I’ve traveled for a long time to get to a place I’ve longed for. A place where, when my feet met the ground, I felt that I’ve come home. In the ocean’s waves dancing toward the coast, in the whispering of the river, in the rhythm of the drum, in the cricket’s song and the rooster’s crow, I hear “Akwaaba.”
It’s said that when someone from the diaspora visits the continent, the ancestors return with us. It is my prayer that my ancestors found their way back long before my visit. My prayer is that they were here to welcome me.
My family has been able to trace our ancestry back to a slave plantation in Georgia. My 4th great-grandmother Jane was a half-African half-Irish woman born in 1842. Her parents’ names are not confirmed, but records show that her father was slave owner Francis Parris, and her mother’s name was Millie. Grandma Jane transitioned after emancipation. I pray that Jane walked through the Door of Return in ancestry and that Millie was there to greet her. The idea of this spiritual freedom brings me joy.
But this joy is coexisting with profound grief.
In Ghana, I’ve discovered missing parts of myself. My soul name, Akosua, and the lessons I’ve learned here will return with me. However, I’m still processing our time at the Cape Coast Castle; how I’ll use what I’ve learned to impact others; how I, as an educator and writer, will share truths in a country so desperately trying to erase history; how I will empower scholars who are told that their history begins with slavery and continues with struggle. It’s my obligation and honor to find creative ways to help scholars connect with their stolen ancestry …
Through art, through music, through dance, through storytelling.
I truly look forward to returning to my first home and helping others find, appreciate, and show gratitude for their rich roots.
Ain Heath Drew is an educator and author based in Atlanta Georgia