Come home, Ghana told the African diaspora. Now some Black Americans take its citizenship

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Flipping through a family album, Keachia Bowers paused on a photo of her as a baby on her father’s lap as he held the 1978 album “Africa Stand Alone” by the Jamaican reggae band Culture.

“When I was 10 years old, I was supposed to come to Ghana with him,” she said. A day earlier, she had marked 10 years since her father’s death. Though he was a Pan-Africanist who dreamed of visiting Ghana, he never made it here.

Bowers and her husband, Damon Smith, however, are among the 524 diaspora members, mostly Black Americans, who were granted Ghanaian citizenship in a ceremony in November.

Bowers and Smith moved to Ghana from Florida in 2023 after visiting the region several times between them since the ’90s. They now run a tour business that caters to Black people who want to visit Ghana or elsewhere in West Africa, or like them have come to consider a permanent move.

The November group was the largest one granted citizenship since Ghana launched the “Year of the Return” program, aimed at attracting the Black diaspora, in 2019. It marked 400 years since the first African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619.

Ghana’s Tourism Authority and the Office of Diaspora Affairs have extended the program into “Beyond the Return,” which fosters the relationship with diasporans. Hundreds have been granted citizenship, including people from Canada, the U.K. and Jamaica.

Bowers said moving to Ghana gave her family a certain feeling of ease they didn’t have in the U.S.

“When we see Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, all these stories of people being murdered just in their home, living in their home and being murdered at the hands of police brutality, hearing about it creates trauma,” she said.

She also worried about her son Tsadik, 14.

Tsadik towers over loved ones in the way that lanky teenage boys often do. He is shy but opens up around his younger sister Tselah, 11, and the family’s dog, Apollo.

“In America, being a Black male with locs who’s very tall for his age, he is treated like a threat,” Bowers said.

Americans face few obstacles to living in Ghana, with most people paying an annual residency fee. But Bowers said getting citizenship signified more than simply living in Ghana.

“I didn’t need (citizenship) to tell me that I’m African. Anywhere that I go in the world and someone looks at me, I’m melanated,” she said.

“But my ancestors who wanted to return and come back home, those ancestors who never made it back," she said, “that passport, for me, is for them.”

Between 10 to 15 million people were forcibly taken from Africa to the Americas during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the majority from West and Central Africa.

Ghana, then a British colony known as the Gold Coast, was a main point of departure.

As memorials to the slave trade become tourist destinations across West Africa, painful reminders of its brutality are easily accessible. From Ghana to Senegal to Benin, one can visit variations of the “Door of No Return," haunting doorways that open to the Atlantic Ocean where slaves left Africa, and their families, for the last time.

The joy that people feel in finding connections that were broken long ago is palpable. Videos of the recent citizenship ceremony show men and women of all ages waving Ghanaian flags and cheering.

Deijha Gordon, 33, was one of them.

“I first visited Ghana in 2015. From then on, I knew this is a place that I wanted to be and a place where I wanted to show other diasporans, African-Americans, that we have a place where we belong,” she said.

She moved from Brooklyn to Ghana in 2019 and opened a food truck, Deijha Vu’s Jerk Hut, selling Jamaican food.

Between bagging to-go orders and speaking to a Black American tourist couple, she explained how she built the business from scratch.

Gordon was giddy while recalling the moment she got citizenship.

“It just feels good to have a connection to an African country as an African-American, as a Black American. Because back in America we don’t have anything to trace our roots to but Africa. To have that connection here, I feel like I’ve done something right,” she said.

Like Bowers, Gordon has had a stream of people reaching out and asking about the citizenship process.

The path is not clearly defined. Citizenship must come from a concession from Ghana's presidency, a process made legal under the 2000 Citizenship Act. It's granted to those residing in Ghana who have told the Office of Diaspora Affairs that they are interested in citizenship.

Ghana's government in part describes the program as a benefit to the economy and focuses on investment opportunities for those wishing to relocate.

Festus Owooson with the local nonprofit Migration Advocacy Center said that though the government emphasizes the economic angle, the real benefits of citizenship are intangible.

“I don’t think (recipients) were crying because they have landed a gold mine, or they’ve found oil or some kind of business opportunity. But it’s something so relieving, which you cannot put value or a price on,” he said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration, which launched the “Year of the Return,” is on its way out. Ghana’s main opposition party won the presidential election on Dec. 7.

But Owooson said Black Americans and other diaspora citizens are likely to continue receiving citizenship by presidential concession.

Citizenship also can pass to the next generation. The children of Bowers and Smith received it automatically after their parents' ceremony.

Bowers’ father, like her husband and children, was a follower of the Rastafari faith. “Part of the Rastafarian tradition is to repatriate. We see repatriation as the ultimate experience that you can have on this earth,” she said.

She believes that her father is proud of her. “I really feel like he’s smiling, where he is. He wanted to experience this for himself, so he’s experiencing it through me.”

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Deijha Gordon, 33, poses for a photograph in her food truck in Accra, Ghana, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Deijha, who relocated from New York, has obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Maya Gilliam, 40, and her son, Neteru, 8, pose for a photograph in their home in Accra, Ghana, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. Gilliam relocated from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Ghana and is awaiting Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

African books sit on the bookshelf at the Keachia Bowers and Damon Smith's family home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The family of four relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Keachia Bowers, second from right, her husband Damon Smith, right, and their children play cards in the living room of their home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Their family relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Keachia Bowers points to her name in a booklet listing people who are part of the Black diaspora and obtained citizenship in Ghana at a ceremony the previous month, in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Bowers’ family of four relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

A family photo of Keachia Bowers, Damon Smith, and their children sits in their home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The family relocated to Ghana from Florida and has obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Keachia Bowers and her daughter Tselah Smith look through their family album at their home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Their family of four relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Keachia Bowers, second from left, and her husband Damon Smith, third from left, pose for a portrait with their children Tselah, left, and Tsadik, as well as their dog Apollo, at their home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The family relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Keachia Bowers holds a photograph of her with her late father in their home in Accra, Ghana, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Bowers' family of four relocated to Ghana from Florida and have obtained Ghanaian citizenship. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 872nd career goal to move 23 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, and the Washington Capitals beat the struggling New York Rangers 7-4 Saturday.

Ovechkin has four goals in five games since returning from missing the previous 16 because of a broken left leg. The 39-year-old has 19 goals this season and is on pace to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 this spring.

Dylan Strome, Lars Eller, Andrew Mangiapane, Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas also scored against Jonathan Quick, who remains stuck on 399 career wins. Tom Wilson sealed it with an empty-netter with 37.5 seconds left, and Logan Thompson made 28 saves to compensate for giving the puck away to Chris Kreider for his goal into a wide-open net.

SHARKS 3, DEVILS 2

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Cody Ceci scored with 24 seconds left in the third period, and San Jose beat New Jersey.

With the game tied 2-2, Ceci’s slap shot from the point beat Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

Yaroslav Askarov stopped 28 shots for San Jose, and Markstrom made 21 saves for New Jersey.

Macklin Celebrini gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead with a hard wrist shot on his first shift of the third period, but Paul Cotter answered for the Devils.

Nikolai Kovalenko scored his first goal with the Sharks late in the first period after joining the team in a trade last month. Nico Hischier, on his 26th birthday, tied the game in the second on the power play by deflecting the puck in off a pass by Jack Hughes.

RED WINGS 4, JETS 2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond each scored power-play goals to help lead Detroit to a victory over Winnipeg that extended their winning streak to a season-high four games.

Larkin added an empty-net goal and Alex DeBrincat also scored for Detroit. Raymond and Patrick Kane contributed a pair of assists and Moritz Seider had three assists.

Alex Lyon made 21 saves for the Red Wings.

Josh Morrissey and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the Jets.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 of the 28 shots he faced and was held at 299 career wins for the second game in a row.

Morrissey took a puck to the mouth area in the first period, but returned after getting repairs and seemed to spark his teammates.

The Jets outshot the Red Wings 11-3 in the second period.

WILD 4, HURRICANES 0

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves for his third shutout this season, Marco Rossi had four assists and Minnesota beat Carolina.

The Wild improved to 16-5-2 when scoring first this season as Mats Zuccarello beat Pyotr Kochetkov on a slap shot for a 1-0 lead with 6:57 left in the first period.

Zuccarello, who also assisted on Joel Eriksson Ek’s tip-in goal on the power play in the second period, added an empty net goal with 3:46 remaining. Matt Boldy also scored in the third.

The short-handed Wild won their third consecutive game despite missing leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov (sidelined for a fifth consecutive game by a lower-body injury) and captain Jared Spurgeon (out at least two weeks with a right leg injury).

BLUE JACKETS 6, BLUES 4

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dmitri Voronkov scored two goals and Columbus beat St. Louis.

Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Mathieu Oliver and Mikael Pyyhtia also scored for the Blue Jackets, who are 5-2-1 in their last eight. Ivan Provorov and Sean Monahan each had three assists, Zach Werenski had two, and Elvis Merzilikins stopped 29 shots.

Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou and Cam Fowler each had a goal and an assist for St. Louis, and Colton Parayko also scored. Dylan Holloway had two assists and Joel Hofer made 33 saves as the Blues lost for just the second time in six games.

The Blue Jackets twice led by three goals in a wild third period which had eight goals, including five in a 3:40 span. Voronkov capped the flurry at 7:24 to make it 5-2.

CANADIENS 2, AVALANCHE 1

DENVER (AP) — Kirby Dach and Cole Caufield scored in the shootout, Jakub Dobes had 22 saves in regulation, and Montreal beat Colorado.

Caufield had the regulation goal for Montreal, which wrapped up its road trip with a 4-2 mark.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves but could only stop one of three Canadiens in the shootout. Colorado had its season-high six-game winning streak snapped.

Mikko Rantanen scored his 23rd of the season at 9:01 of the first. Montreal got the equalizer from Caufield with 6:35 remaining on an odd-man rush with Nick Suzuki.

Both teams had breakaway chances in the overtime. Blackwood stopped Kaiden Guhle’s shot in the first minute and Dobes denied Artturi Lehkonen in the final minutes.

MAPLE LEAFS 6, BRUINS 4

TORONTO (AP) — Matthew Knies had three goals and two assists, Mitch Marner had a goal and four assists, and Toronto beat Boston.

Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists in his return after missing six games with an undisclosed upper-body injury, and Jake McCabe had a goal and an assist for Toronto, which has won three straight and four of five. Joseph Woll had 26 saves to win his fourth straight start.

David Pastrnak had two goals, and Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic also scored as Boston lost its third straight and fourth in its last five games. Jeremy Swayman finished with 23 saves.

Knies gave the Maple Leafs a 4-3 lead with his 14th of the season at 5:28 of the third period, beating Swayman after taking a feed from Matthews from behind the goal. After Marner’s empty-net goal, Pastrnak added his second to make it 5-4 with less than two minutes remaining. Mathews sealed it with an empty-netter with 31 seconds left.

STARS 3, UTAH 2, OT

DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Thomas Harley scored on a rebound at 3:01 of overtime and Dallas beat Utah.

Jamie Benn and Oskar Bäck also scored for the Stars, who have won four straight for the first time since opening the season with four wins. Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston each had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves.

Matias Maccelli scored twice and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots as Utah lost for the sixth time in seven games (1-4-2).

In overtime, Harley lifted the puck into the net after Vejmelka stopped a shot by Matt Duchene at the crease. It was Harley’s 21st career goal — fourth in overtime — 155 games.

Maccelli tied it 1-1 just 1:14 after Benn put the Stars ahead 16 seconds into the second period. Bäck put the Stars ahead 2-1 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the second, and Maccelli tied it again 3:07 later with his second two-goal game and fifth goal of the season.

Maccelli scored for the first time since Nov. 7, going 23 games without a goal. Bäck scored for the first time since Nov. 14, going 22 games without a goal.

KINGS 2, LIGHTNING 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adrian Kempe broke a tie with 5:48 to play and Los Angeles beat Tampa Bay for their fourth consecutive victory.

Mikey Anderson scored in the first period and Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves for the Kings, who shut out Tampa Bay over the final 58 1/2 minutes. Los Angeles has won 12 of 16.

Captain Victor Hedman scored and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 shots for Tampa Bay, which has lost three straight games for the first time in two months.

Hedman, who was bloodied by a puck to the head Thursday at San Jose, scored just 70 seconds after the opening faceoff in Los Angeles. The star defenseman’s powerful shot ramped off Anderson’s stick and beat Kuemper for his fifth goal of the season.

Anderson answered several minutes later with a long shot through traffic for his career high-tying fifth goal.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, SABRES 1

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tanner Laczynski scored his first goal of the season, Adin Hill stopped 23 shots and Vegas beat Buffalo.

The Golden Knights have totaled a league-high 33 points while going 16-3-1 since Nov. 21 to take over the No. 1 spot in the NHL with 57 points — leapfrogging Winnipeg, which Jets, which lost to Detroit.

Mark Stone and Jack Eichel also scored for Vegas, while Tanner Pearson added two assists.

Jason Zucker scored for Buffalo and James Reimer made 30 saves. The Sabres closed out a four-game road trip with a third-straight loss.

OILERS 4, KRAKEN 2

SEATTLE (AP) — Vasily Podkolzin and Jeff Skinner scored in the first 5 1/2 minutes and Edmonton beat Seattle for their third straight victory.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl also scored, with Draisaitl wrapping it up with an empty-netter with 1:58 left — just six seconds after the Kraken pulled goalie Philipp Grubauer for an extra attacker.

Calvin Pickard made 15 saves to help Edmonton improve to 24-12-3. Viktor Arvidsson had two assists.

Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle. Grubauer made 28 saves.

Podkolzin needed just 57 seconds to put Edmonton on top, breaking down the right wing, taking a pass from Draisaitl and beating Grubauer from low in the slot.

Skinner made it 2-0 at 5:18, taking a long pass from Kasperi Kapanen and tucking it past Grubauer from the top of the crease for his seventh.

PREDATORS 4, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Ryan O’Reilly had his fifth NHL hat trick to help Nashville beat Calgary for their second victory in two nights.

Justus Annunen made 31 saves a night after Juuse Saros stopped 27 shots in a 3-0 victory iin Vancouver. Rookie center Fedor Svechkov also scored and had an assist for his first career multi-point game. Filip Forsberg had two assists.

Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary, and Dustin Wolf made 24 saves. The Flames have lost consecutive games for the first time since November.

O’Reilly opened the scoring on the power play at 4:21 of the second, lifting a puck over Wolf from in close after Svechkov worked the puck out front from behind the net.

New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, left, defends against Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)