Several months ago.  Nikki Plaskett, my Sista-friend-healer-birth advocate and comrade, announced that her family was leaving St. Croix and heading to Dakar Senegal for a 7-month exploration of life in that country.  I had just gotten over my envy of her move from Washington DC to her home in St Croix.  Now her move “Back Home” made me very envious.  She would be in Senegal 3 months before me. Nikki, Arthur, Noble and Royal, in the vanguard.

My first evening in Dakar I had dinner with them. And while Arthur and I shared a beer on the roof top of their hotel-home, we had a deep conversation about the decision leading up to this move and the experiences his family had had so far.  I have never seen Arthur so happy, calm, and in his own self.

My main question, “Why is it important to visit Africa?”

It is important on many levels.  For my family and I, Africans displaced by the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the sights and sounds of our ancestral Mother Land are a reconnection to the essence of self.

Cultural exploration is a journey into one’s very own soul, and experiencing a trip to Africa is a return home to our roots!

Now, some may choose to study about Africa in books and that’s good too. Remember though, that many have continued to profit by misrepresenting the facts about “the Dark Continent”.

Some have given up their relationship with history all together, being completely socialized into other states of consciousness.

Imagine the relief one feels upon learning first hand that conditions in Africa are not always as bad as the international charitable organizations would have you believe.

Dakar, Senegal is a cosmopolitan metropolis, one of the world’s trade centers and I find the Africans to be more civilized than Americans.

Civilization has existed here for thousands of years and the frequency of co-existence resonates at a much more harmonic pitch than elsewhere.

People are resourceful beyond imagination, using creativity and capability to realize a quality of life that is ample and fulfilling. The sheer numbers of people create a constant supply and demand that births entreprenuerism which has many working to live comfortably.

A Break from the Norm

From an African American perspective, to gain a true understanding of yourself, it is important on many levels to visit Africa. I should think that without seeing the birthing place of your ancestors, let alone civilization, a significant aspect of the realization of your cultural heritage would be incomplete.

If you have the means to travel back Home to Africa, which may entail releasing inhibitions, material conquest and a break from the norm; contemplate the growth, exposure and adventure of learning about your history first hand.

My first trip to Africa is to Senegal, a very welcoming place and fittingly so. Senegal’s Goree Island was a major shipment point for Africans to the west, so it makes sense to return here. It is our duty to come Home, encourage, interact with and support the diaspora.

It is time for us to change the dynamic; break down the barriers and reunite with our sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers.

On this trip I’ll stay for at least seven months, I’m serious about trying to be the change that is needed here. I am accompanied by my wife and two sons so we can all learn to love ourselves together.

—Arthur Marshall

Ok, Well Yes Why indeed

Ancestors.

Important on many levels.

To understand yourself.

The birthplace of civilization.

Discover. Learn. See for Yourself.

Find Yourself. History.

Exposure. Adventure. Growth.

Culture. Realization Heritage.

Support. Encourage. Interact.

Break Down Barriers. Unite.

Release Your Inhibitions.  Change.