OPINION: Of course, Ghana and South Africa are on our list of places for African-Americans to visit when returning to the Motherland. But four other countries may also be worth a trip.
Malcolm did it. Stokely, aka Kwame Ture, did it. Even Du Bois did it, at the improbable age of 91.
They all made it to the African homeland.
As have thousands of African-Americans who over the years made two countries their most frequent destinations, Ghana and South Africa.
We want to tell you about the adventures that await you both in Ghana and South Africa, as well as a whole bunch of other African gems that are off the beaten path for diaspora Africans.
But first, on the allure of the continent for anyone with a bit of adventurous wanderlust. If you need to know where you came from to know where you’re going — or where you have been — then Africa is a must-visit destination.
For centuries, the continent’s story was told by outsiders, usually Westerners, who imposed their own often distorted and poisonous worldview on the reality of Africa.
They called a land where the sun doesn’t stop shining the Dark Continent!
Far from reality.
Maya Angelou, in her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” wrote about her experiences in Africa and the sense of connection and belonging that she felt while there. She described Africa as a place where she felt “among my own kind, among people who understood my heritage and my culture,” and she spoke about the pride and empowerment that she felt as an African-American visiting the continent.
“For the first time, I felt that I was among my own kind, among people who understood my heritage and my culture,” she wrote. “I felt at home in Africa, and I knew that this was a place where I belonged.”
In case you doubt you need Africa to give you a sense of grounding, ask Dave Chapelle. In 2005, Chappelle abruptly left his Comedy Central show to travel to South Africa. He said he felt that the demands of producing the series were taking a toll on his mental health and that he was not being treated fairly by the network. He also reportedly felt that he had lost control over the direction of the show and that it was no longer true to his vision.
Chappelle spent a few weeks in South Africa, where he took time to reflect on his career and his life. He eventually returned to the United States and resumed his career to even greater fame and fortune.
It is difficult to say exactly how many African-Americans visit the African continent each year, as there are no comprehensive statistics on this topic. However, it is likely that the number of African-Americans visiting Africa has increased in recent years due to a number of factors, including increased economic development on the continent, the growth of the African diaspora, and the proliferation of affordable air travel.
In recent years, there has been a growing trend of African-Americans traveling to Africa for ancestry-based travel, or “roots tourism,” which involves visiting the countries or regions of Africa from which their ancestors were taken as slaves. This trend has been fueled in part by the availability of DNA testing and genealogy services, which have made it easier for people to learn more about their ancestry and to connect with their cultural roots.
Source : YahooNews
