Ghana is becoming home to a slew of African-Americans, 400 years after the first black people arrived in the U.S in the famous “Jamestown landing” and the start of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In a new documentary, the BBC investigates why African Americans are making such a big move across continents despite issues with economy, food, living conditions and others factors.
“The main differences of my life in Ghana and the US is the peace. Ghana is a peaceful place.” says one of such immigrants who is settling in to Ghana
Sharing the documentary on social media in the face of Ghana’s “Year of Return” campaign which seeks to galvanize diasporans to visit Ghana, the BBC wrote alongside the revealing video.
“1619 marks the year of the first documented arrival of enslaved Africans in what’s today the United States of America.
Ghana has declared 2019 the ‘year of return’ and is encouraging the African diaspora to visit the country.
The West African country of Ghana – which was a major hub during the transatlantic slave trade – declared 2019 the year of return and is encouraging the African diaspora to visit the country.
According to the country’s tourism board from January to June this year, there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of Americans visiting the country and an 11 per cent increase in visitors from the UK. But some young African Americans have decided to return for good.”
So far several black stars in Hollywood have made the historic visit to the nation of Ghana, encouraging others to do same. These include Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell, Steve Harvey and many others.
Check out the full documentary below