By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, July 24, GNA â Mr. Diallo Sumbry, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Adinkra Group, has urged African governments to enhance systems that make the continent fully welcoming to the global African diaspora.
âThe âDoor of Returnâ must be fully welcoming, not just in sentiment, but in systems that are codified, measurable, targeted, and strategic. This includes land access, dual citizenship, investment pathways, cultural protection, and diaspora inclusion in nation building,â he said.
Mr. Sumbry made the call at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, held as part of the 2025 PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebrations.
He described Pan-Africanism without the diaspora as incomplete, and the diaspora without Africa as unrooted.
âWe come with skill sets, dreams, imaginations, passion, and a spiritual tie to this land like no other.â
Addressing the event theme, âLetâs talk of reparative justice: Pan-African Artistic Activism,â Mr. Sumbry noted that reparative justice was âa historical, moral, and economic debt owed to people who endured the unimaginable and survived.â
He emphasised the transformative power of African creative expression as a tool of resistance.
âOur music, our poetry, our dance, our murals are weapons of defence and reclamation⊠our art has been our shield and our sword.â
Mr. Sumbry called on governments to invest in African-owned cultural institutions and platforms to counter historical distortions.
âBecause until we tell our story, others will continue to distort it.â
He reiterated demands for restitution of stolen African artefacts and recognition of historical trauma.
âReparations must be tangible, the return of stolen artifacts, the restoration of our identity, and the restitution of our land,â he stated.
Paying tribute to Pan-African icons including Marcus Garvey, Thomas Sankara, Malcolm X, Sekou Touré, Patrice Lumumba and Jomo Kenyatta, as well as contemporary leaders such as
President Ibrahim Traoré and President John Dramani Mahama, Mr. Sumbry lauded their roles in championing unity and sovereignty.
To the diaspora community, he declared: âWe are not victims anymore, we are visionaries. Let us not just visit Africa. Let us organize globally, invest and live reparative justice in how we build for the next generation.â
âWe do not inherit the land from our grandparents, but we borrow it for our children. Let the world say Africa is rising and her people are united,â he added.
Mr. Kofi Okyere Darko, Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, said the ceremony reaffirmed governmentâs commitment to global African unity.
He said Ghana viewed itself âas more than a nation-state, but a homeland of belonging for every descendant of Africa, wherever in the world.â
âMy outfit is grounded in the belief that the wounds of displacement, the brilliance of diaspora resilience, and the quest for justice must be reconciled now, with the intention to racially heal our people,â he said.
Mr. Okyere Darko called for policy-driven collaboration to match the aspirations of justice.
âLetâs also honour those who left in chains to ensure that our children walk in dignity. Let us not only tell the story of our pain but write the next chapter of our story for the generations to come.â
The ceremony marked a solemn moment in this yearâs PANAFEST and Emancipation observances, celebrating African resilience and reaffirming the pursuit of liberation, justice and unity.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey