Africans Demand Black Americans Stop Culturally Appropriating Real Africans

Ghana — The west African country of Ghana is in full swing celebrating an event known as The Year of Return, but some native Ghanaians are not happy with black Americans coming to their country dressing up in traditional Ghanaian attire and pretending to be Ghanaian.

The Year of Return is a major landmark marketing campaign targeting black Americans to visit Ghana in order to help boost Ghana’s tourism industry. The event essentially invites black Americans to come over to the country and get a tour of where black Americans ancestors were captured, imprisoned and sold off to Europeans in the transatlantic slave trade. Black Americans eager to see where a possible distant enslaved ancestor was held in bondage before being sold off are often welcomed by local Ghanaian representatives who then adorn black Americans in traditional Ghanaian attire and don them official “family members” of Ghana.

Alkebulan Kimba, who is from Accra, Ghana stated, “I appreciate black Americans coming over to visit Ghana and enjoy all we have to offer, but at the end of the day, these people are not Ghanians. They are tourists and they are Oburoni (Ghanian for white people). They need to stop coming over here dressing up like us and taking pictures pretending to be something they are not. These black Americans are nothing more than chocolate covered white people who are pretending to be real Africans. They just need to come over here, spend money, take pictures & leave. That’s it.”

To day i was crown a Chief (King) In Cape Coast Ghana.. and this was the coronation ceremony, they handed me the staff of the village and welcomed me into the family! The experience is amazing!!… #unfiltered #yearofreturn #rolandsmartinghana #godboxtours #wearefamily pic.twitter.com/rTstMXUJm3

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) December 21, 2019