On December 26, 2010, over 50 African Ancestry family members traveled to Cameroon as part of the first ever, Ancestry Reconnection Program. The ARK Jammers Connection, an international group of musicians and music lovers who perform Acts of Random Kindness, sponsored this journey for DNA descendants of Cameroon to return to their country of origin.

There is no way to describe the impact of the 10-day experience in a single blog post. So, throughout the month, we will be sharing reflections of the trip here and on facebook.

One of the highlights for me was our visit to the primary school, Cite des Enfance in the city of Kribi. We were greeted by the 2-year old students who sang the national anthem with everything that they had.

The program that followed was a combination of poems, recitations, singing, and dancing. These primary school students are amazing. Their program was in English and French.

One of the members of our delegation, Sharon Dennis Wyeth, is a highly acclaimed children’s book author. She read her book, “Something Beautiful”, to the students and later donated 100 copies to the school.

But let me tell you….the dancing stole the show! As one member of our group put it, we are born with rhythm. It is in our DNA. Check out this showstopper.

dancing boy at school – kribi, cameroon from ralston smith on Vimeo.

Each of us was invited to leave an inspirational message for the students and plant a tree with two students to leave a legacy of something beautiful from their Cameroonian American brothers and sisters.

The entire ceremony was humbling and deeply moving.

View more photos of our experience at Cite des Enfance on our Flickr page!

The second to the last stop on the Road Tour was amazing! We were hosted by Joann Price and the Seniors Ministry of Union Baptist Church in Hartford, CT. The church was such a beautiful backdrop for sharing and learning about history from the seniors of the community.

Union Baptist Church

We revealed the ancestries of 10 members of the group and their results were met with much enthusiasm and excitement!

Excited Reveal!

Very Happy!

Now I have to tell you, I absolutely love JoAnn. She is a longtime supporter of African Ancestry. So I could not figure out WHY it was taking her so long to do her own test…until I got to the church. She has such a generous spirit that she kept giving hers away to one of the seniors! So, with their help, we got her to FINALLY do her test. I hope that she is my Fulani cousin!

JoAnn Takes the Test!

It wouldn’t be a church Seniors event without lunch. Woo-hoo!

Not everyone was a Senior…

Not Just for Seniors

We enjoyed meeting all of the families that joined us too. Ramona and John O’Neal have been following us online and we finally got to meet them in person!

The O'Neal Family

One more stop to go. Boston, we are on our way!

Victoria Reflects

Click here for more photos or video from Hartford.

I hate to play favorites, but…I can honestly say that Ardenia Brown was by far our most enthusiastic host! Ardenia came to us through a mutual friend and was immediately like family. She has an extensive promotions background and so she was like a one woman African Ancestry PR machine!

Gina and Ardenia

As a proprietor of Butternut Market, Ardenia is part of a group of local entrepreneurs who are changing the way that Bedford-Stuyvesant views itself as a neighborhood. She organized her colleagues at Therapy Wine Bar and House of Art Gallery Brooklyn to bring the We Are Africa Road Tour to Brooklyn.

House of Art Gallery

Butternut Market Tasting

Butternut Market’s tasting also attracted a number of people from the neighborhood to the presentation, which was standing room only. The reveals were quite moving and the good times continued in the gallery and at Therapy Wine Bar. Bed-Stuy has roots from all over!

Angela Terry - Native American Roots!

Richard Beavers - Angolan Roots!

Alexia Billiart - Ghanaian Roots!

Ardenia Brown - Guinea Bissau Roots!

We had a great time in Brooklyn meeting the neighborhood’s architects, artists, young people, genealogists, and entrepreneurs. We were encouraged by the engagement of the youth and the number of families that came out to learn about finding their roots. Thank you Brooklyn!

A Family Affair

Click here for more photos and video from Brooklyn!

The Big Easy was amazing! First, we need to thank the Ashe’ Cultural Arts Center. They are an extraordinary organization that celebrates the life and cultural traditions of the community. Viola Johnson and her team hosted a fantastic kickoff for the We Are Africa Road Tour 2010. Please stop by and visit Ashe’ when you are in town.

The Silhoutte Dance Ensemble opened the event with a powerful dance led by Kai Knight. Their performance added to the wonderful energy in the space.

Silhouette Dance Ensemble

After the African Ancestry presentation, African Ancestry Family Member Antoinette Harrell presented a brief video of her journey to Niger upon finding her Tuareg roots. The resemblance between her immediate family members and Tuareg women were uncanny.

AA Fam: Antoinette Harrell and Claudette Hurd

Among the countless highlights of the event was meeting long time African Ancestry Family Member Mtumishi St. Julien and our newest member, Chaela.

Chaela

Mtsumishi

We revealed the roots of our special guests which was almost as exciting as the reactions of the two winners of an African Ancestry Test Kit!

WDSU News Anchor Norman Robinson - Mende and Balanta!

WYLD-FM Sunday Journal Host Hal Clark and Family - Cameroon!

Click here to see more images from Day One in New Orleans. The Road Crew and I are looking forward to bringing the movement to 13 more cities!!! See you on the Road!

Let everyone know that WE ARE AFRICA!!
This NEW EXCLUSIVE design will only be sold on road tour stops.

I have found three talented and inspired people up for an amazing adventure. Each of member of the Road Crew brings a unique interest, talent, and perspective to our journey along with a shared belief in the importance of knowing who you are.

Victoria Massie is a unique combination of aspiring geneticist and anthropologist. She’s a senior a the University of Rochester whose heart – after studying abroad in Malawi and Ghana – belongs to the African continent. Her internship at African Ancestry, as Road Dog #1, is part of her continuing effort to connect her love for Africa with an intrigue for the genome and contemporary issues facing American society. Her senior thesis is a research project focusing on the impact of genetic ancestry testing on African Americans. We encourage you to help with her research by sharing your experience with her. You can contact her at vmassie@africanancestry.com.

Ralston Smith is a gifted storyteller. We were fortunate to have Ralston join the African Ancestry family several years ago when he produced our first marketing video. His vision extends beyond the camera with a strong strategic plan for every project. Ralston will be documenting the Road Tour and posting video to Facebook and YouTube daily. Check out his blog and his website.

Kea Taylor is an amazing photographer. I was so excited when she said that she wanted to join us on the road. We get the benefit of her warm, creative spirit as well as her awesome still photos, which we’ll be posting daily from the Road. We’re all about promoting Black business so, Kea will be autographing copies of her new book, I Still Do – A Celebration of African American Weddings, on the Road Tour too.

A new partner is on board the Road Tour! We are honored to have the Philadelphia Commission for African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs as our host for the Philadelphia stop. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Chairman Stanley Straughter share our vision for transforming the way that we view Africa.

Imhotep Institute Charter School

6201 N. 21st Street

Philadelphia, PA 19138

6 – 8 pm

Fmr. Mayor W. Wilson Goode, Sr.

Hon. Stanley Straughter

Join us at the Imhotep Institute Charter High School as we celebrate our roots and reveal the ancestries of Chairman Stanley Straughter, Former Mayor Wilson Goode, Sr., and other invited guests!

We are happy to announce our partnership with the Afro-American Historical Society Museum in Jersey City, NJ. Museum Director Neal Brunson has welcomed the Road Tour with open arms!

We also look forward to revealing the ancestry of State Senator Sandra Cunningham, the first woman to be elected to the State House from the 31st Legislative District.

Join us for an engaging and informative experience!

Afro-American Historical Society Museum

1841 Kennedy Boulevard

Jersey City, NJ 07305

6 – 8 pm

“we are africa” 2010 road tour – know where you’re from from ralston smith on Vimeo.

The Road Tour stops are set! Click on each city for details.

• New Orleans, LA – 8/1
• Jackson, MS – 8/2
• Huntsville, AL – 8/3
• Nashville, TN – 8/4
• Charlotte, NC – 8/5
• Raleigh, NC – 8/7
• Richmond, VA – 8/8
• Washington, DC – 8/11
• Baltimore, MD – 8/12
• Philadelphia, PA – 8/13
• Brooklyn, NY – 8/15
• Hartford, CT – 8/16
• Jersey City, NJ – 8/17
• Boston, MA – 8/19

The City of Charlotte’s website boasts that “2010 is a big year” for the Queen City. It certainly is. That’s because Charlotte is the fifth stop on the We Are Africa Road Tour 2010!

We are excited that the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art + Culture has partnered with us to bring a celebration of our historical, cultural, and genetic connections to Africa to Charlotte on Thursday, August 5th. Mayor Anthony Foxx has also agreed to join us for a reveal of his maternal roots!

USAGriot.com

USA Griot will be on-hand to offer information about genealogy too. Check back here or on Facebook to see who our cultural performers will be!

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art + Culture

551 S. Tryon Street

Charlotte, NC 28202

August 5, 2010

6:30 – 8 pm