Paga: Mrs Carol Ammons, Illinois State Representative for the 103rd District of the United States, has called for restoration and reparative justice for Africa, highlighting the continent's wealth and resources that were systematically plundered through slavery and colonial exploitation. She emphasized that the transatlantic slave trade and colonial system enriched European powers at Africa's expense and insisted that these historical injustices could not go unaddressed.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mrs Ammons made these remarks during a durbar held in her honor at the historic Pikworo Slave Camp in Nania, Paga, located in the Upper East Region. The event, themed 'Family Reunion: Claiming Our Roots, Restoring Our Bonds,' aimed to reconnect descendants of enslaved Africans with their ancestral families and communities in Ghana. Mrs Ammons' visit to Nania followed extensive DNA ancestry research by Dr. Lakisha David, an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois and Director of the DNA Family Roots Project, which traced her roots to the community.
The DNA Family Roots Project, initiated in 2018, involved testing the DNA of residents in Nania to identify descendants of enslaved Africans dispersed across the diaspora. Through this research, Mrs Ammons discovered her ancestral ties to Nania, marking her return as both a scientific affirmation and a heartfelt reunion with relatives separated by the transatlantic slave trade centuries ago.
Mrs Ammons described slavery in the western hemisphere as inhumane and exploitative, noting that Africans on both sides of the Atlantic continue to face the repercussions of centuries of oppression. She stressed that African Americans endured 244 years of bondage during America's 250-year history, stripped of their identities and humanity through the ideology of white supremacy.
She commended the Government of Ghana for its role in adopting a United Nations resolution recognizing the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans as a grave crime against humanity. Mrs Ammons also praised the 2019 'Year of Return' initiative, which inspired many African Americans to reconnect with their ancestral homeland, while advances in DNA research now enable many to identify their specific communities of origin.
Mrs Ammons pledged to use her legislative position to advocate for initiatives reconnecting descendants of enslaved Africans with their roots, and she committed to ensuring the accurate telling of the slave trade's history. She emphasized that the trafficking of enslaved Africans began long before they reached coastal slave castles.
During the visit, Pe Charles Awiah Awampaga II, Paramount Chief of the Paga Traditional Area, welcomed Mrs Ammons by bestowing upon her the native name 'Alorisongo.' Dr. David highlighted that the research identified over 6,000 diaspora relatives from just 35 DNA samples collected from the community, underscoring the initiative's goal to reconnect descendants with their ancestral families, languages, and cultural heritage as part of efforts to address one of history's greatest crimes against humanity.