Building a Pan African Community in Ghana
Donation protected
Short and sweet, I'm raising funds to purchase land and build a home in Ghana.
As a Black american woman, I have had the privilege of experiencing something that many like me dream of, which is to return to the Mother Land, Africa. In 2018 I had the opportunity to travel to Ghana with James Beard Award winning author and culinary Historian, Michael Twitty. This was no average tourist event. We went deep into rural areas, getting our hands and feet dirty, connecting with our so very distant cousins and learning first hand the roots and foundation of our diasporic culture. The experience was so meaningful to me that I have been back to Africa with him every year since.
I have recently been offered the opportunity to purchase land and build a home in Ghana. The process of purchasing and building on land here in the city I live in is such a task that the idea of doing such in a whole other country would normally be far too intimidating for me to attempt on any other day. But with the current state of life in the United States, as a Black queer woman, I think that the opportunity came to me at just the right time, because right now its so obviously loud and in my face that I am not safe here. The timing of this opportunity being made available to me feels like divine intervention.
Purchasing this land and building a home there will accomplish a few things for me and others.
1st, knowing theres a place for family to go if ever the need to flee comes. You know, that may sound alarmist, but already African Americans are relocating to Ghana in large numbers to escape the white supremacist violence and oppression in the United States. In fact the land I intend to purchase is being developed for the expressed purposes of building community for ex pats.
2nd, Theres the spiritual and sentimental value of having land and home in, well, my home land. To be able to return and truly be HOME at home where my ancestors came from. The door my enslaved ancestors used to exit the dungeons and get into the ships that took them across the Atlantic during the slave trade was called the door of no return. The purpose of the name was to drive home the idea that once they stepped through those doors they would never see Africa again. Im honored to have made them into liars.
3rd, Its been a goal of mine to open up my personal home to provide safe space for activists to collaborate and do their work. Or even to retreat from work and have a safe place for self care. When I got back from my first trip I was talking to a friend of mine who does activist/liberation/social justice work and they were telling me about how their Org is connecting with activists around the globe, including Africa, to facilitate a global movement. I reached out to them after being offered this opportunity to see if having a space in Ghana is something they'd benefit from and the answer was: Absolutely. Having this space in Ghana will allow me to realize that goal on an even bigger scale than I originally imagined.
4th, As was mentioned in #3 liberation work is a global concern. None of us can be free until we all are free. Purchasing this land in Ghana supports the local economy there. It puts money in the pockets of the communities who are selling the land, it employs the laborers and suppliers of the building materials. An additional feature of building with the people who extended this opportunity to me is that this is an effort to build an entire community, so things like retail and service businesses are part of the big picture as well. So this project is an investment in folks on both sides of the diaspora.
Why $30k?
The initial cost to purchase the land is $3,000 and that is needed ASAP
To complete the building will be anywhere from $25k-$40k and while I will have up to 3 years to complete it, I want to be done as soon as possible
I will also need to pay for travel back and forth to Ghana while the developing is happening.
I'm reaching for $30k but as you've read in every single crowdfunding campaign you come across: 'every little bit helps' so please donate anything you can spare and spread this far and wide.
As a Black american woman, I have had the privilege of experiencing something that many like me dream of, which is to return to the Mother Land, Africa. In 2018 I had the opportunity to travel to Ghana with James Beard Award winning author and culinary Historian, Michael Twitty. This was no average tourist event. We went deep into rural areas, getting our hands and feet dirty, connecting with our so very distant cousins and learning first hand the roots and foundation of our diasporic culture. The experience was so meaningful to me that I have been back to Africa with him every year since.
I have recently been offered the opportunity to purchase land and build a home in Ghana. The process of purchasing and building on land here in the city I live in is such a task that the idea of doing such in a whole other country would normally be far too intimidating for me to attempt on any other day. But with the current state of life in the United States, as a Black queer woman, I think that the opportunity came to me at just the right time, because right now its so obviously loud and in my face that I am not safe here. The timing of this opportunity being made available to me feels like divine intervention.
Purchasing this land and building a home there will accomplish a few things for me and others.
1st, knowing theres a place for family to go if ever the need to flee comes. You know, that may sound alarmist, but already African Americans are relocating to Ghana in large numbers to escape the white supremacist violence and oppression in the United States. In fact the land I intend to purchase is being developed for the expressed purposes of building community for ex pats.
2nd, Theres the spiritual and sentimental value of having land and home in, well, my home land. To be able to return and truly be HOME at home where my ancestors came from. The door my enslaved ancestors used to exit the dungeons and get into the ships that took them across the Atlantic during the slave trade was called the door of no return. The purpose of the name was to drive home the idea that once they stepped through those doors they would never see Africa again. Im honored to have made them into liars.
3rd, Its been a goal of mine to open up my personal home to provide safe space for activists to collaborate and do their work. Or even to retreat from work and have a safe place for self care. When I got back from my first trip I was talking to a friend of mine who does activist/liberation/social justice work and they were telling me about how their Org is connecting with activists around the globe, including Africa, to facilitate a global movement. I reached out to them after being offered this opportunity to see if having a space in Ghana is something they'd benefit from and the answer was: Absolutely. Having this space in Ghana will allow me to realize that goal on an even bigger scale than I originally imagined.
4th, As was mentioned in #3 liberation work is a global concern. None of us can be free until we all are free. Purchasing this land in Ghana supports the local economy there. It puts money in the pockets of the communities who are selling the land, it employs the laborers and suppliers of the building materials. An additional feature of building with the people who extended this opportunity to me is that this is an effort to build an entire community, so things like retail and service businesses are part of the big picture as well. So this project is an investment in folks on both sides of the diaspora.
Why $30k?
The initial cost to purchase the land is $3,000 and that is needed ASAP
To complete the building will be anywhere from $25k-$40k and while I will have up to 3 years to complete it, I want to be done as soon as possible
I will also need to pay for travel back and forth to Ghana while the developing is happening.
I'm reaching for $30k but as you've read in every single crowdfunding campaign you come across: 'every little bit helps' so please donate anything you can spare and spread this far and wide.
Organizer
Josmine Evans
Organizer
Oakland, CA
