The Voyage - Day 11

Project Africa

The Voyage - Day 11 (8/1/15)

"It was a lot less intense than the Cape Coast experience, but I still needed to release the building emotionally charged tensions through my tears."

Wow, so much has transpired in so little time. The emotional drain really takes a toll, and that is amplified tenfold since we are ever moving and continue to be on a bit of sensory overload daily. Some destinations are hour long drives on the bus so I try to rest my mind then...listen to a bit of music, write in my journal, or just stare out the window at all the amazing sites and peoples and vegetation. 

Today was the Emancipation Day Celebration which commemorates the abolition of chattel slavery in the British Colonies and celebrates the homecoming of African peoples of the diaspora. Toward the beginning, in the midst of the drumming and dancing, and bubbly conversation, we all lined up to meet the king who sat high on a carven throne, led up to by an aisle of chiefs adorned in beautiful Kente cloths and laden in Ghanaian gold with pure gold staffs, carved to perfection, in hand. It was pretty surreal. We were also able to visit Assin Manso, the 'slave river' where the slaves had their last bath before being sent to the castle dungeons. 

When the ceremony ended, we went to the Elmina castle to see the slave dungeons there. It was a lot less intense than the Cape Coast experience, but I still needed to release the building emotionally charged tensions through my tears. This time the release also came to me in the form of a song. It came to me as I stood at the precipice of the castle overlooking the raging waters. I recorded myself as the words and melodies burst forth flowing freely from the dome... some of the lyrics are difficult to understand from my phone's recording, but I have written them here to the best of my recollection and understanding of the video:

"Standing in the dungeons of my past. 

Slave dungeons passed....

 The sea roars on, as the cries die down. 

We shall be heard 

From the far reaching seas. 

We shall be heard

In the wake of our enemies

We shall be heard

To the tops of the skies

We shall be heard.

Moving through the mounds, where shackles were found.

Breaking down to knees; in the dungeons, oh so free...

Hand in hand we stand. Only few survived.

Countless years of flowing tears, as went abroad.

We shall survive

In the far reach of the seas

We shall survive

With the falling of our knees

We shall survive

As we reach up to the skies

We shall survive

We shall 

We shall

We shall survive."

RSF Music © Rahkua 2015

Amani,
Rahkua

Project Africa: Los Angeles

"A group of conscious artists endeavoring to enrich our spirit and art through cultural immersion into our historical origins"

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