Diaspora African Forum (DAF), the first and only diplomatic Mission dedicated to the African diaspora will facilitate the visit of five hundred Brazilians to Ghana in May 2024.
This was made known by H. E. Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett, the Convening Founder and Head of Mission of DAF in an exclusive interview with Diaspora Digital News.
The visit will allow patrons to retrace their roots, and journey through the routes that their ancestors we taken through during the Transatlantic slave trade.
“We are putting things in place to have a facility in Brazil that will help diasporans”, H.E. Amb. Dr. Erieka Bennett said regarding the latest development.
“Diaspora African Forum will be bringing five thousand Brazilians to Ghana. To ensure they get the holistic experience, they would be coming on a ship, and through all the ports from where their ancestors left. The ship will be stopping in Gorée – Senegal, the Gambia, Accra, and eventually in Badagry in Nigeria. We are in the process of working on this for it to happen in May 2024”, she added.
In October 2023, DAF made a huge leap following the announcement of its first ever U.S. office in Houston that will serve as a hub for “historical Africans” to obtain information, resources and guidance as they explore visits to the Motherland.
“The office in Houston is very important to us. We hosted the Mayor in Accra, and subsequently went to Houston, Washington, Philadelphia and New York, where we had a tremendous reception. The first of these offices will be in Houston, across the Emancipation Park, and the Mayor has been very instrumental in helping us to set it up”, H.E. Amb. Dr. Erieka Bennett says.
In the long run, DAF is looking to set up informational centers and have presence not only in the United States and Ghana, but in African countries and ultimately other continents with a population of African diaspora members.
The Diaspora African Forum is fully endorsed by the African Union. Although it is headquartered in Ghana, it deals with all African countries, and as of now has helped about thirty of them to set up diaspora units by engaging with their Foreign Affairs offices.
Spearheaded by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett, the Diaspora African Forum also has a number of upcoming projects. She says:
“The youth is very important to Africa, considering the continent has the highest population. A lot of the youth however struggle to get jobs after graduation. This is why the Diaspora African Forum in partnership with the Ghana government has opened up a Youth Empowerment Centre in Osu, Accra. We have a facility in the capital’s digital training center as well.”
Speaking on the progress made so far, H.E. Amb. Dr. Erieka Bennett adds: “We are doing very important things that are development-oriented, and so I’m very excited about how we are doing.”
Contact Details for the Diaspora African Forum:
DAF Headquarters: W.E.B. Dubois Center Cantonments, Accra-Ghana.
Website: www.diasporaafricanforum.org
Email: info@diasporaafricanforum.org
Telephone: +233 302 780 923
Facebook: Diaspora African Forum
Twitter: Diaspora African Forum @forumdiaspora
Instagram: @diasporaafricanforumofficial.
Report / Interview by: Theresa R. Fianko
Image Attribution: Diaspora African Forum (DAF)