There is a programme on TV called ‘Who do you think you are?’ Famous people get to trace their genealogy and family tree. They discover who their ancestors were and come to face their past, good and bad.
So who do you think you are?
You could start by doing a family tree, tracing back as far as you know. You may have to get the input of older relatives if you get stuck. There is even a DNA test that allows you to find out what part of the world your ancestors may have originated from. It may not be where you think or expect it to be.
We carry our heritage with us whether we are aware of it or not. Do you appreciate the way you look, the values you hold. They may take you back to a grandma or grandpa. When you find your heritage you find yourself, youfeel the strength that is emerging from the past. You will begin to get some clarity in the present and go forwards into the future confidently. In Africa there is a word to sum up the importance of the past knowledge from the ancestor. It is called Sankofa. It means to go back and fetch it, seek it out and bring something from the past to help us in the present.
When you Sankofa, what will you bring back?
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“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep , to know our heritage, to know where we are and where we came from.”
“Roots is not just a saga of my family. It is a symbolic saga of a people.”
Alex Haley: 11th August 1921 – 1992 (author – best know for penning Roots