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The duo said they chose to visit Ghana because
Two American siblings who survived a well-documented massacre of blacks in the American city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, concluded a visit to Ghana by agreeing to be Ghanaian citizens.
Viola Fletcher, 107, and her brother, Van Ellis, 100, reportedly said: “We accept it with great joy and we thank the President for this great honor.”
They arrived in Ghana earlier this week as part of a tour of the continent to mark the centenary of the 1921 incident, commonly known as the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Reports say some 300 blacks were lost in the chaos that highlighted the massacre while their properties were also destroyed by a mob of white supremacists.
A BBC report noted that Viola Fletcher, known as Mother Fletcher and her brother Van Ellis, known as “Uncle Red”, had been in Ghana since Saturday – visiting historic sites including the castle dungeon d’Osu, where enslaved Africans were held before being shipped overseas. during the transatlantic slave trade.
Traditional baptism ceremony for Mother Viola, other outfits in Accra
The Ghana Tourism Authority, in collaboration with the African Diaspora Forum and the Osu Traditional Council, held a baptism ceremony on Thursday for Mother Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis (Uncle Red) and 18 other members of the diaspora in Accra.
The ceremony was held in honor of Mother Fletcher 107, her 100-year-old brother and other African Americans who survived the race massacre and also strengthened ties and ties with Ghana.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Mark Okraku Mantey, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture welcomed the diasporas and said that the choice of Mother Viola, Uncle Red and all the team to visit Ghana was a step in the right direction.
He appreciated the hardships the diaspora had to go through to get here, adding that the incidents of George Floyd and others meant it was not over yet.
Mr. Mantey said the arrival of the diasporas was linked to the “Year of Return” and “Beyond Return” initiatives, for them to reconnect, invest and help build their homeland.
“The baptismal ceremony that we organize for our brothers and sisters is to reconnect with them and welcome them into their homes and also to review their identity as Africans and Ghanaians to be precise,” he said.
He said: “Ghana is a hospitable country and I am sure you have seen places, carried Ghana, ate Ghana and heard Ghanaian music, share the word Ghanaians love people especially black people” .
Ambassador Erieka Bennett and other members of the African Diaspora Forum said they were thrilled and delighted to see Mother Viola, Uncle Red and their family in Ghana, even in their old age.
She said Mother Viola and Uncle Red combined signified 207 years of diaspora history and experience and an embodiment of the strength and resilience of African spirits, adding that history made would live on forever and young people would come to hear about it.
Nii Kwabena Bonne V, Osu Alata Mantse said that the baptism ceremony was a Ga ceremony, and such ceremonies were held for their people returning from European countries.
He said that during this ceremony a godfather and mother were chosen for the nominees, so he and Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy would step in as such.
Nii Kwabena Bonne V and the traditional priest of Osu, Nuumo Gbelenfo Gua Wulomo III, led the baptism ceremony of the twenty diasporas.
“Mother Fletcher was called Naa Lameley and Uncle Red as Bio Lantey while the others were also given a Ga name.”
They all received a certificate to show their new names.
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