SHAHERAH IN GHANA
Grow stronger in the African spirit, and
Encourage Africans of the Diaspora to visit their homeland
Shaherah Williams,
17th Miss Caribbean & Commonwealth, spoke to CaribCommx about her recent trip to Ghana in which she familiarised herself with some of the culture and customs of this friendly country in West Africa.
“ I chose Ghana for the main tour of my term-of-office as Miss Caribbean & Commonwealth because
Africa has been subject to a lot of negative media attention and I wanted to make up my own mind about Africa.
On arrival in Accra I was very soon befriended by the Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, Minister Jacob Obetsebi Lamptey who has an intense passion for Ghana and the promotion of its beauty and character. Jake shared valuable information on the history of Ghana and encouraged me to be proud of being an Africans, and to grow stronger in the African spirit, so as to help carry the message across to friends in Diaspora, and to come back to reunite Africa.
My itinerary was full of a variety of events and appearances including a visit to Kakum National Park, Elmina Castle, Osu Children’s home, the launch of the official Ghana Toursit Guide and much more. I was chaperoned by
local TV presenter , Blakofe, whose vast knowledge of Ghana created a necessary history lesson from each excursion.
I gained inspiration from a variety of sources – one of which is the Joseph Project. The Joseph Project coincides with the
Ghana’s 50th year of independence and was created to encourage Africans of the Diasporan to return ‘home’ and embrace their roots.
The other source of inspiration derived from my visit to the Korleubu Maternity Ward and Osu Children’s Home. Since attending the two sites I have developed a desire to contribute to their upkeep but am stumped at how to do so innovatively. ‘I am hoping that a creative and viable idea reaches me soon so that we may begin to assist those in need sooner rather than later.
I was very pleased with the visit and now encourage other
Africans of the Diasporan to visit their homeland. ‘It is important for us to identify the final piece of the puzzle of our essence. After visiting Ghana you clearly see that the essence of Africa is within all of us – even if we don’t realise it!”
