Was Ghana's ambitious #YearOfReturn project a success?🤔
Written by Hugh Anderson
In 2019, Ghana’s🇬🇭 “Year of Return” (YoR) marked the 400th year since the first enslaved Africans arrived in America. ‘The “YoR” allowed the locals to embrace their culture, and for descendants of Africa🌍 who’d never (or don’t often) come to the motherland, to come and learn about their heritage and bask in it.’ - Jeneis Osei, friend of AASOA.
Over the course of the year, many cultural events were put on by the Ministry of Tourism, as well as local communities.🎊 One common evaluation from those who took part in the “YoR” was this idea of “coming home”, a unique concept considering it was mainly targeting🎯 those who had never been there before.
Credit: @ludacris
To elaborate: ‘(Africa/Ghana) has restoration for people of colour in the diaspora (people settled far from their ancestral homelands). There’s almost this undefined closure that happens. You didn’t even know you needed this.’☺ - Lakeshia Ford, African-American entrepreneur. [1] “We have to figure out way for them to come back to the soil. There is something healing about it.”🌤 - Koshie Mills, CEO of K3 PR. [2]
Unfortunately, with regard to concrete statistics, various government agencies and supporters of the “YoR” have been criticised, notably by Ghanaian thought leader Bright Simons, for significantly exaggerating the economic impact📊 of the “YoR”. [3]
This included stating the country had received 1.5 million tourists in 2019, instead of the approximate 1 million that they actually received, [3] and that the “YoR” injected 💉an additional $1.9 billion in tourist spending🤯 (a more accurate estimate would be around $30 million)💸 . [3] This was later addressed by the Deputy Tourism Minister Dr. Ziblim Iddi, however his comments still certainly implied an ‘absence or incompleteness of data’. [4]
This was an unnecessary mistake to make, as the “YoR” was still an undisputed triumph. As Simons rightly states - its ‘success needs no embellishment’🏆, [3] with Forbes calling it a ‘shining example✨ of how countries can increase tourism’. [2]
Credit: @ludacris
Credit: @iamjihana
Most notably, an exceptional number of celebrities were attracted by the prospect, including actor Idris Elba, rappers Cardi B and Ludacris, model Naomi Campbell and comedian Steve Harvey to name a few - all of whom publicly recommended the experience.📣 If able to take control of the real statistics, instead of ‘declaring victory on all fronts’, [3] then Ghana will be in an excellent position to capitalise on its current self-generated wealth of international goodwill.🤝
Furthermore, the government stated that through the combination of influencer media and positive press, they effectively received about $3.5 million worth of marketing at absolutely no cost to them🤩. [5] They also estimated an increase in the number of tourists wanting to find out about their heritage of 40% [1], so we will only see the true extent its impact over the coming years. Hoping to strike while the iron is hot🔥, the Ministry of Tourism has launched “Beyond the Return” - a 10-year project under the theme “A decade of African Renaissance 2020-2030.” [6] Here’s to that movement’s success!💯
Credit: @raineyamore
References:
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqoqhruujN4
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanmccormick/2019/12/10/how-to-spark-a-global-movement-ghanas-year-of-return-welcomes-1m-visitors/#5c9dfcde6d5f
[3] https://brightsimons.com/2019/12/20/year-of-return-success-needs-no-embellishment/
[4] https://www.theghanareport.com/deputy-tourism-minister-clarifies-controversial-1-9bn-year-of-return-revenue-claim/
[5] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51191409
[6] https://visitghana.com
Other sources:
• https://www.yearofreturn.com/about/
• https://www.theafricancourier.de/africa/year-of-return-is-big-win-for-ghana-president-akufo-addo/
• https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ghana-historic-homecoming-intl/index.html