From Garvey to the Year of the Return: The Evolution of Pan-Africanism

In this episode of Sankofa Sessions, the team takes an unfiltered look at Pan-Africanism—its history, its meaning, and its rebirth in the modern age. From the early visionaries like Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah to the wave of reconnection sparked by Ghana’s Year of Return in 2019, the conversation explores how the call for unity across the African diaspora has evolved into something deeper.

The discussion goes beyond symbolism to examine what true Pan-African solidarity looks like in practice—economically, culturally, and spiritually. How do we move from “visiting the homeland” to building with the homeland? What does it mean for the diaspora to not just return, but to reinvest, reimagine, and rebuild? And what are the pushbacks.

Grounded in the Sankofa principle—learning from the past to shape the future—this episode challenges listeners to see Pan-Africanism not as nostalgia, but as a living, breathing mission for global Black progress.