As a grassroots organization created to bridge the gap that separates Africans of the motherland from their African-American brothers and sisters from the Diaspora, Jamii Africa International has so far sponsored a variety of cultural and social activities in order to help heal the wounds of the past and promote unity and reconciliation among people of the same heritage.

One of the major undertaking of Jamii was to help the Africans of the Diaspora to re-connect with their ancestral roots. That implies that a series of steps will need to be taken, including a periodic trip back to the motherland.

Delivering on that promise, a selective group of Jamii members was commissioned to travel to Benin ( West Africa ) and participate in the Annual International Gospel & Roots Festival which was initiated by President Kerekou back in 1999, following the public apology he offered the people of the Diaspora for the sins committed four hundred years
ago by his forefathers during the shameful slave trade.

The twelve-member delegation led by the Chairman of Jamii-Africa (Mr. Constantine David-Gnahoui ) included Rev. Zagery Oliver ( who represented the descendants of all the slaves brutally taken and sold away to slave masters throughout America; Minister Angelika Selle (represented the europeans traders who benefited the most from shameful triangular trade); Minister Juliette Wakaria and Joseph Gnikpo (who represented the suppliers in the part that Africans certainly had played in the sale of their own brothers and sisters into slavery.)

The group arrived in Cotonou (Benin) via Paris on July 30th at night and we were immediately met by the festival organizers who treated us as V.I.P.. Mr. David Constantin, our guide and organizer of this trip made sure that we all were taken care of and treated like VIPs. When we arrived on African soil, I touched the ground with my hands and prayed. Tears came into my eyes, as I stood in awe on this ancient land.

Our place was simple but friendly. Brother Remi and three wonderful sisters were the staff who would cook for us and also drive us around. It was a three-story residential facility located outside the capital city. As Mr. Constantine David explained, it was for us to be able to remain in touch and to be close to the African daily life and the people of the land rather than being secluded in a hotel environment.

As we drove through the dusty streets of Cotonou, hundreds of motor- cycles were around us. It reminded us of the multitude of bicycles in China, except that these motorcycles belched out such tremendous amounts of exhaust that I immediately felt nauseous. A sight to behold, when women dressed in their traditional beautiful African clothes walk the streets with heavily laden trays on their heads that they gracefully carry from one place to another.

We learned one thing from the beginning, namely, that God was in charge from beginning to end. We found out as the journey unfolded that we had our schedule and intentions and plans, but that God had a whole different agenda for us to accomplish. What mattered the most, therefore, during this whole trip was our prayerful attitude and heart and staying united no matter what.

On the airplane going to France, we connected with four other individuals -- two pastor’s couples from Virginia who were also part of the U.S. delegation to the same conference. Pastor Jack Gaines and his wife had been integrally involved in the founding and developing of this Gospel and Roots Conference. He was the very one who five years ago initiated the reconciliation with representatives from Benin, i.e., with the associates and pastor of President Mathieu Kerekou. Those two pastor’s couples were the four founding individuals for the reconciliation between Africans and African Americans. Pastor Gaines has profound views on reconciliation between the blacks in the Diaspora and the Africans themselves.

We had the chance to interview him a few days later.

The next two days were dedicated to exploring the people, the city, and the land. We were given a quick tour of the city where we visited the Port facility, the Presidential Palace, the Market Place and  the official zone reserved for residential and commercial use by the people

from the African Diaspora.

At one point, we met up with Pastor Gaines and his delegation, who led us  to a housing development that he and his church have been involved in in Cotonou. It was a wonderful thing to observe our African-American brother discover his roots. On many occasions Rev. Oliver would say to someone, “I know your cousin, a person who looks exactly like you in the U.S.”

Also, when we would eat green-leaf stew, Rev. Oliver would make the connection to the collard greens and soul food of the African-American people. There was no question in his mind that the roots and the blood were the same. People in the Diaspora had not lost their roots completely. Certain things connected them beyond distance and historical experience.

A special welcome-home tour

 On the day before the opening of the Conference, God had prepared something very special for our African-American brother. Inspired by God, a Benin lady in Chicago, named Elise Ayoko Dosseh who had heard about the Gospel and Roots Festival and that Jamii would send a small delegation over, organized an amazing welcome-home tour all the way from Chicago via telephone through her physical sister, Agnes, who lives in Athieme, a city 100 miles west of Cotonou.

The night before August 1, which also marked the 44th anniversary of Benin’s independence, a small delegation visited us to fill us in on what to expect the next day. Each City would receive us as guests of honor in addition to the Independence Day festivities.

On that morning Mr. Constantin, Mr. Jospeh Gnikpo, Rev. Oliver, and I, plus our driver, Remi, headed toward the countryside to meet up with Mrs. Agnes and other leaders who would take us from one city to another.   At one point, we stopped in the city of COME where  Agnes greeted us warmly. I was asked to join her in the car with other women. A whole caravan of cars formed as we started to leave for our first destination.

Suddenly, I realized that there was a cameraman in the car in front of us directing his camera toward me. I felt very uncomfortable, since the purpose of this tour was to welcome home the lost African brothers and sisters from overseas. The more we drove on, the more I became nervous and worried. Something wasn’t right, I felt, and I had to do something.

 I told the lady that it was of utmost importance that the cameraman and everyone focus on Rev. Oliver, not me. She nodded, but nothing changed. Finally, after a few attempts at explaining to her the significance of what was happening, I requested that the car be stopped and that Rev. Oliver sit in my place. I said: “I want to switch with Rev. Oliver who is in the car behind us, right now.” Our car pulled over, and Mr. Constantine facilitated the switch. Now things felt right.

 As we entered the village of Azonlihoue, Rev. Oliver emerged from the car and was received by a group of women, men and children including four dancers in their native outfits who welcomed the delegation with songs, dances and the traditional ululation with drums playing in the background.

It was almost like in a movie. Two girls brought flowers, I made sure that they were given first to Rev. Oliver (understanding that because of Colonialism many Africans are still conditioned to bow down to whites or want to be seen with whites, etc.) and then to me. Rev. Oliver instinctively walked up to the council of elders and greeted each one warmly.

 We were led to the center stage under the palm roof of a small hall, where the whole village with many children had assembled. Several dances were presented, until the mayor of the town gave his moving welcoming speech, welcoming home the long-lost son. Then two beautiful baskets filled with the fruit of their land were presented to us, which we received on behalf of True Parents.

Before they heard the voice of their long-lost brother, I was asked to speak. Moved by the spirit, I thanked them for their heartfelt reception. I explained that the reason for my coming to Africa was to reconcile and to correct the past. Especially as a white European woman, I represented the women rulers during the time of Colonialism. I said that, before they welcomed home their son and brother, I wanted to clean up some of the past history on this Independence Day.

I asked the oldest woman of the village to come forward. After a few moments, an elderly women moved slowly to the front. I held both of her hands and asked, on behalf of all the white women who had enriched themselves from black people, having caused so much heartbreak and suffering, especially to the black mothers, to please be forgiven. In tears, I knelt down on the ground and buried my face in the dirt. There was thunderous clapping and applause. As I heard later, many people were in tears.

I felt that someone pulled me up. I wiped the sand off and asked if the woman, on behalf of all Africans, could forgive, and she did. Then I briefly introduced Rev. Oliver and testified to the work of God with our African-American brothers and sisters, who, in spite of having gone through untold atrocities and tribulations during slavery, never fought back against the whites.

Then Rev. Oliver took the floor, choking in tears, and addressed his beloved African family. He spoke powerfully, telling some of the story of his ancestors who were taken as slaves. No one in his personal family that he knows of had ever stepped on African soil in 400 years. Rev. Oliver also spoke of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who, through his message of justice and reconciliation and technique of nonviolence, brought America to its knees and caused the abolishment of discriminatory laws there. Rev. Oliver spoke from the heart, giving encouragement and vision to his people and committing himself to helping to rebuild the continent of Africa.

At the end, he said it wouldn’t be right if he would not dance with his brothers and sisters. He fit right in! Amazing, going down in squatting position, dancing like a professional. It is truly in the blood of the Africans and African Americans! Screams of excitement and joy filled the air. Garments were put on him while he danced with men and women who came forward. It was said by people that his movements were so authentic that they were amazed. It was some celebration!

 We then left to several other villages and towns, where we were received in a similar fashion. Athieme was next, a typical French colonial-style village near a big river. The mayor of the town greeted us. In Agame, we witnessed a traditional voodoo ceremony representing the spiritual traditions of Africa. In Lokossa and the other places, we always received flowers and were greeted by the elders and leaders of the towns.

 We heard beautiful words of welcome to Rev. Oliver as one of the first slave’s descendants in his family coming home. All of the mayors also expressed the desire to establish sister-city relations with America in the hope of spiritual and material support. The needs are so great everywhere! We saw so many women with children who ran around naked, with little food and vision for the future.

The day began to turn into dusk, and one of the leaders who had been with us from the beginning of the tour expressed his true feelings. Although he was moved by the events of the day with reconciliation and such, he asked himself: “Can we truly forgive the whites, given what they have done to us?” But then he said, when his heart was moved to tears by the repentance, in such a moment he found it rather easy to do so.

The day ended with a drink at a small inn and a long good-bye to one another. Truly a day to remember!

Gospel and Roots Opening Ceremony and Conference

 On August 2, around 400 people gathered in the Cotonou Conference Center to begin the 3rd annual Gospel and Roots International Festival.

 Several powerful speakers greeted the audience, which consisted mostly of blacks from the Diaspora and just a handful of whites from France. All was conducted in the French language, especially since this year’s focus was on the Caribbean. In between the speakers, we all were treated to a feast of Gospel singing and dancing. The highlight of the evening was the recognition of four representatives of the Diaspora, who received a special distinction and welcoming home from the president of Benin himself.

President Kerekou then welcomed everyone to the conference. In his fatherly way, he took the jazz player, Mano Dibango, by the hand.  M. Dibango is one of the first African jazz players who succeeded in the musical marketplace and bridged the gap between Africans and African American culture with his singing. The spirit was warm and promising for the conference.

As we found out the next day, most participants were working together in breakout groups, independently of one another, and converged only for the many Gospel concerts scheduled throughout the week. There were two presentations consecutively on August 3 and 4, the first one of which dealt with the theme of “The Black Diaspora and Its Identity – Essential Traits

 of the Creoles” (Diaspora Noire et indentite: les traits essentials de la creolite), given by Mr. Patrick Chamoiseau.  In it, he reminded his listeners of the still-lingering effects of the Colonialism of the French, who imposed their ideologies on the Africans and failed to recognize the religions sacred to the native peoples.

He pointed out the ongoing identity crisis of the Creole people, who were dispersed from their homeland and ancestors and not accepted by the

 people of the lands they came to, and their desire to return to their origins and develop the link between the Diaspora and the homeland. The question was raised whether or not people in the Diaspora should move back to the motherland of Africa, which brought forth various controversial responses.  What are the elements of my identity? My land, my language, religion, Many Creoles have several identities.

 Finally, how could Creole-African relations be established? Through technology and ongoing dialogue going toward a new civilization and creating a new brotherhood.   At the question and answer session afterward, Rev. Oliver noted that there was no English translation provided for the non-French-speaking participants, especially those from the Diaspora. That barrier of language needed to be removed, he said.

I myself felt moved at the very end to speak my heart. As a white European, I expressed that I felt ashamed for what my people have done to the blacks. I asked to not believe in what the Colonialists told them to believe about themselves, that they are a great people called to lead the world based on their suffering and endurance. I asked that they would forgive the whites

so they themselves would be free. I trust that they would find ways to

 bond back together and resolve all the issues at hand.

After the session, several people, among them a journalist, came up to me, thanking for the words, and interviewed me for the local newspaper Benin Daily News.  In the afternoon of that day, we came across Pastor Cheryl Jackson, an African-American woman pastor from Japan who shared with us in an interview about her vision of reconciliation as it also relates to women and the amazing ministry she is doing in Japan.

The presentation on the following day was given by a French Guyanese woman and representative in the French government, Madame Christiane Taubira-Delanon, on the theme of “Slavery: A Crime Against Humanity.”   She started out by recounting the history of slavery in Guyana.

“It all started out with the Arabs, then the Christian church in Spain and Portugal, who killed and enslaved our people who didn’t want to be Christians. After them came the French, the English, the Dutch, and the Swedish. Different trade routes developed through Spain, Portugal, to England. Approximately 11 million people died or were exterminated. Approximately 15-30 million people were brought over." She recounted the atrocities of slavery. Those who were sent away from Africa were supposed to build Africa. They are missing.

 Mme. Taubira-Delanon has been working tirelessly in the French government to create awareness of that history and to abolish slavery wherever it is still practiced today. To rewrite the history of slavery and prevent this mentality of superiority from happening again, she said, tolerance and political action are needed. She congratulated the Diaspora for how they have survived and are now bringing back the spirit. People from the Diaspora, she said, will help rebuild the continent of Africa.

 In the evening of that day, we attended a Gospel concert in Porto Novo, the capital city, which is about one hour west of Cotonou. As with many events, this one started about 2 hours late, but was very spirited and moving as the African and the African-American Gospel songs, represented by Diane Cameroon of Alabama, filled the open-air museum arena where the concert took place. Truly, music is a great medium to bridge the gap and show the similarities between those who had left 400 years ago and those who had remained behind.

Diane Cameroon Elam had written a beautiful song about coming home to Africa because one man had made the decision to say, “I am sorry” (President Kerekou).

 The two following days unfolded very differently from what Mr. Constantin G. David had planned for our group. By that time, we had heard that Archbishop Stallings, who was scheduled to come to Benin on August 4, didn’t make it.

Several events had been scheduled for him by Cathy Rigney, the regional leader of West Africa and also the national leader of Benin. Many members and FFWPU leaders from neighboring countries like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ghana had been mobilized to come and attend a major meeting with the Archbishop. In addition, an Ambassadors for Peace Conference was to take place the next day, in which Archbishop Stallings was expected to speak.

To our great surprise, Rev. Paterne Zinsou and Cathy Rigney instead asked our delegation to give reports and, in particular, asked Rev. Oliver to give the keynote address on behalf of Archbishop Stallings. In a very ingenius way, Rev. P. Zinsou left all members in the dark about AB’s not coming until the very moment of our arrival at the meeting site under a big open-air roof.

He had left everyone with the impression that ABS was indeed there, asking if anyone had ever seen his face. Then he asked the audience if they came to see the Archbishop or to hear his message. “The message,” they replied. Finally, Rev. P. Zinsou revealed to all that the AB had been prevented from coming and instead sent his very qualified representative, Rev. Z. Oliver, who had just met with him prior to coming to Africa (which was true) and also Minister A. Selle who had been working together with the Archbishop.

Beautiful songs were presented by the local choir. I was asked to be the first one to speak and give a report on ACLC activities in America. However, I had been guided in my spirit to do something entirely different. After thanking everyone for their most moving reception in anticipation of the welcoming home of Rev. Oliver, I wanted to first take care of some historical business and clean up the past. “It is not by accident that I am standing here in front of you as a white woman on this historic occasion,” I said. “On behalf of all white people who caused you tremendous suffering, divided your family, and took from the resources of this land to enrich themselves, I repent and ask for forgiveness.”

I called upon the national leader of Benin and his wife to come forward as well as the physically oldest member of the crowd and offered a full kyung beh. Then I brought out three items I had prepared, not knowing anything about this opportunity. I presented them, one to each of the three individuals in front of me: A green candle, which I said represented the light that was taken from Africa and the restoration of the failure to recognize the people’s spiritual traditions; a necklace of polished, multicolored stones representing all the land’s treasures that were taken;

and a bag made of black knit fabric with a European flower design, representing the money, clothes, and materials taken from the Africans.

I asked if they could forgive the whites, and the whole congregation said, “Yes, we forgive you.”

Rev. Zinsou Paterne then took the opportunity to offer a deep prayer marking the historic moment. Afterward, he initiated another ceremony, asking Cathy Rigney and me to stand as the white people who bought and sold the slaves, the Jamii representatives in the position of the intercessors who are trying to bring their brothers back, and finally the Africans who sold their brothers to the whites. Rev. Oliver then was asked to stand in the middle as the Africans all held the lit candle in prayer and then offered a kyung beh to the whites as well as to Rev. Oliver, representing the sold brother. The whole thing was deeply moving and profound.

Then I introduced my brother, the “first coming” of AB Stallings, testifying to all African Americans who had gone through tremendous suffering in America and had overcome. I testified to the fact that God has been using their suffering to raise them up as a people to be leaders of the future.

Rev. Oliver then took the stage. Deeply moved and choking with tears, he gave thanks for the warm welcome of his family. He delivered a most powerful message, not just to the members of our church, sharing about what True Father had shared with him concerning black people in the Providence, but he also addressed the African people as a whole to get

 ready for leadership.

Rev. Oliver recounted details of slavery in America, which is not truly understood by many Africans, details that deeply moved the hearts of the people present. His message was that, in spite of all of the suffering of his people, because of their true understanding of Christianity and their love

for Jesus, they had found their true model in Jesus.

They rose to emulate Jesus in their own lives, to love their enemies in spite of how they were treated. “That qualifies us to be leaders of humanity,” he said. “Is Africa ready to follow those footsteps? Are you really ready?” As each of the other national leaders gave a two-minute comment afterward, they all expressed their heartfelt gratitude and love to Rev. Oliver.

Rev. Paterne Zinsou then led our delegation to a construction site in Cotonou, showing us an awesome building in progress that will be used

as a conference center, hotel for our VIPs, and as church headquarters for Benin. It is supposed to be completed within this year.

The next day, our small delegation was received at the conference center where 150-200 Ambassadors for Peace were waiting to receive the representative of Archbishop Stallings. To begin with, a small group of

VIPs welcomed us in the VIP room. One of them deeply moved Rev. Oliver’s heart by saying: “We Africans don’t really understand what you in the Diaspora have gone through.” They embraced in true brotherhood.

The program began with a speech by Rev. Sun Myung Moon read in

French by Mrs. Cathy Rigney. There were six of us sitting at the head table in the auditorium. Several people spoke in preparation for the main speaker, Rev. Oliver. Again, he captured the audience by sharing his heart and vision for Africa.

Rev. Paterne Zinsou had also taken the opportunity to share about the reconciliation ceremony that had taken place the day before and showed to everyone the symbolic items that were offered. Then he asked the six panelists to present Ambassadors for Peace awards to six newly selected Ambassadors for Peace.

The program ended with the signing of the Benin Declaration that the members of Jamii Africa had put together prior to our coming, and which

we were not able to get into the main program of the Gospel and Roots festival. It was read and presented in English by Mr. Constantine G. David translated word for word into French by Cathy Rigney and signed by

all the participants. Truly, the declaration was very appropriate and meant for this group of Ambassadors for Peace. Again, God had been preparing

for this moment all along.

Quickly, we mounted our car to drive to the famous city of Ouidah, where most of the conference participants had been going for the day to retrace

 the slave route that ended in the Gate of No Return.

We started off at the marketplace in Ouidah where all slaves were

auctioned and sold. We offered a deep prayer and a holy salting of the

main tree in the middle. A boy, whose great-great-grandfathers were witnesses of the slave trade, was our guide. Along the four-kilometer route from the marketplace to the beach were several stations -- statues of African kings who had participated in the slave trade -- as memorials for reflection.

At one location, a mural depicted the process of how the slaves were

caught, auctioned off, and prepared to go aboard the slave ships. They were pushed to walk around a “Tree of Forgetfulness,” seven times for women, nine times for men, so as to forget where they came from and who they were. Those who were deemed too weak to endure the long journey were thrown into a huge, 8-foot-deep hole one kilometer before the seashore -- about one million people have known this demoniac fate over the centuries. We stopped there, too, and Rev. Oliver prayed deeply, comforting the souls whose lives had ended so violently.

Finally, as it was almost dark, we arrived at the Gate of No Return, which was on the beach. Now, with the efforts of the Benin government, this gate shall become the “Gate of Return” of all those whose ancestors had been taken forcibly from those shores starting from 400 years ago.

Rev. Oliver walked off by himself to commune with his ancestors and

 reflect on this spiritually intense place. One could very well imagine the hundreds and thousands of slaves who must have left their footprints on those shores. Tears and prayers were offered up until it was completely

dark.

Special thanks to Jamii and Constantin David, whose vision and determination helped to make the dream a reality to bring home one of his lost brothers.