shasemane first, but didn't, have also taken the yoof group to visit a Yoruba village in South Carolina (a State next to this one, Georgia). He's Rasta Man. I like dat. Don't want any of our Grandchildren locked into any religion fashioned here in the West. Now that I know that truly all of the West's 3 Major 'ligions originated in Afrika. Tho I credit all the groups of our people who put out their own spin when run'n and living their versions. I prefer our third generations, i.e., from my wife and me, to taste Mama Afrika first. AND FOREMOST. If they go to West Afrikan first, I'm told that almost immediately folk there will guide them to their tradtional ancestories. Ya dig? Phenology does have its place; as does our traditional "Story Keepers," in spite of yt's DNA assurances. Yt's systems have tooooooooooo much info on ea of us as is. Long ago we decided to forego hospital births, feet printings of our new born, and worst of all? blood typing almost as soon as they burst into this realm: all which places their imprint in and on us. NO!

Another reason we've placed only one granddauta to date with HABESHA (Help'n Afrikans Build & Establish Schools at Home and Abroad is they're taught organic gardening. Its also revitalized our efforts to maintain a small garden at home. Atlanta has a vibrant vegetarian movement. Often I wonder; why are our people so trusting of yt that we leave it to them to provide vital elements in life such as birthing and food production!?! Even as we, sincerely methinks, preach, teach, scream and holla REVO-LOO-SHUN. Really, now? If u'd also like to meet them, HABESHA, email me at swampseedsLamb@gmail.com u'll get contact info. Did u kno also that Rita Marley has a studio in Aburi (Abree) Ghana? And an organic garden, there in the mountains nearby?

Still wid me?

To our sistas and bruthas who wait to meet their "Soul Mate:" have we sincerely and honestly asked ourselves: am I prepared? Will I recognize her or him when we meet? Then what? For who? Why? How? Who 2 do What, When kwk, kwk, kwk etc for examples. For it seems to me that if your ancestors have guided u to self preparations, SOMEBODY else's ancestors have also prepared her or him. Maybe we, some of us... too many of us imo, depend on standards we've acquired via education, including mass medias of all types; Maybe we've been bamboozled by concepts (yt's) of romance and love; of size shapes and outwards forms. Maybe we've forgotten or do not really know which ancestors SHOULDERS we're standing on, while vehemently advocating: let's build and continue the works of those who came b4 us! Do our older members recall when our resident Babalawo in trng, Ifasehun (who indicated by changing his username to IfasehunReincarnated his status) advised and cautioned us that we have both Honorable and Dishonored Ancestors? Do we who seek an Asafo (warrior) mate ever consider consulting with a diviner?

IMO if we've prepared and are prepared our case thereafter is truly out of our hands, and out of our fickle minds soley that rely on such as logic and analytical reasoning; for along our way we either are taught to or it burst through our Western upbringings for us to constantly invoke the presences of our honorable ancestors to guide and clear our way for us to do whatever is necessary. I maintain that for young folk it is necessary to marry your soul mate. Just wondering again (I'm sure more learned among us can put a straightener on this sudden thought): can it help if ea who seek to meet and recognize his or her Soul Mate to know her or his own SOUL NAME? As used by the Akan and others. Not one fashioned from one's own creativity but one that awaited your very appearance to this realm? It may even help to clarify one's purpose in this life.

One final personalized thought: be not to quick to abandon a family. Brings to mind a friend who'd readied up for years to hat out to W. Afrika. Finally he said to his wife: time to go! She: unh unnn honey bunch! Not me. She: OK I'll take a coupla weeks vacation there then home bound I b (i.e. Black to the States). Not there a week! She: u'd better get yo whachamacallit on ovva heah; and bring the rest of my stuff.... pronto! He sent me a photo recently; looked almost like no one I knew, as he stood among his self growing Aloe Vera plants. Remember all of us with generations of b n in this Western Hemisphere have roots beyond our knowings; our families also have ancestors
some more than others of us are aware. Some will awaken; others won't. That's not our choice; ours is to remember they b family and represent our links for b n here.

Kantake overlook this lengthy reply; it came; I tried to step out of its way and hope it will be of use to someone. Keep on do n the Mama thang! Most definitely we need y'all.... to be

BlackXcellent to the max max

4 we be as babes in this very long struggle for now and tomorrow to meet our Glorious past, clearly established

[Kweku_Omowale]

greetings of peace and serenity great elder iam actually in montreal with siater kentake brainstorm in possible ideas that we can work it out,hit us up with some ideas and let us who you know can help us put,medase pa!

[Asafo37]

Originally Posted by Kentake

Greetings all,
A wonderful project in the making!!FINALLY!!!!, it truly brought tears to my eyes just reading it $) ..i will pass it on to my sistahs in the comm. It's interesting though- because i am in the active process of planning/organizing for my repartriation in the late yr of 2006/2007, by that very yr i'm sure i will already be in Ghana permanently ( i was there in 2002 and my sis. out there is hooking things up 4 me).

I sincerely appreciate the info, and 2 all y'all that have not been to GHANA /YET u need to go & see 4 urseff Cape Coast castle and Elmina castle (da dungeons dat our ancestors were held in b4 their FINAL DEPARTURE)-NO WORDS CAN EXPLAIN....THE OVERWHELMING FEELINGS OF ANGUISH,SADNESS,COMPLETE UNCONTROLLABLE RAGE & DESPAIR THAT TOOK CONTROL OF MY ENTIRE BODY MIND & SOUL.Needless to say I HAVE NEVER BEEN THE SAME...& NEVER WILL BE! Blk Ppl, it' time 4 us to head 4 THE BLACK STAR LINER...MAMA AFREE-KA'S CALLIN ON HER CHILDREN!


SANKOFA,
Sistah Kentake.

Htp,

Everything is not what it seems. When i initially posted info on Ghana's Joseph Project i intentionally reserved my comments to allow the info to stand on its own. To say the least, the rhetoric of the project should be taken with a grain of salt and read very critically. This is not an either or message to define the project as good or bad. It is simply a reminder that there is much work for US to do.

The Sankכfa work happening now, of which the Joseph project is but an example, is being ushered in by the Ancestors. It is beyond any country or government and that is a good thing. The Ghana of today is a long way off the path of its brilliant founder. i am convinced that WE cannot and should not look to depend on or be accepted by any Afrikan nation-state as they are presently constructed to receive US as its sons and daughters. Not now. Not yet. They are not ready and quite possibly, neither are WE. As good as it sounds, there needs to be a lot of reorganization before something as novel as that can actually happen. WE must remind Ourselves that Ghana is a neo-colonial state far removed from the vision of its founder. The government has discovered that marketing slavery, to Afrikans in the Diaspora is a highly profitable enterprise. i mean, the Ministry of Tourism facilitating the reunification of Afrikan people? Let’s look at this deeper.

What is good about the project’s rhetoric is largely the result of agitation on the part of Afrikans born in the u.s. and the caribbean who have made tremendous sacrifices relocating to Ghana as well as other prominent Afrikans in the diaspora who have been doing amazing work to raise the discourse (consciousness) to the point where it is in Ghana today. It has and will continue to be a struggle. If the project is to truly be of any value it will be the result of more agitation. WE must be involved in shaping this project and not sit on the sidelines waiting for Ghana’s government to get it right. This is mainly about money for them. Yet, it is not about them. This is about the Ancestors and there is much potential in what is planned for 2007. i plan to be there and i hope to take some of you with me.

For the record, i went to Ghana this summer in part to specifically research this and other similar projects taking place in the country. This was my third trip to Ghana. i am also planning a ‘tour’ to the country to take place this December that i look forward to sharing on this forum very soon. The ‘tour’ will be a powerful experience planned purposely for those desiring to retrace the trails or slave routes in Ghana leading south, west and east all over the country converging at the coastal dungeons. It will be an intense spiritual journey (not an arts and crafts tour for those seeing themselves as tourists vs. Afrikans) and only for a limited number of people (Afrikans only) expressly interested in retracing the trails. Much work is going in to planning this unique experience and i look forward to sharing it soon. Stay tuned.

[Baba Ahmed]

Very timely Asafo37, and htp!

Now I'll report a little clearer of my experience as a volunteer for last year's 1st ever GhanaExpo2004 here in Atlanta. The first was in London England, in 2003. As my wife & I sat in committee mtg after committee mtg, finally I spoke: how can the regular small business person, everyday go to work Afrikan in America benefit. I'd seen no signs that this was in the plans. It was the advtg means discussed that rang my alert bell. So I reminded our committee members that Atlanta of all cities did not need Coca Cola, or Bell South for advertising. There're various Black owned and operated printed mediums: from one daily to weeklies and quarterly published; a Black College owned & operated FM outlet that airs 24/7 everyday; a so called Community owned and operated FM outlet; a Black owned and operated TV outlet with a former Atlanta Mayor sitting atop it! None had been mentioned, Im told b4 another brutha and me questioned why not? And was there any outreach for small Black business folk? Generally I saw blank looks; but spoke to one of the key organizers and a local mover and shaker who agreed to have some posters and the card like glossy flyers printed. I'd invited a Ghananian brutha to break break with me while we conducted a lil business transaction. I mentioned the Expo, he looked saddened and said: Baba! it will not benefit the little people; the people who need jobs, etc. Im thinking to myself: Damnit! indirect colonialism still exists, moreso in Ghana. Im told that Christian Churches do not have to be searched for. In fact it is Christian lead groups who're pioneering "repatriation" to Ghana and South Afrika. And who who sponsor many many Afrikans to come and stay here. (btw,There's another grandiose event set for this year; not pumped as a Ghana event or an Expo, but is pegged to have reps from Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya and other Afrikan nations.)

One example is a bi-weekly newspaper based and published here in Atlanta: The GOLD STAR HERALD. This one I have is dated December 1 - 15, 2004. No need to show complete table of contents; a few will do. On page 1, the lead article: DEMOCRACY TAKES ROOT IN GHANA, the writer penned: "Comparing it, Ghana's 2004 election, to the rece US(A's)elections held November 2nd, 2004...despite minor complaints of voter fraud the elections were fair and free. "I think we should welcome it as one of the best elections because even the U.S.A., which is considered a model democracy will has problems after its Nov 2nd Elections.... also that "The message that Ghan's elections should give the world is, 'Give Democracy a chance to flourish, be practiced and enjoyed with freedom of speech without any retribution in Africa and the entire world' and say No to Coup d'Etat." Alright that's local Ghananian's view of political philosopy.

Another view ona Opt Ed. pg is titled The Black Race: Myths, Complexes and Compassion (baba note don't know why cause its focus) is "Nigerian Churches and Mosques.

We know by the huge assets of Nigerian churches and mosques that they control billions of naira. As a Christian, permit me to talk about the church in Nigeria at liberty. What programs have Nigerian churchis put in place for the jobless and poor in their midst? What have the Nigerian churches put in place for the jobless and poor in their midst? What have the church Bishops, Overseers, Superintendents, Pastors and leaders done to make their members feel God never made a mistake making them Nigerians?

"Over 90% of Nigerians are said to worshippers at either a church or mosque. Besides, about 50% of Nigerians have some affiliation to a local church in Nigeria. What these statistic indicate is that not less than 70 million NIgerians (i.e., out of a population of 150 million) are under the leaders of Nigerian churches. Could you imagine the positive difference that would be effected in the standard of living of Nigerians if Nigerian churches had special welfare programs for the poor in their midst? Can you imagine the 'revival' that could take place in Nigeria?.... Nigerian churches spend millions of naira on crusades and television and radio preaching."

(baba note: does that look familiar?)

Two more on the Gold Star Herald's BUSINESS & FINANCE pg. How To Turn Your Passion into Profit, which is essentially suggestions for "realizing the 'American Dream."

The 2nd speaks for itself, titled UN to help recover billions for Nigeria and Kenya on its African World NEWS Roundup:

"On the first anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the UN anti-crime office has said it will help two developing countries recover illegally exported money....The UN estimates that in the 1990s some $11 billion was looted from the Nigerian and Kenyan governments by corrupt officials. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), corrupt local officials stole $7.7 billion from oil-rich Nigeria, of which at least $2.2 billion was exported, and more than $3 billion from Kenya.

"Corruption and the transfer of illicit funds have been a major factor in the flight of capital from Africa, with more than $400 billion having been stolen and hidden in foreign countries and around $100 billion of the total to have come from NIgeria alone.... The Convention binds UN Member States to criminalize corrupt practices, including money laundering, help one another determince money trails, seize and freeze illicit funds, deny safe haven to corrupt officials, and, as a 'fundamental principle,' return stolen funds to their rightful owners."
========================================

Baba note: I wonder who are the "rightful owners." Citizens of Member states or Int'l Lending institutions to member states?

This post has been written in an effort to help uproot romaticism from our views and visions. Our visions, not dreams, must be clear as an Afrikan ancestor's presence and not merely an individualistic goal.

[RecoveringAA]

Originally Posted by Baba Ahmed

This post has been written in an effort to help uproot romaticism from our views and visions. Our visions, not dreams, must be clear as an Afrikan ancestor's presence and not merely an individualistic goal.

What do you suggest?
and...

I'm still Joanie, a RE~covering Afreekan amerikkkan..