African Diaspora Return: Naming Ceremony in Ghana

Marcus Garvey is considered the grandfather of pan-Africanism, while Kwame Nkrumah is regarded as the father of pan-Africanism. Nkrumah was heavily influenced by Garvey's writings, particularly the book 'Philosophies and Opinions of Marcus Garvey.' Garvey advocated for black liberation and the creation of a united African state. Nkrumah adopted the black star symbol from Garvey's black star, which was a metaphorical statement encouraging black people to aspire to be at the zenith in all endeavors rather than accepting mediocrity. Nkrumah believed that all descendants of Africa, regardless of where they lived, belonged to one great nation called Africa.

Pan-Africanism emerged as a unifying ideology connecting African peoples worldwide. Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), the largest African organization in history, promoting self-determination without ever visiting Africa. Kwame Nkrumah became Ghana's first president in 1957, symbolizing African independence. The Pan-African Congress movement began in 1900 with Henry Sylvester Williams, bringing together diaspora leaders to discuss unity. These movements established that African peoples must organize power collectively to transform oppression and create their own reality, forming the foundation for ongoing pan-African dialogue.

The foundational principles of Pan-Africanism include: (1) Unity and solidarity among all people of African descent worldwide, (2) Liberation and self-determination free from foreign domination, (3) Economic independence challenging exploitative practices of colonialism and global capitalism, and (4) Cultural pride celebrating African languages, traditions, and values suppressed during colonial rule. W.E.B. Du Bois initially had antagonism with Marcus Garvey due to colorism and intellectual disagreements, but eventually submitted to the truth about Garvey. He publicly wrote that Garvey was right about many things, renounced his citizenship, and moved to Ghana, becoming one of Kwame Nkrumah's biggest advisors. The NAACP, founded in 1905 by white Jews including Julian Mack (who presided over Garvey's trial), saw Garvey as a threat because he was taking membership away. The government didn't try to kill Garvey; they deported him. The chief principle in the system of racism based on the myth of white supremacy is confusion. If you can confuse a people, they won't know which direction to go in. All evidence from archaeologists, anthropologists, paleontologists, geneticists, and biologists shows beyond question that Africa is the cradle of humanity. The narrative that black people are not from Africa is pseudo-intellectualism rooted in self-hate and is dangerous not only culturally and psychologically but in terms of resources and access to resources that black people are owed.

Pan-Africanism is an ideology focused on African liberation and power for all African people. The speaker identifies as a Garveyite, representing African fundamentalism expressed through Marcus Garvey's UNIA and African Communities League. Another prominent form is Nkrumahite pan-Africanism, which emphasizes scientific socialism as an economic philosophy opposing neocolonialism. Black nationalist pan-Africanism defines pan-Africanism as the total liberation and reunification of Africa and all African people, establishing one continental and global African nationalist government and an ubuntu world order. Ubuntu is an ancient African terminology relating to truth, justice, harmony, balance, and reciprocity, expressing that 'a person is a person because there are people' or 'I am because we are.' A key debate exists between class analysis (socialist approach) and race/culture analysis (black nationalist approach). Black nationalists view class as a product of culture, arguing that class contradictions are by-products of European cultural systems governing African nations. Despite historical debates, there has been significant synthesis between approaches, with black nationalists contributing cultural analysis to liberation politics and socialists contributing economic analysis of capitalism.

Pan-Africanism centers Africa as the source of all human goodness, rejecting colonial narratives that portrayed Africa as 'dark.' It requires studying white supremacy as the root cause of African disorganization, poverty, slavery, and colonialism over 500 years. Marcus Garvey is considered the greatest black leader who elevated Pan-Africanism to unprecedented heights, similar to how Michael Jordan transformed basketball. Every major black leader after the 1920s—including Dr. King, Malcolm X, Mandela, Lumumba, and Nkrumah—cited him as their mentor. He founded the UNIA, organizing over 10 million Africans worldwide without modern tools, centered solely on shared African identity rather than religion or class. His wife Amy Ashwood Garvey chaired the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Conference where Kenyatta and Nkrumah were present, though neither fully emulated his ideals.

Among the Akan people, day names are given based on the day a person's soul comes to earth, corresponding to planetary rulers or deities. Monday-born females are named Aua, males Kjo; Tuesday-born females Abena, males Quabana; Wednesday-born females Aua, males Quaku; Thursday-born females Ya, males Yao; Friday-born females Afia, males Kofi; Saturday-born females Amma, males Qame; Sunday-born individuals are named Akosa or Quasi. These names represent the spiritual rulers of those days. Trained priests can perform 'roots readings' to uncover ancestral lineage information, including where ancestors were taken from in Africa and what ethnic groups they belonged to.

The Akan people of Ghana, Togo, and Ivory Coast traditionally use a dual naming system where children receive a 'soul name' (Kra din) based on their birth day (Monday-Kwame, Tuesday-Kwadwo, Wednesday-Kwame, Thursday-Yao, Friday-Kofi, Saturday-Kwame, Sunday-Kwesi for boys; and corresponding female names like Yaa, Abena, Efua, Yaa, Akua, Adwoa, Akosua), plus a 'real name' (Din Pa) reflecting birth circumstances, family position, or parental wishes; this system was disrupted by colonization which introduced surname practices requiring entire families to share the same surname, but is now experiencing revival as communities reconnect with their cultural roots.

In Twi (Asante dialect of Akan), each day of the week has specific male and female soul names (Kradin) assigned to children based on their birth day: Monday (male: Kofi, female: Abena), Tuesday (male: Kwabena, female: Akua), Wednesday (male: Kwaku, female: Akosua), Thursday (male: Yao, female: Yaa), Friday (male: Kofi, female: Akosua), Saturday (male: Kofi, female: Ama), and Sunday (male: Kwasi, female: Akosua).

In Akan culture, names associated with the days of the week are called 'krain' or soul names. These names indicate which divinity governs the person's spiritual head. For example, someone born on Sunday has a soul name associated with the divinity Ai (or Assar), while someone born on Tuesday has a soul name associated with the deity Bena. The community knows which divinity assigned the spirit before birth, and this divinity ensures the person is born on their designated day. Soul names serve as spiritual identity markers that indicate which divinity governs a person's head and spirit. When someone calls a person by their soul name, they are invoking that divinity and realigning with the spiritual force governing that person. This system was maintained during enslavement, as evidenced by the preservation of names like Quaku, Kojo, Afua, and Amma in the hoodoo tradition.

Akan naming traditions include 'soul names' (kwesi/abena) registering one's soul coming to Earth from spiritual forces, distinguishing them from mere day names. These names have an afterlife, remaining invoked in memory and ritualization even after death. Geographic variation exists: coastal areas use 'Kofi' (with 'e' spelling), forest interior uses 'Kwasi' (with 'a' spelling), with different regional variants. Names encode comprehensive cultural information including greetings between same-birth-day individuals, taboos regarding animals, and ritual obligations every 42 days (wearing white, abstaining from intercourse and meats, meditating). Interpreting African names requires understanding both cultural background and specific African languages, as names are coded in particular linguistic systems.

Beyond the Return is a 10-year project launched by Ghana following the successful Year of Return 2019 campaign, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in America; this initiative aims to facilitate greater collaboration between Africans in the diaspora and Ghana, encouraging investment in citizenship, real estate, heritage, infrastructure, and tourism while promoting a renewed spirit of African unity and self-belief.

Ghana designated 2019 as the 'Year of Return' to commemorate 400 years since the first captured African slaves arrived in the Americas, marking the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade. This initiative aimed to demonstrate triumph over adversity through global celebrations that brought together people from all over the world—regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity—to rediscover common identity and humanity. Following this success, Ghana launched the 'Beyond the Return' initiative to sustain engagement with the African diaspora. The Ministry of Tourism and Ghana Tourism Authority are working to make Ghana an attractive destination—a place of pilgrimage that everyone with African heritage must visit. Hollywood star Boris Cujo and international marketing icon Bosuma Sinjar have leveraged their star power to attract thousands to Ghana and promote it as a land of opportunity for visitation, investment, and settlement.

The Year of Return initiative was launched in 2019 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first documented enslaved Africans in America. Ghana was chosen as the primary destination for several reasons: it was the first independent African nation, influenced by Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line and Back to Africa movement, and had a long history with African-Americans. Ghana's English-speaking status and position as a gateway to West Africa made it logistically convenient. The initiative was supported by HR 1242, legislation signed by President Trump that recognized 400 years of the African-American experience.

Beyond the Return is Ghana's official 10-year initiative (2020-2030) to engage the African diaspora, officially unveiled by the Senior Minister at the National Theater in Accra. The initiative builds upon the 2019 Year of Return, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of the slave trade. Ghana holds a unique historical position as the location where approximately 75% of the slave dungeons built on the West Coast of Africa were constructed. The Homeland Return Act is under development to provide a pathway to citizenship for diaspora members. The speaker emphasizes patience until the legislation is finalized, encouraging interested individuals to take advantage of the opportunity when available. The initiative began 25 months ago in August 2018 with the local launch of Year of Return projects, followed by President Akufo-Addo's declaration of 2019 as the Year of Return at the Washington Press Club before the Congressional Black Caucus.

Ghana sponsored a 'Year of Return' that attracted approximately 2 billion U.S. dollars from the African diaspora. This initiative was rooted in Ghana's deep understanding of its history and connection to the outside world. Ghana took responsibility for the painful aspects of its history, including the exportation of people from its territories, and was honest about this past rather than denying it.