African Royalties : Ga Queen

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At the start of this year, the Ghana government under His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo declared 2019 "The year of the return, Ghana 2019". This is in commemoration of the 400th anniversary since the first African slaves were forcefully taken to the West and their territories.

To mark these the governments is inviting and celebrating Africans in the Diaspora, giving and driving fresh conversations and quests to unite Africans on the continent with their brothers and sisters in the diaspora and those descended from the departed slaves and their quest all about reacting to their marginalization of tracing their ancestry and identity. By this, Ghana becomes the beacon for African people living on the continent and the diaspora.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has been working diligently with The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) is leading the project in collaboration with the Office of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President.

Through its Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture working together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government is working tirelessly to ensure the diaspora's smooth passage back to continental Africa.

Many countries along the Atlantic Ocean's coast played a role in the deportation of slaves and still have the unfortunate evidence of its dark past with Ghana being in unique position as the location where 75 per cent of the slave dungeons built on the west coast of Africa are located.

Both ministries are working in organizing various events/workshops around the world appointing leaders and ambassadors and hosted by the High Commissions/government representatives to meet with the diaspora and descendants of slaves.

Amongst those appointed with the duty to meet and talk with the diaspora is Her Royal Majesty Queen Naa Tsotsoo Soyoo I from the Ga tribe of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Her Royal Majesty who is a woman/heroine with many capes and hats was graceful to answer a few of the blog's question. Her are her responses:

1) If you could tell our readers more about the diaspora meeting hosted by the Ghanaian government, how would you describe it?

Ans: The Diaspora Celebration and Homecoming Summit was organised by the Ghana Government to galvanise Ghanaians living abroad and encourage them to return home with their acquired knowledge, human resource and financial capital to accelerate nation-building. The Summit was held over 4 days from 3rd -6th July 2019 and apart from highlighting the past and present contributions of Ghanaians abroad, it was also to aid in nation building and further the advocacy for political, economic and social to encourage future contributions. Beyond that, the event aimed to recognise that the Ghanaian Diaspora extends beyond Ghanaian nationals or citizens and their immediate relatives but also includes others with a strong connection to Ghana in whatever form.

2) What has been your role and involvements so far in meeting with the diasporas in the United Kingdom?

Before I was made Queen in 2010, I was already heavily involved in the UK Ghanaian community working with key organisations and agencies towards promoting the well-being of, as well as improving the quality of life of the Ghanaian population in the UK. Apart from creating cultural awareness through education and events, I also lead on projects geared towards youth engagement and women's rights advocacy . I attend and speak at various functions to highlight and educate on social issues of relevance to our community. More recently, I have been at the forefront of championing the fight against knife and gun crime amongst young people, with the aim of providing practical, effective, sustainable solutions to tackling the menace. Much of what I do is also linked into international activities; for example, I am the Secretary General of the Organisation of Ghanaians Abroad (OGHA) where efforts by Ghanaians across the globe are coordinated to facilitate acceleration to Government. We were integral to the drafting of the Diaspora Engagement Policy and Diaspora Engagement Survey which is currently undergoing public consultation. In the UK, I have been very much involved in advocacy to reverse policies that would otherwise have negatively affected a section of the ethnic minority community, including Ghana.

3) How has the diaspora reacted or is involved by the new plan and summit being held in Accra next month?

Overall, very positively. The idea that Ghana is leading the charge to welcome her 'children' back home has generated a much wider debate about nationality and citizenship and beyond that the legacy of colonialism and by extension slavery. There is a recognition that the African continent as a whole is poised to move towards a more strategic developmental agenda and the Diaspora's role in this agenda is all too obvious. This is highly significant when you consider the magnitude of human, financial and social capital that is involved and the potential impact on Africa as a whole and Ghana in particular.

4) Could we have some info for some of the events you participated in?

In 2014, I represented the participated as a delegate in the Diaspora Engagement Summit in Brussels under the Auspices of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union. The outcome of the Summit was the drafting of the Diaspora Engagement Policy and the Diaspora Survey among other notable achievements.

As a Committee member with a mandate to oversee the logistics for the 2017/2019 Diaspora Homecoming Summit, I was instrumental in organising the Media Launches, Roadshows in London, Coventry, Liverpool and Glasgow and the subsequent policy consultation. These were attended by Government Officials and Ministers of State. I continue to sit on the planning committee, helping to shape the future engagement agenda.

Some outcomes of the summit this year includes the recent announcement by His Excellency the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to put a bill before parliament on Ghanaian dual nationals being able to assume certain political and civic positions He also promised that once the Diaspora Engagement Policy is finalised he will put it before parliament. The summit was a great event overall. We saw a vast improvement on the 2017 summit because of lessons learned and the key players still involved. The UK team as usual played a pivotal role and there were delegates from all over the world including 33 from Nigeria , 17 from Turkey, China, Brazil and other countries. .

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