WATCH: Ghana wants African diaspora to return home

Ghana has labelled 2019 as the Year of Return in partnership with the Adinkra-group. Picture: SUN/Year of Return website.

Ghana has labelled 2019 as the Year of Return in partnership with the Adinkra-group. Picture: SUN/Year of Return website.

Published Jul 15, 2019

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Ghana is welcoming the global African family home, 400 years after the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown, Virginia. 

The campaign is called “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” and is aimed at anyone outside of the country who has Ghanaian ancestry.

The Ghana Tourism Authority has labelled it as a "major landmark spiritual and birth-right journey". 

August is a significant month in the history of the country, and this year marks 400 years since enslaved Africans arrived in the US.

There is a calendar of events that has been planned throughout the year and available on the Year of Return website.

The tourism authority says: "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".

"The events planned throughout the year will serve as a launch pad for a consistent boost in tourism for Ghana in the near and distant years. Beyond tourism, this initiative supports one of the president’s key developmental agendas in Ghana Beyond Aid. We know that tourism can be a leading indicator to business and investment."

Events include inter-faith dialogues, a wreath laying and tribute to the ancestors ceremony as well as cultural days, workshops and colloquiums which visitors are encouraged to be a part of.

Americans are a key focus of the campaign and there is a partnership with airlines, the PANAFEST Foundation and The Adinkra Group of the USA.

As part of the Year of Return project, 200 African-American and African-Caribbean people who live in Ghana will be granted citizenship. 

Another element of the programme is that visa fees in Ghana have been reduced from $150 to $75 (about R2 085 to R1 040).

WATCH: Ghana wants Africans to return home

For more info you can visit the Year of Return website

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