An African-American quest for authenticity : through a migration to Ghana, West Africa

Abstract

This paper describes how the African-American connection to the continent of Africa is undeniably spiritual, cultural and physical and is linked to the African-American’s sense of self and authenticity. It presents the findings of a literature review of selfhood and authenticity plus a digital ethnographic study of African-Americans living in Ghana, West Africa. Particular emphasis is placed on the African experience during slavery in America and the W. E. Cross Model of Black Identity, which delineates a five-stage process in which African-Americans move from a negative White frame of reference to a positive African frame of reference. This paper examines what the current migration phenomenon of African-Americans to Ghana may mean to their positive sense of self and cultural identity. This paper is accompanied by a digital ethnography film, which identifies key themes related to perception of self, group identification, self-acceptance, self-actualization and the authentic cultural lifestyle of twenty-one African- Americans living in Ghana.