TONL x Afrochella: Proud To Return
As we round out our stories from Afrochella, we understand that the marketing of coming to Ghana in the first place was not embraced by all. Black Americans who identify as ADOS (American Descendants of Slaves), condemned the efforts to welcome diasporans back to their roots. But, Black Americans like Afrochella attendee, Kevin Knight shut down this divisive agenda. So much so that Kevin decided to start his own event travel group called Urban Events Global that welcomes trips to places all over the world like Ghana for professional people of color to interact through organic events. When we asked Kevin what inspired him to start Urban Events Global, he said said it was “started naturally.” Kevin was already traveling the world doing everything that his company currently does now, except it was either by himself or with a select group of friends. Urban Events Global eventually grew because more people wanted to join him and his friends and felt safe traveling with them. Before he knew it, they were one of the largest African-American travel groups in the world. “It’s been a fun and humbling experience to say the least” he marvels.
There are so many common misconceptions about travel as it is, that we knew Kevin had to have faced many when putting together his travel events for places in Africa. “I think the biggest common misconceptions are always going to be on infrastructure, as it relates to housing, transportation, food, etc… Traditional images of Africa depicted in movies and/or media has left much to be desired. Many people don’t realize how modern Africa can be, and in many places, safer than America statistically.”
When catching up with Kevin, we wanted to know what unique activities that attendees of his trips can look forward to in Accra, Ghana. For this trip to Ghana, it was an 8 day excursion with the goal of making sure his guests left with the best cultural experience of what Ghana has to offer in the limited amount of time available. “Safety is obviously key, so we make sure on day one our guests have an opportunity to network at our “meet & greet” dinner at the host hotel. This gives them an opportunity to put a face to a name, since we’ve already been communicating as a large group on whatsapp over the last few months,” he shares.
Attending Afrochella was a must-do activity for them and included the option to attend the festival, community service related events, a NYE African Royalty party and a New Year’s Night bash.
Kevin felt like the most unique activities he put together for the trip were the cooking classes and wellness retreats. “I wish I could tell you what I ate, but I have no idea (I’d have to show you the pictures!) What I do know is watching it all being taught to us and cooked from scratch with a local family at their business/home on New Years Eve just felt special. We were all away from home, and it was heartwarming to be with a local family.“ Other events on the trip included visiting the slave castles, the WEB Dubois Centre, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and various markets. After celebrating the New Year, the group woke up and held a New Year Wellness Retreat at the botanical gardens that included a traditional dance workshop, Afrikan sound meditation, and goal sharing. “The weather was perfect, and everything just seemed to flow. Again, the pictures and videos would probably show you better than I can tell you.”
Investing in the talent, businesses and ventures within the African diaspora transcends across the globe. It builds structured communities and creates hope for the future. "Empowering me, empowers my home" is Afrochella's mantra. We are glad to see African-Americans like Kevin Knight emobodying that.
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