Welcome to the stream im femi oke i more more people off the sting africa reconnect with that pos its helping inspire them in the present today we look at how. The culture achievements and struggles of the abscessed as through travel at how does seem powering them you can join the conversation through twitter. To know where youre going you have to know where you have come from that is the loose translation of sun cofa it is a guy named principal inspiring one u. S. Organization that is helping young people travel to africa to examine their roots every here but what africa sends people of african descent on us fill trips that highlight the experience the African Diaspora before an all expenses paid trip to come on that is more of what the 21000 program made to one student. My name is my intention to be a sponge marking soak up everything. That im experiencing here everything theyre learning will be able to be. Burned out in the United States so i can give you energy. Knowledge everybody. So they can become sponges thats learned. Ghana is just one country that is welcoming thousands of African Diaspora visitors looking to learn about their heritage and these are some of the hash tags driving the conversation from African Heritage go back to africa to people about that in just a moment but beyond the return year of return 2019 that mounts 400 years since the 1st enslaved africans arrived in the new world while member of our Like Community says heritage tourism to africa helps inspire new ideas and could spur long Term Investment in africa and we also got a video comment about the importance of birthright tourism to the continent and have a look. Birthrate journeys to africa are critical. To the continent where they are for the descendants down property great journey to see a better understanding of the past and i think that theres a sense of. Purpose. Those in the last 3 years i believe you present day africa as kind of the future leaders there come to see united with police to better and incredible. For more on this were joined from new york by awhile alshaykh she is cofounder and c. E. O. Of birthright africa also in new york shana lewis shes a student who has taken part in the birthright Africa Program actually boy is a tour guide to Cape Coast Castle and donna he joins us from the cape coast and from atlanta we have eric malting hes cofounder of black at a board a travel company that provides curated experiences for black travel is larry but he is really great to see you. First of all this idea of giving every young person who is of african descent in the u. S. An opportunity to go back home how on earth did you come up with such a huge idea and how was it even practical. Wow it was something i needed i think at some point all of us in the diaspora come to realize that we dont really know our history and where were from and for me even as a continental african i was born in sudan but i grew up everywhere else and was west even for the couple years i was there i had a westernized education so i come to the u. S. At the age of 11 and i continue that westernized education and around my mid twentys i started really. Seeing that there was a gap in my connection to the continent i had been home in 15 years and i also learned about another program that provides free trips for people of jewish descent to go back to israel to learn history and culture for free and i thought why is this happening people i need that so there must be a whole bunch of us that yeah you must be out of relates this because you have an organization a company that accumulates trips to the continent who is actually wanting to do that why. Where one thing that we noticed with their black in abroad is that many the interest that we get is from other africanamericans. Many of us in black people in africa american you know africanamericans in the u. S. We have a fragmented sense of identity because of the fact that many of us cant trace our history back beyond the south so and thats you know a lot of and we can probably talk about how the installation about africans isnt really taught in the western education so theres a lot of mystery behind our origins and where were from and then theres this war thats been driven between us and the continent through narratives that have been perpetuated about the continent since the beginning of time so theres a lot of deconstruction thats happening these days with the transparency of social media and through the trips that we offer the experiences that we operate through black into our genome that fast time you went to the continent where was it and what was that experience like. Well absolutely the 1st time ive been to the continent was actually in 20 i think it was 2013 yeah i did south africa as people a lot of people do when they get the 1st country so. It was funny because i have been to many countries before and ive never received any concern from friends or family members but the minute i stepped in or announced that i was going to the card. Will be careful whats going to happen to. You and its actually one of the most its the most comfortable ever fell on any continent in the world and theres a different ive been in many destinations but there is a difference Spiritual Connection that you get and im not going saying just in south africa but yeah and you know its each african country has its own essence so yeah theres so much connection to have and singing as a tall guy at you must experience the experiences of people who are coming to africa for the 1st time and thought of as a faceless place that theyve as a thing to what is it like being that that person who educates them the house and understand some of the heritage as a responsibility. You know presently believe i understand and knowing how to Different Things you know people that amado we have. The caribbean on the armory cares from europe and the anything in the law but they dont know what actually you have and in educating people you up to let them understand that africa is their real home of every black british and i want to stop british i want to establish this really as African People really believe that our system of our when we become beyond systems and when yes is this but on the become ass so my role as a castle is to actually educate people in to strengthen the relationship between the africanamerican. So i want to go on one of your tours shana you shared some of your pictures this takes us back to when when did you when did you go on the birthright africa trip because here you are just staring at the possibilities of where you could go tell us about that trip ok so i took this trip in the summer 2018 with fellow corkboard who are also part of the queue needs to. Be forgoing beer i start to act seeing a lot of introspective questions about what it means to be black to be of african descent and what it means to be part of the diaspora and in an era of social media age where were more connected than ever there was this question of is that connection still there so going to the continent. And being able to witness the culture witness the spirituality witnessed the welcoming nature of the gandhi and people i love with you no doubt that there is still a connection between africans on the continent and africans within the diaspora. I have to share this with you because i asked a lot of our Online Community if you would be signing a heritage trip where would you take a young person from the african despite the asper south africa came up in the variety of how we teach culture is historical sites a lot to see there. Northern nigeria which is a place probably less traveled the most people would not listen think of Northern Nigeria another area been in city again in nigeria and every key remote who is a friend of the stream says any heritage trip has to take aim civil it must include dancing and singing with our masquerades let me give you a little taste of what that looks like. Well how do you decide where youre going to take the young people what is going to be the most useful for them to learn sure so the way we work out birthright africa where essentially an Umbrella Organization collaborating with our Education Partners high schools Colleges Universities and Community Based organizations and so we are open to where ever they want to go any of the 54 countries in the african continent as long as its the safe to travel by the state department and so its really a desire where the communities of african descent people in the u. S. Want to make that connection and so all the cities and the countries that were mentioned could be a possibility we have targets countries for sure like nigeria south africa kenya ethiopia. And senegal but again we are open to wherever that connection is desired by our Education Partners and because the knotting and i want to share something in particular ill come right back to you and its a go back to Africa Campaign it uses a trope which often people of color who live outside of perhaps where the ancestors came from and then it and all the places around the bottle often told as a way of being insulted is go back to where you come from go back to where you belong and you took that phrase and ted it into something positive lets have a look. I. Believe. That tripe and tied it into something positive these are some of the places where people can go to if theyre with black and abroad and the pictures are stunning africa is extraordinary wedding even start for actually saying. This is where you could go this is what you could get out of the experience eric. Well i think the 1st part is to displace the narrative thats been set for so long thats been one of the most genius Marketing Campaigns there have has had is confused for quite some time about our homeland is that its not sate is that its full of poverty is that its full of depressing nuances that couldnt be further from the truth so our 1st step was to be able to allow people to be able to showcase themselves enjoying the continent which you typically dont see in the media so we wanted to showcase images through our web say go back to africa dot com showcase images of ourselves enjoying our continent and. Creating these images and fulfilling and filling up google results with beautiful images of beautiful black people enjoying themselves on the continent when we talk about destinations they depend based on the history so of course africanamericans we probably have a wider interest in the western african countries only because there are they those are the countries where the the landing transatlantic trade took place so a lot of our ports are there a lot of doors and no returns are located in those countries so its a very it all depends on origins in the history of the traveler when you talk about destinations show china tell us about the moment where you are off on your trip where it really changed there were some insight that he thought you never would have caught if youd stayed home yeah for me that would be the moment where we went to the Cape Coast Castle. In my family say because. Thats a significant moment for everybody that makes that travel to the continent but it was significant because it demonstrated the strength of my ancestors of our ancestors to survive what they survived not only within the castle but expression looking out onto the whole rising to the horizon and realizing that i didnt know what was to come so imagine their fear after being traumatized within those dungeons going on so this foreign land and on this ocean they have no clue where it leaves so to have that kind of resilience to survive that Transatlantic Slave Trade now he said baghdad to survive centuries of belittling torture mental inflame it also that i could have the opportunity to be here you know that takes nothing that is nothing but resilience so it definitely made me more focus explicitly in my studies and what i want to do with my life and gave me a sense of peace and a gratefulness that i dont im not sure if i had before actually i see not and go ahead articulate or not i know that hes going on that cape castle telling sat yeah yeah you can you can settle and go and then eric eric has been on the tour so i want to get erics thoughts about the tour but do you see people and they really thing moved as their sex life i saw the so much more to donna than slavery but this is important right. This is more important you know we need to when you see people who are. You you know school i want to say is this will. Always from our brothers and sisters not only come to our. There they are embarking on their lives change in. This life changing. Because its. What their balance is this where you know i can and mostly they are or 800 african men in most of the african men definitely slit the its their dream. So you can imagine the pain is not helpful so any time i give in to talk i always an advise my. Choice that these should not but what i once was just went black people absolutely and you know her strong people you should never. You dont have to give. Every guy has. I just want to say that ive gotten a chance to take anthonys tour quite a few times because the cape coast dungeon is one of the places that we visit with our black and white experiences so. The you know we have groups that we bring and i can tell you the spiritual fortitude and connection that our guest walk away with is indescribable. You know of course we there is a balance of history and a little bit of time but ill tell you the most important and the most memorable experience from from our are gonna destinations are going to trips the Cape Coast Castle in dungeon quarters and anthony is a has his delivery has always brought our guest to tears and so we are very sensitive about you know the moments after that we dont want to go and do something strangely you know fine after that we just learned about years and years of torture that weve experienced but i just like to say that his his toys are amazing and im looking forward to more this year let me just bring in question blanks and question blanks and makes a connection between how to toss and what this actually means to you as a person particular going up as a young person and the African Diaspora lets have a listen to i see. A fricken heritage sites such as it can cost of a little voice and hold off because of it there is a program to rely on meds with a root because the sides of memories memories of the experience of a jelly from the norm to them on normal can cause cancer for instance several sites does signify the beginning of slavery and freedom and the suppression of the african family emesis tree that was said on the Services Side the triple legs africas to the roots and to the street what im getting some interesting feedback on i live each chapter and i want to share some of this with you because theres some questions from the os so how what is saying that the world has moved on moved on from slavery and some black americans are still stuck in the past. I want you to explain what is the value of reconnecting with your heritage if youre very much removed from it or if youre not taught about it as oh yeah well its interesting that term stuck in the past well youre stuck because you havent had you havent had a chance to explore it you dont really know the history so youre stuck in the pain of the shame of it where by growing and reconnecting and understanding the resilience you actually gain a pride and an understanding of the resilience to then actually get past it like sheena just described you know fully it gives you a sense of healing and the sense peace to know that this is what my answer says went through in overcame theres nothing to be stuck in ashamed about it but rather use it for my future. I like the timing on that and id like to say i want to well i want to pose the question to know if power comes from any part of the diaspora or has this because you have to be speaking from a place of privilege to say move on when you say move on move on from what i mean we need there are hundreds of years of torture that many of us have been stripped from our identity from our languages from our families and so weve definitely moved on and made the best of the circumstances well who doesnt want to know their own origins or their heritage or will what country they may have originated from a lot of us dont know that so how can you move on from that actually where would you move on to if you dont know where you came from so thats coming from a place of privilege and that unfortunately echoes a lot of narratives rooted in white and black and White Supremacy when you say things like that you dont realize that you are bracing years and years of torture and potential discoveries that can be made so just be careful when you say things like that because you dont know what people are dealing with or how Much Research theyve done to find out where theyre from so. You know let me come in you know when she says is. Very true in the search for a job you have to move on i normally use my british this because in recent named killjoy. You have to move on. And one other will. Land in African Languages teaching us African Languages when i see us my a british this is this African Americans in this media i responded media you know that will make you forget and when you come together we can say is there any do christians or crisis is this lets come to. Think about what its worth. Yes and i had. I was just going to say that i dont think theres ever been an era of reconciliation for those of us in the past well who have suffered through slavery for africanamericans it has been from slavery to jim crow to mass incarceration in the caribbean and you have slavery to colonialism was just ended in what the late 1950 s. Or early 1960 s. For me as a haitian american were still dealing with the ramifications of neo colonialism of slavery and these are. Essentially us as a new world people where the people who the modern day economy the world as we know it does well has been built all our bags so its very easy to say to move on when youre not the very foundation of the world of the world as it is today meanwhile you cant even benefit from that system so i think its very important to keep that in mind we still need the conciliation in various ways in order for us to truly want our right its a question shaina any other country you could go to an african continent it would be what dont pause to say it. Douglas all the joy. Thank you so much of me for being on this i really appreciate your. Ads me and eric reed appreciate you sharing your experiences we will continue this conversation im always online at 8 a strain on twitter and also a huge change and aljazeera dot com forward slash the stream see you next time my friend. Business leaders just want to buy no brown spots. Business leaders just want to buy no brown spots. One night a disputable modified current 604 spot where i feel the happiest. Women carrying up a truck in the west bank. Challenge stereotype. Living life. In the light. On the. Context these are the things in the storytelling around the biggest issues. Have to do with the. Arrow or the world. Imo i Maryam Namazie in london with a quick look at the headlines now the president of turkey and russia say a ceasefire will begin in syrias rebel held province of idlib in 2 hours the announcement followed 6 hours of negotiations between russia type who want to damage putin in moscow they support opposing sides in the syrian conflict and fighting has escalated in recent weeks almost a 1000000 people have fled towards the border with turkey since syrias government launched an offensive to recapture it last year. During the course of on negotiations weve agreed on an International Memorandum and we believe this will pave the way for further cooperation to put an end to the suffering of syrian civilians and create the cold