2019 was Ghana’s Year of Return. The Year of Return is a project set aside to commemorate four hundred years since the first enslaved Africans touched down in Jamestown, Virginia, in the United States of America.’
The project which was launched in Washington DC in September 2018, by the president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was a program for African Americans in the diaspora to unite with Africa.
Many African Americans took advantage of the opportunity and came to Ghana to experience the rich culture to connect to their ancestors. They took trips to the Cape Coast Castle, one of the commercial castles that played very significant role in the slave trade. The Cape Coast Castle had dungeons where the slaves were kept for onward shipment to their slave masters.
After experiencing the Year of Return and especially with the trips to the castle, the African Americans shared their thoughts in an interview with TV3 as monitored by ghanaweb.com
They praised government of Ghana for the initiative and spoke highly of the significance of culture and the impact of the slave trade on the African continent, the rich hospitality of Ghanaians, the emotional connection to their ancestors through their visit to the dungeons of the castle, and the potential of Ghana making a greater impact on the African continent in terms of business opportunities with the Year of Return initiative.
