Sankofa & The Importance of Remembering

Restoration by Bro. Jeorge

Vintage restored photograph of: Nana Offei Kwasi Agyeman,
Krontihene of Akuapem
 ( circa early 1900's )

Greetings Black Secret Progressives,

Recently I had the chance to visit my homeland, the country of my birth, Ghana, for the first time in many decades ( 42 years to be exact ) and it was a glorious experience. I hadn’t been back to Ghana since immigrating to the UK as a child. So much had changed in those 4 plus decades and yet so much remained intimately familiar and instantly recognisable. For one Accra is a much bigger city now, there is so much building works and developments constantly happening in the capital. For example, the area I was staying in East Airport, which at one time was a virtual barren wilderness of bushland near the Airport, was a terrain where members of the local horse-riding club would regularly ride through to go to the beach! Now it is full of new expensive and exclusive complexes which seem to be ever expanding. Despite the changes and the growth in many respects, for me it was like fitting back into an old glove which hadn’t been wore in years, it was both warm and familiar. This is home and despite the passage of time it never stopped being home to me. Being back on Ghanaian soil and experiencing the blistering heat of the midday sun and the warm glow of the night at dusk felt completely natural and only confirmed that fundamental truth for me, this really is home, always has been and always will be.

While I was only there for two weeks, I still managed to pack a lot into that short window of time. I had reunions with old childhood friends who I hadn’t seen in years, and was introduced to aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of the family, some for the first time, others who I hadn’t seen since infancy. I also got to see a great many sides of Accra during my transient stay, as well as other areas outside and on the outskirts of the capital, including the industrial port city of Tema, more rural areas such as Asamankese near Korforidua, and my favourite, the stunning mountainous rainforest region of Aburi ( if you visit Ghana this is one area you shouldn’t miss ).

I also got to meet up with some of our institutional partners in Ghana, which we The Black Secret sponsor, such as the Spelmore Institute, an Independent International School on the outskirts of Accra set up by the ‘inspirational’ couple, Brother Nana Kwame and Sister Nana Gayle ( we will be showcasing the wonderful work they are doing out there, and how you can help and get involved in a future newsletter ). I also got to interview Yasmin Bitugu, co-founder of Africa Global Radio ( on my last day in Ghana no less ), one of The Black Secret’s strategic partners who we work closely with ( we’ll also be showcasing the conscious work and programmes they have on their platform a little later down the line ).

Restoring the Past

The proudest moment of my visit was being able to return to my Father’s side of the family a restored antique piece of family memorabilia which was overlooked and sadly neglected for many years ( possibly decades ). This memorabilia was a vintage photograph from the early 1900’s ( possibly even late 1800’s ) of my Great Grandfather Opanyin Kofi Djan, who’s official name became Nana Offei Kwasi Agyeman when he was enstooled as Krontihene of Akuapem. He was a member of the Aduana Abrade Royal family of Akropong Akuapem, his station as Krontihene was second only to the Paramount Ruler or Omanhene of Akropong.

I first came across Opanyin Kofi’s photograph which was badly damaged, when I visited my aunt Nana Komeh Oforitua last year in South London, she had recently returned from Ghana and had the original photograph ( and copies of it ) in her possession. I hadn’t seen her in years so it was good to catch up with her. At some point she mentioned the photograph, which originally had been left to fade in one of the family homes back in Ghana. Over time other papers and photos were glued over its bottom half and just left there. Copies of the original were made, and even they had become damaged and faded over time. Auntie Komeh had brought them with her for safe keeping and to have it restored. The restoration work that was done in the UK at that point was just about ok, but it was such that you couldn’t see his feet, were the major damage had occurred. I knew I could do a better restoration job himself, so asked Auntie Komeh to give me the original photograph and the other copies so that I could work on producing a superior quality of restoration. Over the course of a week, I slowly and carefully removed the papers stuck to the bottom with a form of lighter fluid, gradually revealing the image below that had been hidden for years, until eventually the full image was whole again and fully visible.

There is a saying that an image speaks a thousand words. And while the history of my Great Grandfather’s life and his many accomplishments were never forgotten by my family, a rare image that documents a key aspect of our Family and Regional history was been allowed to decay and fade away with the passage of time. When I returned to Ghana I presented the newly restored and framed photograph to my Aunt Grace ( Auntie Komeh’s sister ) and other members of the family at her home in Tesano Accra, and it is fair to say they were delighted with the gift I brought with me from the UK.

Presenting the restored photograph to my Aunts and Cousins, with my mother Miss J. A. Asante seated in the middle and Aunt Grace on the far right

History in some respects is a delicate thing, it can easily be obscured, reduced or even forgotten with the passage of time. We at The Black Secret know how important it is to safe guard and protect our rich histories, especially as they have been ignored, undermined and often deliberately misrepresented in the mainstream. History and knowledge of self is transformative and powerful, it not only informs us as to who we have been in the past, it also illuminates and sheds a light on what we are capable of in the present. On top of this it also at the same time informs the rest of the world as to who we truly are as people. This is one of the main reasons why so little of our rich History is properly disseminated through mainstream sources.

Imagery and documentation are key in providing evidence in support of the Histories we detail on our courses at The Black Secret, and a reason why on top of our courses being comprehensive, up to date and well researched, why we also place such a strong emphasis on visual documentation as well. We make our content as richly illustrated with images and photographs of monuments, buildings, artifacts, jewellery, coinage, documents, fine art, traditional attire and other elements as much as we possibly can, because it evidences the achievements of our great African Civilisations and dramatically impacts the way we see and think about ourselves.

We can also learn a lot from photgraphs such as the one featuring my Great Grandfather Nana Offei Kwasi Agyeman. The sword he is holding for example is an Afena state sword, an emblem of authority, which usually had a cast iron blade featuring decorative geometric patterns punched through in areas and a double pommel hilt intricately curved from wood and covered with gold leaf. Photographs like this provide us with a window unto the past and gives us a sense of context as to the usage of artifacts which still remain with us, and at the same time breathes life into the history behind them. We preserve and conserve all of our precious Histories, the macro and the intimate, whether it is of Global, National, Regional or of Personal significance so that you can know it, benefit from it and pass it on to the next generation.

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