AKWAABA!!!!

In July 2022 my sorority celebrated a milestone of 100 years of existence with a conference, actual date is November 12th. During the conference in Indianapolis, it was announced that Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. would be taking a Birthright Journey to Accra, Ghana. Eruption filled the conference ballroom and I knew I would be in the number to make that trip.

By that time, I had only been on the continent of Africa once for the 2021 trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe. The South Africa and Zimbabwe trip was focused on highlights of Cape Town, Wine Country, Victoria Falls, and safaris. Ghana would be a different vibe and I wanted to be a part of it.

Ghana has gained tourist attraction over the last 5 years or so because of The Return. A push and invitation of the descendants of the African diaspora to return to the continent from which we were taken. This is coupled with a music festival, Afrofuture, formerly known as Afrocella, that is during the end of December and has affectionately been named #DettyDecember.

#DettyDecember is a whole vibe, from the different parties, conferences, festivals, and tourist attractions, you cannot say that you are bored.

The Birthright Journey started on December 23rd. There are two direct flights from the States, Delta from JFK and United from Dulles (DC area). I opted to fly with United in case an eastern snowstorm came and affected a departure from NYC. Due to the popularity of #DettyDecember, the cost of flights was higher than normal. Some of the economy prices would normally be a first class/ business class price. If #DettyDecember is on your list to experience, keep that in mind. The United flight had us touching down around 9:30 AM so there is a whole day to acclimate yourself because there is a 5-hour difference from Eastern America. I along with 300+ sorority sisters, and guests were greeted by the staff of Adinkra Group, drummers, dancers, and performers to say Akwaaba (Welcome)!!! And did I mention the heat and humidity greeted us as soon as we exited the airport?!?

From there, 10 days of activities were scheduled for us. I arrived a day early to take advantage of a free night in the hotel and also relax before all the festivities started with the 300+ travelers. We had reservations at four different hotels, two 5-star hotels (Kempinski, Movenpick), one 4-star hotel (Lancaster), and one 3-star hotel (Ibis). I stayed at the Lancaster Hotel mainly because during the preliminary planning the 4-star was going to be the Labadi Beach hotel and who doesn’t want to have the beach as their backdrop every morning and night?!?! Though Lancaster was not on the beach, it was in a great central location and the accommodations were great. It was definitely a hotspot for those who wanted an early breakfast after partaking in the #DettyDecember parties.

If you are looking for grand accommodations then Kempinski is the place to stay. The entranceway to the hotel will make you gasp. And since it was the festive season, there were Christmas lights on the outside and huge displays in the lobby. As I mentioned, there were other conferences taking place during this time so some of the events were held at this hotel, so you saw celebrities always in the lobby and elevators. Our Welcome Reception was held at the Kempinski Hotel. We were again greeted by drummers and performers. Everyone was dressed in blue and gold African-inspired clothing, I bought a dress specifically for this event and I was pleased with the outcome. I was surprised to see sorority sisters from my home chapter/city, Gamma Chi/ Memphis, and also some from my actual hometown, Milwaukee, that I haven’t seen in 10+ years. And of course, I met up with the two sorors from my current chapter.

During our check-in, we were all gifted bracelets that had our born day names. My name is Afia - a girl born on a Friday. So the night ended with the calling of each day to see who celebrated the best. I am biased, the Afias and Kofis (a boy born on a Friday) represented the best.

I’ll be back with more Ghana stories and adventures.

Until next experience,

Afia