Growing up, I always found it fascinating how diverse my family background was. My dad hails from Tikobo No. 1 in the Western Region, proudly Nzema. My mum, on the other hand, is a blend of cultures, with her father from Anomabu in the Central Region and her mother from Axim in the Western Region. This mix meant that, apart from English, I grew up speaking both Nzema and Fante. One of the most captivating tales in our family lore is about my dad’s lineage, the Awoonor-Williams. According to family history, after the end of the slave trade in the US, three Awoonor-Williams brothers made a monumental journey back to Africa. They initially landed in Sierra Leone, but soon after, two brothers set off for Ghana while the third remained in Sierra Leone. One brother settled in the Western Region and the other in the Volta Region of Ghana. With knowledge only of plantations, they established vast cocoa plantations in Ghana. Over time, a remarkable shift occurred in our family. After a few generations of cocoa farming, my ancestors decided that the future lay in education, not agriculture. This pivotal decision led my great-grandparents, grandparents, and my father to pursue higher education. In a bid to simplify his identity, my dad dropped “Awoonor” from his name and became known simply as Williams. Today, the legacy of the Awoonor-Williams continues, though in a different field. The descendants have largely turned to law, with many becoming litigators and lawyers in Ghana and Sierra Leone. Even two of my nieces have followed this path. Meanwhile, my brother and I always considered ourselves the outliers, as we ventured into engineering. I’ve heard there is still a family house in Sierra Leone, a relic from our storied past. In the earlier days, family reunions alternated between Ghana and Sierra Leone, binding the family together across borders. However, as the years went by, this tradition faded. Despite the physical distance, the Awoonor-Williams in Ghana have maintained close ties. There’s a shared understanding of our rich history and the bond that unites us, reminding us of the remarkable journey of our ancestors and the legacy we carry forward. Anecdote 2 The Birthday Journal
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