The re-patriots from America to Ghana had a wealth of knowledge and experience that they shared with us. Several years I made the decision that I would not make my eternal transition in America or solely as an American citizen. With that said, I didn’t need to be convinced that America isn’t for me or my people. Visiting the re-patriots only affirmed and validated sentiments that I have been feeling for quite some time.
Each of the re-patriots shared a brief history of themselves and how they managed to return home. I personally identified with youngest man who was a part of the panel. His story is very similar to mine because he, like me, has always been around the sounds and symbols of African liberation and African pride. Our parents instilled within us, at a very early age, who we are and a strong conviction to be proud of that particular identity. It is no wonder that his allegiance has led him back to Africa and I am not all surprised that I am on the same path.
One of the most important pieces that I extracted from the interaction was when “Mama Afrika” began to highlight a few of the difficulties one will face during their individual repatriation transition. The biggest difficulty, which I have already experienced, is the language barrier. Even though both Black Americans and Ghanaians speak English it is still difficult to communicate due to subtleties of language. Inflection, connotation, slang, and interpretation are all very different between the two cultures. Lastly the most inspiring thing I took away from the meeting was, a strong confidence that by the time I am ready to “come home”, a strong community of re-patriots will already be there and thriving before I arrive. I was grateful for everything they shared with us and hope to be able to join them soon.
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