Has Ghana's ‘Year of Return’ been a success?

0:00Mama Kexornyi:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

0:30Lakeshia Ford:us. And then we'll be learning about Francis Galton and the racist, discredited pseudoscience of eugenics with Desiree Birch. We'll meet many medieval saints in their bone boxes with Rachel Parrott. So if that sounds like your sort of thing, listen to You're Dead to Me wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. Bye.

0:53Lakeshia Ford:From the BBC World Service, this is The Documentary, the home of original storytelling. I'm Hannah Gelbart. I'm the host of the What in the World podcast. And on this bonus episode, we're talking about a campaign by Ghana to encourage African diaspora to move back to the continent. And we're hearing from people who made the move to find out if the reality has lived up to their expectations.

1:17Mama Kexornyi:People coming here, a lot of people are marketed to and they're answering that call. And then there are others who are led to come here. They understand that there is something in their life's journey that is in this country. For a lot of diaspora returnees, it isn't always like, you know, just being embraced in the way that maybe you thought.

1:42Lakeshia Ford:2019 marked 400 years since the first documented African slaves were taken to America. Many of them were taken from Ghana. And to commemorate this, Ghana's president at the time, Nana Akufu-Addo, launched the Year of Return. It was a tourism campaign aimed at encouraging people with African roots to visit the country and even potentially to settle down. Now, this idea wasn't entirely new. For decades, Ghana's offered citizenship to the African diaspora. And that builds on ideas of pan-Africanism, a movement to create a global and united African diaspora. In fact, the founding leader of the country, Kwame Nkrumah, even described Ghana as the Black Mecca.

2:22Lakeshia Ford:And the Year of Return campaign was incredibly successful. Tens of thousands of people from North America, the Caribbean and beyond all packed their bags for Ghana. Some came to build businesses, others came for a holiday. So while we were in Accra, we wanted to hear from people who moved there to find out if the reality has lived up to their expectations.

2:46Lakeshia Ford:So now let's get into that discussion with people who made the move. I'm speaking to three women, Lakeisha Ford and Mama Kahoni, who moved here from the US, and Rowena Jifa, who came from the UK. Thank you so much for joining us and taking the time. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Lakeisha, to start with you, why did you move to Ghana?

3:06Mama Kexornyi:So I came to Ghana the first time as a student at Spelman College, and that was my introduction. And from that experience, I always knew that I wanted to come back. When I came back after my master's, I decided to stay because I knew at that time it was the best time in life to make such a decision. As a Jamaican woman, I felt very connected to the culture. When I came to Ghana as a student, there were a lot of similarities culturally. And I also saw that there was a lot of economic opportunity. And it's not the narrative that we were taught or shared or that was shared in the West.

3:49Lakeshia Ford:Rowena, you were born here, but you moved to Europe and then came back. Why did you decide to come back?

3:57Mama Kexornyi:I think it was like, it was a thing that was always going to happen, to be honest. Moving, when I moved to the UK, I didn't move to a place where majority of the people looked like me. I moved to a place where I was very much othered. So I always had this thing in me that like I will always I know where I'm coming from and I will always go back to knowing where I'm coming from. So I didn't know I was going to move during the year of return that really didn't play a factor in me moving. I knew it was like I was going to move at a time and it just happened that COVID came at that time and I really had nothing to lose and I just uprooted my life and and came yeah.

4:38Mama Kexornyi:Moving here was really a crash landing. I feel like I got no help and I think that's really something that maybe is a bit of a fallacy when it comes to like the government um ushering the year of return because it sounds great in theory but I think in practice um to the individual level it's not something that they really like they do what was the reaction from people back home when you decided to move here permanently oh like my my aunties and uncles and my mom's friends were kept like calling her and saying like what why is she going there like what's wrong with her um there's nothing there for her um which is the complete opposite to how i felt because i had come here and i had realized that like a lot of things one thing i love about ghana because is a lot of like emerging industries and there's still so much space and room for you to do your own thing that there's also really low barriers for entry um and it feels like less of a risk to take a chance here.

5:36Lakeshia Ford:Mama Kahoni, I want to hear about your journey and the impetus for you leaving the U.S. and coming here. I also want to find out about your name. Where did your name come from?

5:48Mama Kexornyi:Okay, sure. Yes. So my name, Mama Kahoni, that is an Ewe name. I am an African diaspora attorney to Ghana. I've been living here now for a few years. I'm in my fifth year now. For me, moving to Ghana was a quest for self-rediscovery. So I took some time to explore different areas, different cultures, and that led me to Ghana. The reason I stayed, retrospectively, I couldn't imagine, you know, honestly raising children and having to look over my shoulder every time I have a son and wondering, are they going to come back? Are they going to be okay? So there are a lot of things that maybe we've been living with for some time that we thought was okay.

6:30Mama Kexornyi:But when you come out of it, it's just like, that wasn't okay. And honestly, it's been a place just to have peace. Here, I'm just me. And it's not first something and then you're you. But you're just you and then whatever it is that you present. So for me, moving to Ghana, it's been a journey of self-discovery. as far as I've been through a lot really my experience is moving to Ghana it's been a lot mentally physically emotionally why has it been a lot how has it been a lot okay well when I when I first moved to stay and I was completely not even expecting any kind of hardship at all actually because I'd already been coming and I thought okay this is going to be nothing I've already been coming and I know how things are.

7:15Mama Kexornyi:Housing wasn't fully confirmed. And so I had a really hard time even just finding housing. I had someone who had promised a housing that would be ready and it wasn't really ready. So I just was moving around a lot and it was just a really emotional and stressful time for me. And then doing business, trying to set up a business, I wanted to start very fast. And that on its own was a lot very disappointing just as far as expectations. Was there any moment when you maybe questioned your decision to move to Ghana? Yeah, I would say almost every day for maybe six months after you've moved. For a lot of diaspora returnees, it isn't always like, you know, just being embraced in the way that maybe you thought.

8:03Mama Kexornyi:Maybe for diasporas, we're thinking, OK, I'm coming home. These are my brothers and sisters. And sometimes it can be in some places that you can be almost considered as an opportunity. So there is a balance, I would say. Rowena, you are nodding along. Yeah, because I think what you were saying is like I resonate so much because I think it's like a cyclical thing, right? So you come and it's like, oh, you get to a point where it's like the honeymoon phase. And you're like, oh, I'm so glad I moved to Ghana. This is great. So glad I packed up my life. And then you have a crash out. And then there's like a period of time where it's like you're borderline depressed.

8:39Mama Kexornyi:Things aren't working out. You're really fighting against the system or whatever it is. And then there's like a reintegration where it's like, OK, I've accepted it. I'm letting go. And like things are starting to pick up and work out. And then you'll go through that. And then you go through a honeymoon stage again. And it's cyclical. And I feel like I go through that like in every stage of me being here. I don't know if you guys agree. Yeah, I think that's spot on in terms of the framework. that's a good framework because the truth is what's happening is there's always an unlearning when you come here you are a person but then you're who you are in this environment and that's very different compared to where you come from so in terms of time in terms of interpersonal relations you know there's this communication concept of being high context and low context there are there's a form of communications here where sometimes very little can be said and a lot can be deduced from it and generally people who are from the diaspora who come back they find it difficult I think is because there's an unlearning that's happening and there's a relearning that has to happen in terms of communication styles you know people are not necessarily rooted and informed on how things are done here there's obviously going to be walls and resistance and challenges and that truly is a part of the experience in terms of knowing how to be here in Ghana.

10:12Lakeshia Ford:What communities have you found yourself here in Ghana surrounded by and how have you tried to bridge gaps build bridges integrate?

10:21Mama Kexornyi:Honestly I feel like community has been like my biggest saving grace here um personally in work and everything in times when I was losing my mind um I had community to ground me um people to I guess commiserate with um but my community has been great I think I found myself in community of like yes other diaspora who've moved back But I've also found, like, I met here when I was 22, so people similar to my age who, in my stages of figuring it out, are also figuring it out, whether it's from their local or whether from their diaspora, we've been able, I've kind of seen us grow together, which has been, like, a great thing to witness.

11:08Mama Kexornyi:Definitely. Initially, I found myself in communities, diaspora attorneys, and individuals also who were visiting or also made that similar move. Now, especially as I've been deepening my roots and finding more about my families, I've started to also embrace that side. Right now, for instance, I am taking up, well, I'm just starting language lessons, and certainly I have to also be able to communicate to the community. Lakisha, tell me about the community you've built here. Yeah, so I was welcomed into a beautiful community, but after some time had to adjust to find community based on what my lifestyle was like, what worked for me in terms of ideology.

11:59Mama Kexornyi:You know, growing up as a Jamaican-American, there are certain principles that we operate on and connecting with people that are like-minded, but also making sure you do it in a way that's not limiting. I find that a lot of diasporians, sometimes they come here and they find their own types of people and literally they're in a bubble and it's comfortable, but then it blocks them from connecting with the space and the environment that they're in. I think it's controversial and well, it's not controversial, but I think it's so layered because as someone who moved here during like the year of return, when we talk about people from the diaspora moving here and whether help they get from the government, resources they get from the government, we have to be really careful.

12:55Mama Kexornyi:And we really have to think about how we are changing the landscape of local economies and local communities. So we are not like neo-colonialists in a way. In the five years that I've been here, I've seen areas like Chadill or areas like many areas, Spintex, wherever it may be, local people being priced out because there's now like really high rise apartments. There are specific communities where local economies are literally just being shifted because like chiefs and stuff without even thinking about it have created segregated communities just for diaspora and people. If we're going to help diaspora move here and integrate, are we giving the same level of service to the local communities that are being pushed out?

13:47Mama Kexornyi:how can we give resources to people who have already come from a resourceful place, but leaving out the people who are already here asking for resources.

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15:07Lakeshia Ford:Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. Bye.

15:17Lakeshia Ford:I'm Hannah Gelbart and I've been in Ghana talking about the impact of its Year of Return campaign. Now we're going to bring you the official view. I've just stepped into the Ghana Tourism Development Company and I'm sitting down with Professor Kobi Mensat who is CEO. Hello, thank you for joining us.

15:34Roweena Habadah:Thank you. Thank you for having me and good to see you.

15:36Lakeshia Ford:We're here to talk about the Year of Return and Beyond the Return tourism initiatives. In your view, how well has it worked?

15:45Roweena Habadah:I mean, if you look at the, not even look at the arrival itself, I mean, the arrivals we're talking about currently, you know, having about five billion receipts, it sort of repositioned the conversation as well and said that it's not only about talking about our past in terms of slavery, but it's also our future in terms of development, making sure that we are one people and then singing that particular note. I think that majority of people have come to settle, and that is a very good thing, but also have created businesses. And you have a lot of them who now see themselves as Ghanaians, setting up businesses, not only that, but also establishing their homes in Ghana.

16:29Roweena Habadah:So it really helped. And then, of course, in terms of the brand, it reconnects Ghana as an epicenter as well, because obviously we see ourselves as the, if I can borrow that word, the Mecca of African diaspora. So it's reconnected Ghana to the global conversation about the diaspora.

16:51Lakeshia Ford:You've outlined some of the cultural benefits and the economic boost that these campaigns have brought. There are critics who say that the year of return led to a sharp increase in prices for locals, from rent to basic goods, particularly here in Accra. Would it be fair to say the year of return left locals worse off financially in some cases as well?

17:13Roweena Habadah:No, absolutely not. I mean, obviously, market forces determine prices, right? And as someone from the business school, very much aware that a country that does not operate price controls, you know, would definitely leave it to the market to determine. It's a moment, I mean, very temporal stuff. I mean, when it comes to Dirty December, you know, Dirty Rave, all those, you would expect that the market will respond in terms of the kind of demand and supply relationship. So usually you would find that, yes, especially in across, you said, because of the influx, you know, people would want to push up a little bit and say they would make a lot more gain than they used to usually.

18:00Roweena Habadah:But that's for a moment. You know, after December, things resettle. So it wouldn't be fair to say that it generally has actually led to price hikes in the country. And by the way, it's only a crore. You would find that Kumasi, Takradi, Sunyane, all those places would be as normal as possible. But of course, as I said, it's temporary.

18:22Lakeshia Ford:Some locals have found that all year round, because of the influx of diaspora buying properties, that house prices have increased.

18:28Roweena Habadah:I suppose the authorities, especially the chiefs, demarcate areas for people. So most of the time you're not finding these places as areas that ordinarily Ghanaians, so to speak, have gone to buy lands. I mean, if you go to Asebu, for example, there's a community that the chief actually allocated for the diaspora to buy. So you're not going to say, oh, Ghanaians wanted to buy those. It was purposefully prepared for the diaspora. But most locals, as I said, know where to get lands to buy that wouldn't be as pricey as what the dust plants are actually buying.

19:14Lakeshia Ford:Another criticism that we've been hearing about is that the year of return and the subsequent campaign have made the Ghanaian economy too tourist-centric, that now Accra is too focused on tourism. And that may take some investment away from the local economies and local strengths. What would you say to that?

19:34Roweena Habadah:We haven't even achieved that. In fact, we would love to push to the level where tourism is even number one, all right, because we see where the countries have gone with tourism being number one. If by tourism-centric means that tourism has become the focus, those of us in the industry would even be happy. But it's never. You know, the number one focus for the country has always been a great extractive, and that's what you hear in the news media. I mean, I'm sure you've heard a lot of stories about the gold board, about cocoa board. That's where the country's priority lies. So we still haven't even scratched the tourism space, but we would love it if we become tourism-centric because we know that Egypt had benefited immensely, Tanzania, obviously Kenya, South Africa.

20:25Roweena Habadah:These are countries that are very much tourism number one. When the tourism-centric is about eliminating indigenous practices, then of course not, because certainly we wouldn't want that to happen. But it's about making sure that we build tourism around ourselves, our identity, our locals, etc. It would never be that kind of thing where you shun traditions. Ghana is very much traditional, very culturally oriented. And of course, we are very much aware of our heritage. And even if you look at our tourism, you realize that our tourism is very much steeped in heritage and culture. And that's why the diaspora conversation is big in that.