‘Year of Return’ Diasporans share experiences on their visit to Ghana
A durbar of chiefs was held at Mantse Agbonaa on Tuesday 20th August 2019 to celebrate 400 years of the first enslaved Africans who arrived in James town Virginia.
The celebration was attended by chiefs, the local people of James town and Diasporans from various parts of the world.
Among the special guests invited were the president Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo and Hollywood actor Danny Glover.
The few Diasporans Citi News interacted said they had embraced the concept and were enjoying the Ghanaian experience.
“It’s been amazing so far since I have never seen so many of my people,” one of the participants of the Durbar revealed.
Another African- American man who only identified himself as Jason from Cincinnati was particularly pleased with the hospitality.
“I feel like am home, I feel welcomed, I feel overwhelmed with emotion and to see all the rituals and to see all history being made is great to be a part of it.”
“It has been so emotional and everyone has been so nice and welcoming.
“The fact that I can come to Ghana and shake the president’s hand because he welcomed me here and our current president in the United States is letting people chant ‘send her back’, I’m glad someone welcomed us back, “revealed Caitlyn Primers a middle-age woman from Atlanta in the United States.
“It’s been amazing, to be honest, I have been coming most recently back and forth and it has realigned me with my culture the people have been very warm.
I definitely feel a lot happier here because it has been a good experience.”
Retired NBA player and now General Manager of the Capital City Go-Go, Pops Mensah-Bonsu who is in Ghana for his first-ever basketball skills camp also spoke about the sense of pride that has accompanied his Ghana experience so far.
“It has been great, Ghana is home for me I wasn’t born or raised here but I always feel like I’m back home when I land here and with it being the year of return it feels extra special to be back.
I’m so excited about this moment here it makes me feel more proud to be Ghanaian,” he revealed.
Celebrities including Deborah Cox, Samuel L Jackson and veteran comedian and television host Steve Harvey have already visited Ghana as part of the program with more expected to follow in the coming months.