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Back to Their Roots - Why African-Americans Are Flocking to Ghana

African-Americans are returning to countries like Ghana more than 400 years after their ancestors left Africa as slaves. Many say they want either to reconnect to history or resettle on the continent, writes Isaac Kaledzi for the Deutsche Welle.

At least 1,500 African-Americans have moved to Ghana since 2019, following a campaign by Ghana's government. The campaign, dubbed the "Year of Return," became a catalyst for many descendants of Africans in the diaspora to embark on a spiritual journey. The Year of Return was also to celebrate the resilience of all the victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade who were forcefully displaced throughout the world, ending up in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 did slow visitors but hasn't stopped African Americans from traveling to West Africa. One of the main highlights of such visits is to tour some historical sites, such as the slave castles in central Ghana, to remind them of their ancestry and to reconnect with the continent.

InFocus

IsaacKaledzi/DW

The "Door of No Return" at the Cape Coast Castle was the point of no return for slaves (file photo).

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