The idea was tied to a date in Virginia. In 1619, the first recorded enslaved Africans arrived at Jamestown in the English colony of Virginia. Four hundred years later, Ghana invited the descendants of the enslaved to come back. In September 2018, President Nana Akufo-Addo declared 2019 the Year of Return.
The campaign
The Year of Return was promoted by the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism. It encouraged people of African descent in the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe to visit Ghana, learn its history and invest in the country. Events took place throughout the year, culminating in December.
Jamestown to Jamestown
Organisers linked Ghana’s own Jamestown, the historic quarter of Accra, with Jamestown in Virginia. A closing durbar in Accra commemorated the 400 years since the slave trade journeys to Virginia. Delegations from Jamestown, Virginia, and leaders of American organisations such as the NAACP attended.
Politicians and celebrities
A delegation from the US Congressional Black Caucus, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visited Ghana in 2019. Celebrities including the actor Danny Glover took part in events. Many African American entertainers, athletes and influencers visited Accra that year and posted about it, spreading the campaign online.
Citizenship
The campaign included the Right to Return initiative, encouraging African Americans to apply for Ghanaian citizenship. In late 2019, Ghana granted citizenship to more than a hundred people of African descent in a ceremony in Accra.
Detty December
The Year of Return fed into December’s festive season in Accra, now known as Detty December, with concerts, parties and events. Hotels, restaurants and event organisers reported busy business. Accra’s December crowds have grown ever since.
Beyond the Return
After 2019, the government launched Beyond the Return, a follow-up programme aimed at turning visits into long-term investment, settlement and partnership with the diaspora.
Criticism
Some Ghanaians questioned whether the benefits reached ordinary people or mainly hotels and event promoters. Others raised concerns about prices during December and about how visitors were treated. Diaspora residents in Ghana have also spoken about the challenges of settling, from bureaucracy to land disputes.
Cape Coast and memory
Many visitors made pilgrimages to Cape Coast and Elmina castles, where enslaved Africans were held. For many, standing at the “door of no return” was the emotional centre of the trip.
The Year of Return turned a historical anniversary into a tourism campaign, and a tourism campaign into a lasting change in how Accra spends its Decembers.
