African-American family launches book in Cape Coast

A new book, depicting the joys, trials, and challenges that an African-American family had to endure in the Diaspora before finally settling down in Ghana, has been launched at Cape Coast.

Launching the book with the title; “Take Me Home to Afrika”, a Professor of Arts and Music, and a Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Reverend Dr Tarim Hampton, challenged Ghanaians irrespective of their backgrounds, to dream big and work hard to bring them to reality.

She said every human being goes through some trials of some sort, at a point in time, but the most important thing is what “we do with ourselves in such situations”.

“We can inspire others by bringing out the things that our forefathers inspired us with,” she admonished.

The author of the book, Mrs Joann Merritt Schofield Childs, (aka Adjoa Childs), an African-American, said it has been the life-long dream of herself and husband, Mr John Calvin “Kofi Childs”, to live permanently in an “African world,” and Ghana, was the right place to be.

According to Mrs Childs, they left Philadelphia and arrived in Ghana in 1999, and settled with the Hooper family of Fair Hill Guest House, Cape Coast. However, Mr Childs passed away 10 years later, leaving her and their only son, Latif, to battle with the rest of life.

She said the book; “Take Me To Afrika” was therefore a dedication to her late loving husband, and also serve “as bridging the gap between our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who have returned home to their roots and their compatriots”.

Mrs Childs is currently the proud owner of Esteem Kofi and Adjoa Guest House at Ayensudo, Elmina.

The 210-page autobiography was reviewed at the function, by Rabbi Kohain Halevi (Leader of the Central Region branch of the African-American Association of Ghana, and Secretary to the Pan African Festival Foundation and Dr Arthur Kennedy, a Lecturer at the School of Medical Sciences, UCC who also authored the book: “Chasing The Elephant To the Bush.”

Rabbi Halevi described the book as a connection between humanity and divinity; whilst Dr Kennedy said it depicts the outstanding love that Kofi and Adjoa Childs obviously have for Africa.

The first copy of the book was bought for GH?300 by Mr and Mrs Isaac Hooper, the first family of the Childs.**