By: Kobina Baidoo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described the book titled When We Returned from Chains To Crowns by Akwasi Agyeman as one that has been written at the right time.
The President extensively spoke on the need for the diaspora community in to connect to their roots. He said this has been made easy by Ghana to achieve.
Initiatives like the Beyond The Return, launched in 2019, were cited by the president as a testament of his commitment to giving the people in the diaspora a chance to call Ghana home. He expressed that the book rightfully falls in line with this mission “The response to Beyond The Return exceeded our expectations, Ghana became the epicenter of a global room that saw people of African descent, that saw people journey to our shores; they came not just as tourists but also as pilgrims on a quest to rediscover their heritage to reclaim their identity.”
As the guest of honor at the book launch held at the W.E.B Du Bois Centre – Accra on Friday, August 16, 2024 , President Akufo-Addo explained that the piece goes beyond written thoughts on pages but rather a journey that captures the journey of resilience and determination of the African Spirit.
He acknowledged the hard work of the author, Akwasi Agyeman and all others who came together to make this long awaited book a reality. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the author of this book, the dynamic Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman.”
He marked the book as a reminder of every African’s shared history and the collective responsibility to uplift one another and turn the trials of the past, into the triumphs of the future. “We are reminded that the journey is far from over. The story of Africa is still being written and it is up to us to make sure it is a story of hope, resilience and progress; together we are proving that the African spirit and our best days lies ahead of us.” the president concluded.
