In 2019, an U.S travel company took the controversial racist remark ‘Go back to Africa’ and turned it into a positive to promote tourism to the continent for African Americans. The campaign proved a success, especially in Ghana.
The interest in the country on the West coast is most likely because 2019 was called the ‘Year of Return’ by the government in Ghana, promoting those in the diaspora to return to the continent where their ancestors were removed as slaves.
This in combination with the campaign proved a popular tool to motivate African American travellers to visit not only Ghana, but other African countries as well. Black & Abroad co-founders Kent Johnson and Eric Martin told Skift that the majority of their upcoming tours are to Africa.
The Go Back to Africa campaign included a website where would-be tourists could see images of themselves in 54 African countries through images of others there. These include South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho.
‘We’re changing the narrative of “Go Back To Africa.” In ours, members of the Black community show us the way by sharing images of their travels to each of Africa’s 54 countries,’ said the website.
In addition to promoting travel for their community, the launch of the campaign also coincided with the U.S President Donald Trump calling some African nations ‘sh*thole countries.’
While condemned, the view of Africa as a third-world destination persists. The Black & Abroad team believe they are changing this, introducing U.S travellers to a fresh, diverse place full of varying destinations to discover.
‘Africa is the future of everything,’ said Martin told Skift.
Watch the advert that inspired so many here:
Image: @blakcandabroad/ Twitter
