Ancestry reconnection program

An ARK Jammers program

The African sun is rising and, with it, a growing celebration of the return to Africa by many in the Diaspora! The African Diaspora in America is made up of the "recent" and "distant" immigrants. This ARK Jammers Ancestry Reconnection Program primarily targets the distant Diaspora - the offspring of Africans who left the continent some two centuries ago in merchant (slave?) ships to the New World. An increasing number of them have been making a return journey "to their roots"

Alex Haley's symbolic return to his Mandingo Roots in the last century seems to have spurned an activity that may become this century's most defining social action in America: the search for ethnic roots by Americans of African origin. Great numbers of African Americans are finally embarking on the same journey, using their DNA to guide them to the place their ancestors came from. Who would have imagined that a hard to pronounce chemical - deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - would become one of the most sought after elements in genetic science?;

DNA amplification and the process of going down the genealogical tree takes place essentially in the laboratory of the DNA expert. A growing number of African Americans are embarking on that journey, and coming up with a family storyline that begins in different places on the African continent. For the vast majority that have begun the process, the excitement of discovery and the connection to Africa has stayed in the vicinity of the laboratory and within their own homes. The process need not end here: the lab news and the home celebrations should be the start of a whole new experience; a rebirth and a reconnection to that land of the ancestors! That is where the ARK Jammers Ancestry Reconnection Program comes in. The ARK Jammers Ancestry Reconnection Program is an effort to make the connection real; bring the long wandering child of the Diaspora back to his or her people. It will begin with a program of welcome and acceptance into the family fold on a piece of "territory" that the newfound family member can call home: the embassy of the country of origin. Participants will be introduced to their new "families", to the cultural and political symbols that define their second homes, and to the history, art and literature of an ancestry they should be proud of. For many of the participants, this will be a rediscovery of a homeland that is rich and diverse, happy and full of surprises. For many, it will be their first view of Africa beyond what has remained a very distorted picture shaped by uninformed news reports. Let the ARK Jammers take you home!;

The Program will start where lab work by DNA analysts ends. As soon as the country of origin is determined and the ARK Jammers informed of the outcome, arrangements for an embassy reception will begin. Information to the embassy will ensure that relevant authorities in the country are brought into the picture. Preparations will then begin for the return "journey to the country" - a welcoming and recognition ceremony at the embassy of the country. These preparations include identifying the cultural group of the new "family member" and efforts to introduce them to their peoples' social norms and cultural forms of expression. An attestation of reconnection will also be prepared and handed over to the recipient as a testimonial of their new status. On the appointed day, the recipient (accompanied by family and friends) will join a reception at the Embassy during which her or his attestation will be delivered by the Ambassador or his representative. Through this reconnection ceremony, the message will be sent to the city and to the world: "The traveler has arrived. From this day on, you are in your family and will never again be alone!" It is hoped that a trip to the motherland will be arranged over time, to go full circle and bring the sojourner to the logical end of their journey. For more informations, please contact avline@arkjammers.org