Diggy Simmons has thoughts and feelings to share.
Thoughts and feelings, inspired by his recent trip to Ghana.
Simmons spent the holidays in the African country and shared his experiences with the millions who follow him on social media by sharing pictures and videos with them online.
He has now used Instagram to reveal that his journey to the motherland was life changing.
Perhaps I’m ignorant. Perhaps I have been for some time now. Many of my perceptions, or misperceptions rather, were overdue to be rightfully shattered. It’s a shame—as one with many friends from Cameroon, Nigeria, and other countries throughout the continent of Africa—that I have remained so unaware. These friends raved about their homelands, and somehow their praise fell upon deaf ears, in part due to that as a child, Africa, to me, seemed branded as less than alluring. The media and my societal narrative has often viewed Africa with a lens of violence, poverty, and underdevelopment. This portrayal has caused generations of Africans to abandon their own heritage and traditions. During my trip to Ghana, I can’t say I’ve ever felt more comfortable in a space. I don’t think I stopped my Shaku Shaku from the time I got off the plane. Every stereotype that’s been perpetuated never pointed to me feeling this free. I was also fortunate enough to visit the slave dungeons in Cape Coast—small quarters where over a hundred of my potential ancestors were held captive on any given day with no nourishment, suffering in their own feces and urine. As heartbreaking as it was to stand on those grounds, my takeaway—apart from feeling both inspired and devastated—was a galvanized sense of pride. I felt as if I gained a more authentic and emboldened sense of self, furthering my own understanding of endurance through my ancestors’ plight. Thank you to @boriskodjoe@nicoleariparker@badassboz@thedebonairdisciple for the introduction to my truth. My year couldn’t have began with more clarity.
Simmons celebrated life in the country with pals Jidenna, Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker and Bozoma Saint John.
Unfamiliar with Ghana’s rich history?