Journey Back to the Old Road

• Roads and routes shape where towns grow.
• History is made of ordinary days.

The family's journey is fiction, and the characters never cause real historical events. Dates, names and events are added only from cited, checkable sources and reviewed by advisors.

Historical location to be confirmed. Fictional stand-in used for now.

Setting in the series: Ashanti — Cultural exploration area.

Sankofa

Twi (Akan)

Literally “go back and get it” — the idea of returning for what is valuable from the past.

Nana Abena tapped the old map and said, “Sankofa.”

“Sɛ wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi.”

An Akan proverb linked to the Sankofa symbol: it is not wrong to go back for what you have forgotten.

• Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol from the Akan people, often drawn as a bird looking backwards.
• Adinkra symbols are printed on cloth and carved into wood, and each one carries a meaning.

• Historians and cultural advisors — Historical episodes are reviewed with advisors before publication; contributors are credited by name.

In the story: Ntikuma, Nana Abena

Draw your own Sankofa

1. Look up the Sankofa bird symbol with a grown-up.
2. Draw it, then write one thing from the past worth carrying forward.
3. Ask an older relative what they would choose.

• Best for ages 8–12.
• Talking point: how do we learn about the past when the road itself has gone?

More guidance on the For Grown-Ups page.

• Ghana — Encyclopaedia Britannica — General reference for Ghana's geography, peoples, languages and history.
• Ghana Museums & Monuments Board — National body responsible for Ghana's museums, forts and heritage sites.
• Ananse Adventures editorial review — Cultural and historical detail is checked with advisors and fluent speakers before an episode is published.