“We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully nor for much longer unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody.” – futurist Buckminster Fuller

The name Sankofa means; we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated. This is exactly the aim of the group. We know that the history presented in our schools has been systematically altered to conceal not only the atrocities committed by the empire but the power and beauty of the civilisations it attempted to suppress. 

Reflecting on the continent’s history without the lens of imperialism. Create a counter narrative to the images of famine and wars that have persisted to aggrandize European charitable aid, glossing over the colonial legacies and neocolonial corruption. The history of the continent is that of ancient civilisations and dynasties, rebellion and fortitude. It is the story of all humans, life originated in Africa. This information encourages both individual and wider societal change. 

Education has transformative power, breaking down the barriers built by misconceptions and stereotypes that separate people in our society across the world. For people of Afrikan descent this knowledge instils pride, deeper awareness and empowerment. For people of European, or non-African heritage, it broadens perspective and encourages an appreciation of the contributions and achievements of the Afrikan diaspora and Black people throughout history. 

Sankofa Afrika is an educational community seeking to empower the Afrikan diaspora by redistributing knowledge of their African heritage. Classes are delivered by respected community educators Kwame Gad and Malcolm Phillip, who credit this learning as having given them clarity and a sense of self and purpose. Kwame and Malcolm have steadily been agents for healing, learning, repair and social change. Both Kwame and Malcolm were taught for over four years by internationally renowned historian, teacher and author Robin Walker and have since taught this history for over five years with his support and acknowledgement. They have extensive formal and informal teaching experiences along with first-hand experience living and travelling around the continent. Using these tools, skills and understandings Kwame and Malcolm seek to create broad empowering change. 

MISSION STATEMENT: To empower the global community through  knowledge of their African heritage and to make that information relevant and accessible to a 21st century audience.

Last year, sessions were held face to face in Leeds, to adapt to current guidelines these upcoming sessions will take place through virtual classrooms. In this way the intention is to make this information with its tools, concepts and ideas, accessible to all and make a positive change to our knowledge of Afrikan history. See Sankofa Afrikan history promotion video here

Tasters sessions will take place Tuesday 15th September at 6-7.30pm and Saturday 19th September at 10.30-12pm. Tickets are free, but we ask that if you are able you would make a donation click here, sign-up via Eventbrite HERE 

Email: SankofaAfrikanStudyGroup@gmail.com

Twitter: @SankofaAfrikaEd 

Instagram: @SankofaAfrikaEd 

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Written by The Sankofa Afrikan Study Group collective