By: Kobina Baidoo
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, has described the writing of his book titled, When We Returned From Chains to Crowns as a calling he could not neglect.
Speaking at the launch of his book, Akwasi Agyeman acknowledged the efforts of all individuals who joined on this expedition, which places a spotlight on the history and proper narration of Africa’s journey. He extended profound gratitude to the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for setting a precedent to make this and many more endeavors a success.
The author of the documented narrative, while recounting profound moments of bringing the pieces together, stated that his decision to write stemmed from a PANAFEST entry in 2021. “The inspiration to write this book came in 2021 when there was a call for entries for PANAFEST in 2021 after Beyond The Return and I decided to write a poem; I made my way to the dungeons that tell our story more than 30 times with many other people and I told myself hey! It is high time we tell our story the right way.”
Mr. Agyeman explained that many Africans remain in oblivion regarding the history of Africans as a people. He described his experience in piecing all events from pain and struggle to freedom and emancipation as a key thing he was born to do.
“I realized that so many of us have no idea of history that surrounds us; we are overshadowed by the passage of time – the lost narratives and unawareness of what we passed through in the years past; when I was appointed by his excellency the President of Ghana as CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority and got into tourism, I realized how little I knew about our own story.”
He likened his experience as an upholder of Africa’s resilience to a biblical happening which involved Esther saying, “In this context, I am reminded of the biblical character Esther who stands as a beacon of hope in a shared narrative; just like Esther who was born for a time like that, I also was born for a time like this; but there is nothing special, it is just divine confidence and God being so good to me.
The book is a compendium of Africa’s history and the author’s many experiences recorded over the years as an active participant of Africa’s liberation and progress.
