Sankofa!

I AM PROUD TO BE BLACK! So with a smile on my face and all the pride in my heart, let me say Happy Black History Month! As I was meditating, the word Sankofa dropped deep within my spirit and I began writing this blog. So as I am in this natural flow, I will share with you what we should all consider this to be as an African Heritage appreciation post. Peace!

Sankofa is a word of the Akan tribe and language. The Akan people live in separate lineage villages in Ghana, Africa. The most DISTINGUISHED respect of the Akan belief is that there must be tribal UNITY and morality. A part of the Akan tribes legacy is what we all know and appreciate as the Kente cloth, and throughout history, the Akan people are known to bring wealth to each state that they occupied by mining gold, producing materials and by trading cash crops.

The Akan tribe Is a very corporate group with its own identity, group solidarity, exclusive property and symbols, one of which is Sankofa. The word is derived from San: Return, Ko: Go, Fa: Look, Seek and Take. In translation, Sankofa literally means to retrieve. But there is an Akan proverb that a mentor of mine told me, "Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi" which translates to "it is not taboo to fetch what you forgot". The Sankofa symbol is a mythical bird with its feet planted firmly forward, with its head turned backwards to retrieve a seed. This symbol serves to what the Akan people believe; the past serves as a guide for planning the future. It is the wisdom learned from the past that ensures a strong future. To know history and your heritage is to know your current self, the world around you, and how to better both.

Sankofa is inspirational in activism and art and I believe that its message is beneficial to people no matter your background. For me, experience is always the best teacher. What did you experience in 2021 that had an affect on you one way or another? How did it affect you? What can you gather from that experience? Did you learn anything new about yourself?  How do you predict that it will impact you moving forward?