An African American in the company of an entourage who visited the Cape Coast Castle has established that their return to Ghana is not by chance, adding, it has been ‘divined’ by their ancestors.

The delegation was led by American rapper T.I and his wife Tameka Cottle.

According to the man (unidentified), many of the enslaved Africans came from West Africa and Ghana is a significant place of origin for them.

President Nana Akufo-Addo in October declared 2019 as “The Year of Return” while launching a series of programs that would seek to encourage people of African ancestry to make the birthright journey home for the global African family.

The idea of a homecoming for Africans who were taken away according to Nana Addo is one that Ghana has long fancied and championed.

But T.I, together with other African Americans during a solemn encounter at the Cape Coast Castle identified the fact that their visit is not a matter of coincidence as these ancestors foretold that they will return to their roots someday.

“Our ancestors made that place (Western world) what it is. The spirit of the most high and our ancestors have shaken us to come back. That’s what the year of return is all about. It is the year of prophecy. We don’t joke with prophecy. Our ancestors are crying out that we should get up and do what needed to be done. They made sacrifices so we will live. They could have chosen to die right here, jump over those walls or fed themselves to the sharks. That’s what time it is in prophetical history. That’s what the prophecy is saying. When our ancestors were leaving these shores, they took soil, water and they whispered that this year, we will make it back. They whispered without even knowing our names,” he stated.



Aside from sentimental reasons, the return of the African diaspora is economically pragmatic for Ghana.

The tourism ministry is coordinating activities for The Year of Return along with private agencies, hoping the pilgrimages will boost tourism in Ghana.

The government is also not losing sight of the investment potential and human capital of the highly educated “returnees” who have recently been conferred citizenships and others who have decided to move permanently to Ghana.