The first day of Queen Afua’s trip began with a welcome ceremony at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. A cultural troupe performed traditional song and dance while Queen Afua and her delegation joined in and danced to the beat of the drums. It was clear the love they have for the motherland Africa.

On their second day in Ghana, the team had a meeting at Jubilee House with the Director of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President, Akwasi Ababio, Deputy Director of Diaspora Affairs, Nadia Adongo Musah, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman and the Presidential Advisor on Health, Anthony Nsiah-Asare.  Queen Afua spoke to them about her vision for health and wellness in Ghana.  She spoke about her best-selling books and how she has helped millions around the world heal their bodies through food. 

She presented her products to them and even had everyone sample one that promises to aid and clear the cardiovascular system. 

A visit to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park was an opportunity for the team to learn the history of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.  Some of the travellers have never visited the African continent and learning about the strides made by Ghana was an eye-opening experience. 

Jerry Johnson is an African American who has made Ghana home and saw the need to educate the youth about the history of Black people around the world.  He created the Ancestral Wall around his property as a way to honour important historical figures from Africa and the global African diaspora.  Queen Afua and her delegation travelled to Prampram to visit the wall and learn some of the history of people they didn’t know about.

For the African American community, a visit to see the dungeons of Cape Coast Castle is an important part of the journey to Africa.  It’s an opportunity to experience and connect with their ancestors and to see the spaces where the atrocities took place before the ancestors were taken overseas. 

Assin Manso is where the Slave River passes through and a critical part of the journey of healing for diasporans when they come to Ghana.  Queen Afua and her team experienced the place where captured enslaved Africans were taken for their last bath before being sold into the trans-Atlantic slave trade. 

The team also engaged in a tree-planting exercise to reconnect with the land and honour the lives of those who were taken.

Queen Afua’s best-selling book, The Sacred Woman was recently launched for the twentieth anniversary edition.  She had a book reading and signing at the Pan African Writer’s Association House (PAWA), hosted by the Ghana Association of Writers. 

Mr. Gbormittah, President of the Ghana Association of Writers was there and he was happy that such an event was their first in a year after the pandemic halted their in-person activities.

Aburi Botanical Gardens is one of the beautiful wonders of Ghana and many tourists take the opportunity to experience the wonder and beauty of nature there.   Queen Afua has partnered with Tehuti Films to document her experience in Ghana and used the gardens as a perfect setting to film a scene in her upcoming documentary.

A visit to former President H.E. John Kofi Kuffor, at his home was an honour for the delegation.  It was an opportunity for Queen Afua to speak to the former president about her health and wellness system and how she has helped to heal people around the world. 

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, met with the delegation for a breakfast meeting at Kempinski Hotel on the final day of their tour of Ghana.  He expressed how impressed he is with the work Queen Afua is doing with her health and wellness teachings.  He announced in the brief meeting before breakfast that he was appointing her as Ghana’s Wellness Ambassador. 

By: Ivy Prosper

Queen Afua’s Best-selling book, ‘The Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit’, has changed people’s lives for two decades. She recently launched the twentieth anniversary edition, which includes new updates and was excited to share her book at an official event held that the Pan African Writer’s Association House in Accra. The president of the Ghana Association of Writers, Francis Gbormittah, said he was very excited to have her book reading as their first in-person event since the pandemic closed their doors to the public last year.

With Covid-19 protocols in place, the event was a smaller gathering than the usual book reading of a best-selling author would attract. Some diasporans who have been avid followers of her work were there and thrilled to have the opportunity to meet her. Jamaican-Canadian Musician, Zakisha Brown, was there and spoke of how Queen Afua’s book had inspired her journey as a vegan. Brown, who quoted Queen Afua’s work in one of her songs, had the opportunity to meet the author and was thrilled to learn she actually already heard and liked her song.

A special thank you to the Ghana Association of Writers, for allowing use of their space was given by the CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman. He spoke of how valuable it was to have Queen Afua in Ghana with her team to talk wellness and encourage other African Americans to come to Ghana on such a journey.

“The immune system, which is broken can be repaired through the plants, the herbs…your grandmothers knew and they did it. Your grandfathers knew and they connected to the earth, they understood it,” Queen Afua said. “We must go back to how it was before.” She took a moment to read an excerpt from her book, and later signed books for those who came with their own copies.

The Q&A session after the reading allowed for attendees to ask questions and share their thoughts about a life of health and wellness. When asked about how African Americans can handle trauma and not bring it to the continent, Queen Afua replied saying, “We have to go to the dungeons to let go of the trauma.” She explained the feeling of entering the dungeons and how she felt and what she took away from it was the importance of unifying and coming together as a people. “Unity is the most important key, if we unify nothing can break that.” She went on to explain how our organs can break down from the stress of pain and trauma and that we need to be one people. “Unity is for the strong, separation is for the weak.” she said.

Currently hard copies of her book, ‘The Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit’, are not available in Ghana, but they can be purchased online. She promised that her team would work on getting copies sold in Ghana in the new future.

There’s no denying what the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade has had on the African American community.  It has been over 400 years since the first documented ship of enslaved Africans arrived in what is now Virginia, USA. Today, the descendants of captured enslaved Africans are looking at making a return.  Our brothers and sisters from the diaspora are longing for reconnection and are finding ways to come back and experience all that Africa has to offer.  This is true not only for African Americans, but also the Caribbean, South American and Canadian descendants of slaves have also been making the journey back to Africa.

Holistic Health Practitioner and Best-Selling Author, Queen Afua, has travelled to Ghana with a delegation of influential African Americans looking to make a healing journey not only through health and wellness, but through spiritual reconnection with the African continent.  Among the group are Attorney and Political Analyst, Angela Rye, Celebrity Chef, Lauren Von Der Pool,  Workshop Presenter and Business Strategist, Sherease Torrain, World Famous Painter and Artist, Leroy Campbell, Cultural Ambassador, Wellness Coach and Dancer, Queen Esther Sarr, Recording Artist, Cultural Ambassador and Educator, Iminah Laura Ahmad, Documentary Filmmaker, Robert Gay, Executive Assistant and Womb Wellness Coach, Alexis Froe, Business Strategist, Goddess Deborah Webb and Photographer Damany Campbell.

Their visit to Cape Coast included the important trip to visit the dungeons at Cape Coast Castle.  This painful experience is one that needs to be made to truly connect with the spirit of the ancestors.  As Queen Afua and the group walked through the dungeon where our ancestors were held captive for weeks and even months at time, they took a moment to touch the walls and feel the spirit.  Angela Rye, who is known in the U.S. for her work as a highly respected political analyst, said she felt the spirit through the walls.  As they all walked down into the male dungeon, the tour guide turned off the light so they could experience what those held captive hundreds of years ago would have felt.  With very small window openings, not much air passes through the dungeon.  Imagining the feeling of being deprived of food and being forced to urinate, defecate and vomit within the confines of the dungeon, is heartbreaking.  Knowing our ancestors had to endure those conditions is both painful and angering.  The delegation made their way towards the shrine honouring those who died and those who survived, which was truly emotional.  Libations were poured, prayers were said and a wreath was laid in their honour.

For all who were forcibly taken from the continent of Africa, it was believed they would never return home.  Hundreds of years later, as their descendants are coming back and touching the soil of Africa, it represents the strength of survival.  Through the Door of Return, they are coming back and showing the world what it means to come home.

By: Ivy Prosper

With decades of experience as a holistic health practitioner, Queen Afua is on a mission to help women and men around the world gain the practical knowledge to take care of themselves physically, mentally and spiritually.  She arrived in Ghana on 23rd March with a delegation of like-minded influential people who are also looking to make a connection with the continent of Africa.  

The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President, Akwasi Ababio, welcomed Queen Afua and her delegation for a meeting which included Deputy Director of Diaspora Affairs, Nadia Adongo Musah, Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman and the Presidential Advisor on Health, Anthony Nsiah-Asare.  Ababio shared the role of his office and felt it was important for them to meet not only himself, but those who also work inside the presidency.  “This drive to welcome our people back home…we are not just doing that for the tourism side of it, but also for the spiritual side of it and the well-being of people once they come to Africa,” Ababio said.

Among those who travelled with Queen Afua that were in attendance at the meeting were, Attorney and Political Analyst, Angela Rye, Celebrity Chef, Lauren Von Der Pool, Workshop Presenter and Business Strategist Sherease Torrain, World Famous Painter and Artist, Leroy Campbell, Cultural Ambassador, Wellness Coach and Dancer, Queen Esther Sarr, Recording Artist, Cultural Ambassador and Educator, Iminah Laura Ahmad, Documentary Filmmaker, Robert Gay, Executive Assistant and Womb Wellness Coach, Alexis Froe, and Business Strategist, Goddess Deborah Webb. 

The global pandemic has taught us the importance of taking care of our health and ensuring our bodies have the strongest immune systems.  Practicing and teaching a lifestyle of healthy eating is what Queen Afua has dedicated over 50 years of her life to as a holistic health expert.  She expressed her plans to open a wellness centre that would draw from Ghana’s natural environment. She presented some of her products created using 100% plant-based ingredients and spoke about the value of healing ourselves through what we eat.  “We can use nature to restore us, to heal us,” she said.  Samples of her products were shared to prove its effectiveness.  Adumua-Bossman was the first to try one and was instantly impressed with how quickly he noticed the results.  Others also tried the product including Ababio and Adongo Musah. 

This isn’t Queen Afua’s first visit to Ghana, she’s been here before and recognizes the value of Ghana in helping people to reach their goals of better health and wellness.  She has changed the lives of so many people through her products.  Queen Afua’s lifelong devotion to helping people fight disease through the power of food and self-care is one she hopes will be  embraced in Ghana. Through her workshops and books, she has already inspired over one million people in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.

Beyond the Return, with Ghana Tourism Authority and The BridgeZone collaborated to welcome Holistic Health Practitioner and Best-Selling Author, Queen Afua to Ghana with her delegation.  A welcome ceremony was held at La Palm Royal Beach Resort in Accra where a cultural troupe welcomed them with traditional music and dance.  

CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, Director of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President, Akwasi Ababio, CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Yofi Grant, and Manager of Beyond the Return Secretariat, Annabelle McKenzie, were among the speakers at the welcome event.  The group of influential African Americans who travelled with Queen Afua includes Attorney and Political Analyst, Angela Rye, Celebrity Chef, Lauren Von Der Pool, Wellness Coach and Dancer, Queen Esther Sarr, Recording Artist, Cultural Ambassador and Educator, Iminah Laura Ahmad, Workshop Presenter and Business Strategist Sherease Torrain, World Famous Painter and Artist, Leroy Campbell, Cultural Ambassador,  Documentary Filmmaker, Robert Gay, Executive Assistant and Womb Wellness Coach, Alexis Froe, Business Strategist, Goddess Deborah Webb and Photographer Damany Campbell.

Akwasi Agyeman spoke of how the pandemic had delayed activities for Beyond the Return and was thankful that it is a 10-year project, allowing for the Ghana Tourism Authority to continue to promote connecting with the diaspora community.  “As we welcome you here tonight, indeed you are going to be a catalyst for our restart of ‘Beyond the Return’ activities,” he said. Agyeman went on to speak about the Year of Return activities in 2019 which included collaborative efforts with the Diaspora Affairs Office and how the Full Circle Festival helped to spead the message of the Year of Return.  He said, “…through Queen Afua and her entourage here, we know that the message is going back home, that indeed Ghana is open again and Africa is ready to welcome its own.” 

Queen Afua spoke about creating a healing village in Ghana and how excited she is about this journey.  “I’ve been on this path for 50 years now….this path of wellness,” she said. “I am so grateful that I am travelling with such a wonderful, powerful, healing delegation,” she continued.  Some of the travellers have never been to Ghana and were all looking forward to learning about the country while having a trip that helped them reconnect with their ancestors.  Some of them spoke about how important it was that Ghana’s President made the public call for people of African descent to make the trip to Ghana.  Seeing what the ‘Year of Return’ did in 2019 to spark the movement of a new generation coming to Ghana, inspired some of them to heed the call.  

Queen Afua said she was grateful to the Ghana Tourism Authority for welcoming them to Ghana along with African Americans who are considering coming to Africa.  She was also thankful that the President of Ghana extended the invitation to all African Americans and people from the global Black diaspora to make the trip to Ghana.  

Written By: Ivy Prosper