The Year of Return, my turn

E. Ablorh-Odjidja

January 09, 2020

I thought “The Year of Return” was first going to be a pilgrimage to the continent, in a manner of a search for “roots” for Africans in the Diaspora. It turned out to be something else.

It was highly commercial. 

A perception of commercial exploitation of the very people in the Diaspora, who are offspring of the slavery enterprise will do nobody good.  We must be careful here. 

As much as the returning idea was appropriate, part of me was rankled when assessments and comments on the commercial exploitation of the enterprise started coming in.

“The Return,” such as staged in 2019 and seen in the eyes of many, turned up as a trading venture or an investment ploy by the nation of Ghana.

Such must not be the case.  “The Return” must not be seen as gamesmanship or cleverness on the part of our government to suck people in the Diaspora to come to Ghana for commercial reasons!

Properly defined, “The Return” must be a goal and the fulfillment of a sacred wish.

A wish that if done right, could transform the transgression of the past into the cultural right of a return. 

The effort to reconnect the Diaspora to the entire continent of Africa and to restore the spirit of the people within the shortest time possible is a moral must.

The idea itself is a gold mine for progress. 

Think about the brains that left since slavery.  The Diaspora today has ideas as much as it has assets that can benefit Africa.  A serious compact to bring some of these assets back is a moral imperative for Africa. 

Therefore, an invitation for those who want to come back, and are so equipped to do so permanently for countries in Africa to receive them, is worthy of pursuit.

“The Return” as was seen in Ghana in 2019, had no such intent.  It was entirely a vehicle for tourism, instead of an emphasis on welcoming, reclaiming, restoration of rights, and redemption from what went wrong in the past.

Missing in the promotions of “The Return” was the right mindset towards a true return. 

The narrative on Nkrumah’s “Consciencism,” and the Pan African spirit that drove his movement in the 60s was suppressed and was not allowed as the driving force behind the 2019 Return, even though this initiative came from his country Ghana.

Neither was the excuse of a “major landmark spiritual and birth-right... to mark 400 years of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia," that was used in the advert for “The Return” movement in 2019. 

In reality, this movement turned out to be a roaring celebration for tourism in Ghana, during December 2019.

And since then, it is being described by some, including the government of Ghana, as a very successful tourism venture.  Thus, a return to heritage first to heal the cultural (spiritual) void caused by the traumatic event of slavery has been turned into a pocketbook affair.

"One of the main goals of the Year of Return campaign is to position Ghana as a key travel destination for African Americans and the African Diaspora," said one of the promotion points on government-issued literature on "The Year of Return."

Not so my friends. The promotional positioning should have been for Ghana as a home to correct past wrongs from the continent and the invitation for other countries to do so too.

A clear statement, with devotion to the redemption from the wrongs of the past should have been the theme.  Then, an invitation for those who have the fit mindset to come can seal the deal. 

It should not have been a mad dash for the tourist dollar as happened. 

For the lack of cultural positioning, in preference for the dollar, some now presume the event to be a sham and abuse of a noble concept.

They now raise questions about the genesis of the entire venture; whether it was driven by pure commercialism or a grand political move to cement the chances of the government in power for the 2020 elections.

For, immediately after the event and to entice the electorate, the government of Ghana announced its intention to raise "3 billion from the Diaspora,“ wrote VenturesAfrica.

Right there, an acknowledgment of the commercial intent within days after the celebration, some remarked.

True, we cannot rule out commercialism or political nature as by-products of a “Return.”   

Yet still, we must not put the redemptive, unification motive and the racial benefits thereof for our people in second place for the promotion of such an event.

But, apparently not so for the officials in Ghana , a place where the concept of a “Return” strongly originated in the 60s. 

In the promotion of this year’s Return, there wasn't a single mention of this antecedent awareness from the 60s; not even concerning building on the concept, the goodwill generated in past efforts, or did the officials mention any of these in the promotional materials produced.

Some historical models and activists who participate in the past “Return” could have been promoted.  The cases were many; from Garvey, DuBois, Padmore, and Nkrumah.  These could have offered strong attractions.

Indeed, the concept of a Return is Pan Africanist in nature and an organic growth that manifested itself with the Marcus Garvey movement, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) of the 1920s, with a membership of some 2 million people in the Diaspora at that time.

Garvey and his group advocated “and sought to establish independent black states (for “separate but equal” status for persons of African ancestry…., notably in Liberia on the west coast of Africa,” according to History.com.

Garvey never made it to Africa. But Nkrumah brought a refined version of the idea to Ghana.

In the 60s, the approach by Nkrumah to “The Return” was different.  It was mostly geared to recruit and welcome talent for nation-building, not tourism nor separate states for the Diaspora.    

This attracted men like W. E. B. Dubois, Padmore, and many others to make their homes in Ghana in the 60s.

These men were not carpetbaggers, but men and women who had conviction and commitment for a “Return” before they arrived.

Dr. Dubois came to work on the Encyclopedia Africa project. 

He announced on arrival, on September 26, 1960, that Kwame Nkrumah "had invited him to repatriate to Ghana, where he would serve as the editor in chief of The Encyclopedia Africana, according to the website Black Past.

Dubois died and was buried in Ghana in 1963, aged 93 years.

Shirley Dubois, his wife, under whom I worked, was the Managing Director for Ghana Television in the 60s.

George Padmore, a constant freedom fighter from Trinidad, was also invited by Nkrumah to live in Ghana. He was an advisor to Nkrumah in the fight against colonialism.

At Padmore’s death in 1959, C. L. R. James wrote, that “it was in Ghana that his ashes were interred and everyone says that in this country, famous for its political demonstrations, never had there been such a turnout as that caused by the death of Padmore.”

Dr. Robert Lee and his wife Sara, both dentists, Maya Angelou, and others settled in Ghana in the 60s.

A Return to Africa for all these folks was not for the promotion of tourism.  For them, it was a spiritual homecoming to help free and develop Africa. And to build the foundation for a real “Return” that would sustain all - both within the Diaspora and Africa.

There were intellectual, political and moral giants who came because of “The Return” call in the 60s. 

But guess the caliber of characters who came this time to celebrate in 2019?   Not a single personality that could measure up to DuBois or Padmore.

Instead, we had the entertainment celebrity types and many buccaneers who came to promote themselves and not to spark a drive for a real Return.

In the process, the whole capital of Accra was turned into one big party space, such as never seen before; not even during the Joseph Project celebrations of the same Return under Kufuor.

The crowds grew bigger into 2020 but were the commitment for “The Return” on par with that of the silent few that came in the 60s?  Not so.

For the Diaspora of the 60s, “The Return” was akin to a journey to a Mecca moment, with all the spiritual attractions. 

But they also came to provide the incremental motivation for a buildup for others to follow; a recruitment hub for talent and merit from the Diaspora to service and advance Africa.

Cardi B. of Gansta “Bitch” Music can answer the purpose of her call to Ghana. I can't.

Popcaan, the rap artist, who answered when he boasted, “Over Africa wicked man ting. Mi jus buy mi brand new house over Ghana. Yuh haffi have house everyweh!”

One can extract from Popcaan's utterance the entire misunderstanding of the original intent of the "Return" and the need of such to advance Africa. 

And it just happened in 2019.  But don't blame him.

E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Publisher, www.ghanadot.com, January 09, 2020

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