Titled When We Returned: From Chains to Crowns, the eight-chapter book was authored by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of (GTA) Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, who has been at the helm of the authority for the past seven years.

He provides from his own contemporary perspective and experiences with the slave dungeons, eyeball to eyeball account of the success chalked up by the Year of Return initiative declared by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Washington DC in the United States of America (USA), among other detailed accounts.

Backed by research, the author attempts to educate the current generation and the next generation by taking them back to the path trodden 400 years ago by our ancestors who walked from villages to slave markets and hinterlands to slave dungeons, with some losing their lives in the process without any identification. 

Launch

The book was launched at the W. E. B. Du Bois Centre in Accra last Friday, in an emotive mood, with some guests shedding tears as excerpts of the accounts of the slave trade were read.

Present at the ceremony were President Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Andrew Egyapa Mercer; the Minister for the Interior, Henry Quartey, a former Editor of the Daily Graphic, Elizabeth Ohene, and the Chief Executive of the Ghana Tourist Development Company Ltd, Kojo Antwi, among other dignitaries.

The event was chaired by the Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministries, Rev. Joyce Aryee. President Akufo-Addo, who launched the book, bought the first pack of 10 copies for GH¢50,000. 

Response

President Akufo-Addo said the book had been written at the right time and that the response to Beyond the Return exceeded the country’s expectations.

“Ghana became the epicentre of a global room that saw people of African descent, that saw people journey to our shores; they came not just as tourists but also as pilgrims on a quest to rediscover their heritage to reclaim their identity,” he added.

The President commended the hard work of the author and all others who came together to make the long-awaited book a reality.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the author of this book, the dynamic Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman”.

President Akufo-Addo explained that the book went beyond written thoughts on pages, describing it as a journey that captured the journey of resilience and determination of the African spirit.

Calling on Africans and the Diaspora to commit to the progress of the continent, he said the book was a reminder of every African’s shared history and the collective responsibility to uplift one another and turn the trials of the past into the triumphs of the future.

“We are reminded that the journey is far from over. The story of Africa is still being written and it is up to us to make sure it is a story of hope, resilience and progress; together we are proving that the African spirit and our best days lie ahead of us,” he said. 

Review

The Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Culture, Enimil Ashon, who reviewed the book, said it provided eye-opening and  jaw-dropping accounts of the slave trade, adding, “he (author) feels enough is enough of attempts to hide the slave trade story”.

He added that the book responded to all questions asked about the state of Africa’s mind during its encounter with Europe.

Mr Ashon, also a former Editor of the Ghanaian Times, said the book was a “tell all truth written with brutal frankness which some of our own race see as uncomfortable”.

Recommending the book to all, including civil servants, restaurants, hotels and other tourist centres, Mr Ashon said the book had been true to its title, adding that it was a tested hypothesis to evidence and arrived at the truth.

In an interview, Mr Agyeman conceded that following the launch of the Year of Return and after going through the dungeons for more than 30 times, he realised that he knew very little about the story.

That, he said, triggered him to go on a personal journey of soul-searching and research to write the book.

“As I went down the dungeon more than 30 times with people crying and getting very agitated, it dawned on me that this thing means more than just tourism, but a deeper call,” Mr Agyeman said.