SANKOFA NEWS
HACSA's Member-Only Newsletter


January 2021


FROM THE PRESIDENT

Let me start by wishing a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Productive New Year to the entire HACSA Family! Thank you for all you did for HACSA in 2020!

The festivities ushering in 2021 have rapidly turned to a mood of desperation as COVID-19 ravages our communities and the death rate continues to soar. However there is something you CAN DO to protect yourselves, your families and your communities!  The wearing of medically approved masks in public places by all (which you can still cover with your unique African Print mask) could bring this virus to a grinding halt!

‘Hope’ is the theme of this first Members' Newsletter of the New Year! There is hope because we have the power to act, make change and make an impact. This was the spirit that gave birth to HACSA! We all speak about what governments are supposed to do and what we would do if we had the power. But given the opportunity do we really act on our lofty ideals? At the beginning of the year it is a good time to search our souls and ask ourselves if we’re living up to our ideals, values and beliefs. Would we really jump at it if we were given the opportunity to make the world a better place?

HACSA is a non-governmental, non-political, non-profit, civil society organisation created to give us the power and voice to make a change and create better outcomes for Africa and ‘Peoples of African Origin’ around the world! It creates an avenue for taking action and creating real impact outside of party politics and self-interest while prioritising environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment and technological innovation. We at HACSA recognise that achieving this can only be a team effort and the HACSA Sankofa Network was created to bring us together for impact and change. In unity our actions are that much more powerful and meaningful! We are continuously looking for ways to enrich the experience and participation of our members and are starting a HACSA Blog page where writers can submit articles and opinion pieces on issues that affect our communities to our editorial board for review and publication and members have the opportunity to comment and share ideas and feedback in the Sankofa Clubhouse. So it is my plea to you in this first month of the year to please pay your subscription for the HACSA Sankofa Network if you haven’t done so already and get involved by participating, volunteering, writing or helping to provide content, and/or encouraging new members to join the fold and making your much needed donations to keep our work going.

This year we look forward to the fruits of our hard work on ongoing projects with the virtual launch of our HACSA “Full Circle” Heritage Tour in association with Google Arts and Culture and the launch of our HACSA Heritage Documentary both partially sponsored under the Embassy of France in Ghana’s Sankofa Project. Following on from our hugely popular and successful first series of live webinars dealing with the crises of 2020, this year we are introducing a new series of live webinars with the theme: Bridging the Gap!  We are delighted to announce that our first live webinar for the 2021 series is an interview with Ambassador Kwesi Quartey, the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union and one of the chief architects of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Don’t miss this opportunity to find out firsthand how this long awaited Agreement will change trade relations between African nations and use this opportunity to ask questions about how the treaty will function in practice! Please RSVP to receive your Zoom link. We are offering individuals and companies the opportunity to support or sponsor our new webinar series so please contact us if you would like to do so at donations@thehacsa.org.

The HACSA team are also looking forward to our first virtual HACSA Summit in July and HACSA’s 5th Anniversary Celebrations in November this year and will share more information on how you can participate in the coming months. Our network is growing and spreading around the globe and we are very excited to have you join us on this incredible journey of hope!  Let us pray that 2021 is a better year for all humanity!

Donate
HACSA LIVE WEBINAR SERIES 2021

The HACSA Foundation is delighted to invite you to the first instalment in our new Live Webinar Series "Bridging the Gap." In this instalment, we will be welcoming African Union Deputy Chairperson, Ambassador Kwesi Quartey for a live interview and Q+A session.

Date: Saturday, 30th January
Time: 8:00AM PT | 11:00AM ET | 4:00PM GMT

Participation is by invitivation only and all participants are required to register. If you would like to attend, please register using the link below. If you would like to submit questions for Ambassador Quartey in advance, please send them to info@thehacsa.org.

WEBINARS
Why and How Should We Preserve Heritage Sites Associated with the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Colonialism and Independence?

HACSA is proud to present the sixth topic in our Live Webinar Series. This webinar is part of a series of free, innovative and educational webinars on current and relevant topics. Panels of academics, practitioners and experts discuss how to grapple with the current global crises and the fast-changing global environment. This topic saw a panel discuss issues of heritage preservation from a variety of perspectives, and assessing the legal, historical and cultural importance of preserving African heritage and culture. It was sponsored by the Embassy of France in Ghana's Sankofa Project. 

STOP PRESS!

Call for submissions! In 2021 HACSA will be launching a new blog, accessible to members of the HACSA Sankofa Network. The HACSA Blog will provide information and insight into the art, history, heritage and culture of African people, and those of African descent, and is a project about which we are very excited. The HACSA Blog will feature stories from guest writers from across Africa and the Diaspora, and we are also excited to accept entries from within the HACSA community! We aspire to see the HACSA Blog serve as a point of congregation for people in Africa and the Diaspora wishing to discuss issues at the heart of their communities, and a platform to discuss issues of heritage and culture.

If you would like to submit material to the HACSA Blog, or would like more information about the submissions process, please contact the Blog's Editorial Panel, at info@thehacsa.org.

SAVE THE DATE
HACSA Virtual Summit 2021

HACSA Summits reunite the African diaspora and celebrate the rich history, heritage and culture of Africa and peoples of African descent. They are a unique opportunity for networking with the global diaspora and learning more about Africa. The Summits bring together heads of state, opinion leaders, practitioners, academics, students, creatives, enthusiasts and participants from Africa and the diaspora. In the past, the HACSA Summit has included keynote speakers, panel discussions, academic presentations, exhibitions, film screenings, a remembrance and candlelight vigil, a gala dinner dance showcasing African food, fashion, and music and guided tours of key heritage sites in Ghana.

THROWBACK

Throwback to 2017 when HACSA hosted our first African Diaspora Homecoming Summit in Accra, Ghana. During the Summit, we took participants to the Akwamu Royal palace and Museum, a site on the HACSA Eastern Slave Route Tour in the Eastern Region of Ghana.  In the 1690s, Nana Asamani a member of the Akwamu Royal family, led 80 men to capture the Christiansborg Castle. He ruled as Governor for 14 months until the Danish agreed to buy the Castle back. He kept the keys which are now on display at the Akwamufie Palace Museum.

NEWS FROM THE DIASPORA 
WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT!

We are delighted to celebrate the marriage of HACSA Project Officer, Ms Zoe Sarbah, and Mr Felix Sokpe. Zoe and Felix were married on December 12th, 2020, in Accra, Ghana. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to the happy couple and to both of their families, and we wish them every happiness.

RECIPE

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that over 1,500 languages are spoken in Africa, with some estimates placing that number as high as 2,000? African languages are mainly separated into 4 main groups: Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Saharan, also called Niger-Congo, and Khoisan. Inter-ethnic languages are also used to communicate in many areas, with languages like Arabic, Amharic, Hausa and Swahili used by millions.
EDUCATIONAL TOOLS
Project Gutenburg is an online library, providing free access to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction e-books. As well as containing a collection of children's reading material, including a range of educational resources, Project Gutenburg also includes works on Africa and African History, including the autobiography of Olaudah Equianoh, a West African man who was captured, enslaved and transported to the Caribbean before later buying his own freedom and becoming an advocate for abolition.