Essay Example on Slave Heritage is Big Business Tainting the Diaspora's Bonds

Slave Heritage is Big Business Tainting the Diaspora's Bonds with Africa https theconversation com slave heritage is big business tainting the diasporas bonds with africa 70062 By The article we chose to present is called Slave heritage is big business tainting the diaspora s bonds with Africa Summary S O connor The article we chose to present is called Slave heritage is big business tainting the diaspora s bonds with Africa Between the 15th and 17th centuries many forts and castles were built along the coast of Ghana by early Europeans to be used as centers of trade for commodities like gold but transformed into centers of slave trade More recently the use of these monuments has shifted yet again but this time to serve as centers of tourist attraction Monuments that were once used to hold and torture slaves are now being used as attractions to make money This uncomfortable shift has been passed by the Ghana government in order to reshape their state controlled economy to align with the global neoliberal agenda In addition to these historical monuments Ghana also holds a number of old slave markets routes and cemeteries yet another piece of cultural history that is exploited A 10 million investment project heightened Ghana s tourism profit even further by developing and preserving several museums and parks In 2015 travel and tourism contributed about 3 3 to Ghana s national GDP This is good for the economy but as the article states what does it mean for the relations between the continent and the diaspora Davis A Douglass This article relates to the Davis reading because of the discussion of African kingdoms around the 1600s The Davis reading describes the rise of the Ashanti Confederation which gained control of present day Ghana during the 17th century 

The message is that Africans outside of the country are cast as tourists or customers but when diaspora is the community of all people of African descent it includes all blacks Africans visiting should not feel a disconnect because they paid money paying the money will advance and build up a legacy to which African descendants belong It should not be looked as negative but as a positive To put it into perspective as students we pay tuition to be a part of a University If it important to invest in your education it should be important to invest in your history Views on African Diaspora D Tripoli J Moore The article has reinforced many of our group s existing views on Africa and the diaspora It brings to light valid concerns about the implications of using trade ports in Ghana as museums and money making hubs especially considering that African Americans are the main targets for investment in Ghana s tourism Many people of African descent wish to revisit their roots and discover their history in person The fact that the country is attempting to usher in tourism via African heritage is a good start for rebuilding the economy but because they are treating their potential investors whose ancestors were ripped from their homes and forced across the Atlantic like tourists and customers in their own country of origin the idea is not well received Having said that we believe the most important thing to do is preserve the history for the future generations to come There will be many views on how African people should proceed in becoming united as one instead of being divided African people consist of African blood regardless of their skin color culture language or birthplace Having physical monuments and grounds at which to pay homage to one s ancestors is essential in the path to rediscovery In order to understand who you are and where you or going in life it's important to know where you came from