Each December, Ghana opens its doors to the world with a powerful gesture — visa-free entry for visitors.

This initiative celebrates global connection, invites cultural exchange, and welcomes members of the African diaspora “back home.”

Yet as inspiring as this policy is, its impact is limited by its brevity. If Ghana seeks to lead the continent in Pan-African unity, then Visa-Free December must become a year-round reality for Global Africans, regardless of the passport they carry.

As a performing artist whose work bridges continents, I have traveled to Ghana eight times this year alone.

My schedule of international engagements makes it impossible to leave my passport at the Ghanaian embassy in the United States for weeks at a time to process a long-term visa. The alternative is to pay a US$200 fee on arrival — every single trip.

Not every Global African is pushing to physically return to Africa. Why should those that engage in cultural exchange have an extra financial burden?

We are actively contributing to Ghana’s creative economy, tourism sector, and global reputation. Global Africans like me should not face obstacles to entering Africa.

Our histories, identities, and artistic work bind us to the continent. We are not visitors — we are returning relatives.

Borderless Africa as migratory reparations

In this historic anniversary of the Berlin Conference, when European parasites carved Africa into artificial territories — the urgent need to dismantle colonial legacies has become painfully clear.

The 1884–85 partitioning of Africa created the illusion of borders. These borders continue to regulate our movement today, reinforcing structural inequalities and racial hierarchies established during enslavement and colonialism of my people.

Systemic racism is embedded into our institutions and etched into the landscape through visa regimes and migration controls that disproportionately affect people of African descent living outside the continent.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) has declared this year the Year of Reparations for Africans on the continent and across the diaspora.

Reparations can take many forms — economic, political, cultural — but one of the most powerful and tangible forms of migratory repair would be to eliminate visa barriers for Africans in the diaspora.

Millions of African people were taken from the continent against their will; their descendants should not be asked to prove their right to return. They should not be taxed, delayed, or discouraged from reconnecting with the land of their ancestors.

True reparation must include the freedom of movement and a right to reconnect.

Art as Advocacy: K.I.M. at the 1st SheRhythms festival

This December, I bring my concert and edutainment workshop series, K.I.M. (Keep It Movin’), to the inaugural SheRhythms Festival, a pioneering gathering dedicated to uplifting women’s voices, rhythms, and leadership across Africa and the diaspora.

At the festival, K.I.M. is designed to spark conversations about migration, resilience, and the continuous flow of African creativity across oceans.

Through performance, storytelling, and participatory learning, the series reveals how art becomes a vessel for memory and a catalyst for healing. At SheRhythms, I will use this platform to advocate for Borderless Africa—asserting that mobility is a necessity for all artists and a spiritual right for all Global Africans.

Ghana’s leadership and the path forward

Ghana has already emerged as a leader in Global African reconnection through the Year of Return, Beyond the Return, and now Visa-Free December. In the spirit of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's president John Mahama is leading the Year of Reparations.

These initiatives demonstrate a commitment to healing historical wounds and building bridges with the diaspora. The next step is clear and urgent:

Make visa-free entry permanent

Make Africa borderless for all her children.

For Global Africans, mobility should not be a privilege. Removing visa restrictions is cultural restoration. It is migratory reparation. As we evaluate the anniversary of the Berlin Conference and uplift the African Union’s call for reparations, Ghana has an unparalleled opportunity to lead the continent once more. A truly decolonized future requires the freedom to move —freely, confidently, and without a fee. Let my people MOVE!