people behind the homecomings (1989, 1997 & 2005)
joseph opala
Joseph Opala, an American historian who lived in Sierra Leone for 20 years, did the research that led to President Momoh’s visit and the first three homecomings. Opala taught African history at Sierra Leone’s Fourah Bay College, and when he shared his early research on the Gullah Connection in a few public lectures in 1985,” he was surprised by the powerful reaction. Sierra Leoneans of all walks of life wanted to know about the family they lost centuries ago during the Atlantic Slave Trade. Some people stopped Opala on the street to ask detailed questions about the Gullahs, but the Sierra Leone government and the US Embassy also expressed interest in the subject. Opala spent 15 years researching the Gullah Connection in Sierra Leone, but he also did research in South Carolina and Georgia and shared his findings with Gullah people. When asked about his contributions by the Sierra Leone press, President Momoh said: “I think there were a lot of loose threads out there, and Joe gathered them up and brought them together.”
This kind of research requires collaboration among scholars, though, and a multi-disciplinary approach. Professor Opala drew extensively on the work of Lorenzo Turner, the famous African American linguist. He also drew on Peter Wood’s ground-breaking book, Black Majority, Edward Ball’s Slaves in the Family, and David Hancock’s Citizens of the World. Opala also worked extensively with two other scholars: Cynthia Schmidt, an American ethnomusicologist, and Tazieff Koroma, a Sierra Leonean linguist.
herb frazier
Two professional writers also contributed greatly to these homecomings. Herb Frazier, a journalist from Charleston who grew up in the Gullah community, covered the “Moran Family Homecoming” for the Charleston Post and Courier. He also returned to Sierra Leone to gather more information for a book on the Morans’ extraordinary history, including the Mende song they have preserved for many generations.
Paul Davis
Paul Davis, a journalist from Rhode Island, covered Priscilla’s Homecoming for the Providence Journal. The slave ship Hare that took young Priscilla from Sierra Leone to Charleston in 1756 was actually based in Rhode Island. Davis also returned to Sierra Leone several times to gather information for a book. Frazier and Davis have both completed their first drafts, and we can look forward to their books appearing soon.
emory campbell
Dr. Emory Campbell, the foremost Gullah community leader, must also be mentioned. He not only hosted President Momoh on his historic 1988 visit to Penn Center, he also led the first homecoming to Sierra Leone in 1989 and lent his public support to the three homecomings that followed over the next 30 years.
people behind the homecomings (2019/20)
amadu massally
Amadu Massally, a Sierra Leonean living here in the U.S., organized this symposium. Massally has been promoting popular awareness of the Sierra Leone-Gullah Connection since 2006 when he took a group of Sierra Leoneans to Penn Center’s annual Heritage Days. He later founded Fambul Tik (“Family Tree”), an African heritage experience company, and in 2019, he organized a fourth Gullah homecoming to Sierra Leone called “The Next Step.” Massally sees homecomings like this as the future of the Sierra Leone – Gullah family connection. Working with Massally, SCETV made a documentary on the Next Step Homecoming, called “Gullah Roots,” and viewed about 125,000 times on Fambul Tik’s YouTube page alone.
tamba lamin
Tamba is an experienced and versatile business executive, serial entrepreneur, business owner, and experienced-led Technology and Data Architect with more than 20 years of experience. He is committed to helping design, build, and run digital experiences that make people's lives better, more productive, and more meaningful. Tamba Lamin is also a managing partner at Fambul Tik. And responsible for leading all digital solutions for the organization. He was instrumental in handling all the ground logistics and especially mobilizing our volunteer group to become the efficient group they turned out to be. He is a lifetime Boy Scout and was able to draw on those leadership skills.
Aminata Wurie
akindele decker
Akindele Decker is a community historian, poet and writer born in Sierra Leone, West Africa. His writings cover topics dealing with the middle-passage, identity, and African history. He has served as a panelist and presenter for several platforms including the American Association of State and Local History on the topic of intercultural identity; and Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center on Maroon culture and the global African Diaspora. He previously worked with Fambul Tik, a heritage company that organized a historic study tour for 70 African Americans, mainly Gullah, to Sierra Leone in 2019. This resulted in the South Carolina Educational TV notable Documentary, "Gullah Roots".
Joseph Thompson
Dr. Thompson is a global strategist and entrepreneur who is heavily involved in various projects and research that includes the concept of how intelligent human development, health, and well-being are impacted by living in an information-intensive space-time age with a focus on the African diaspora. Dr. Thompson graduated with advanced degrees in medicine and science from the University of Michigan. More recently, being part of the Fractal Gridding App Movement has allowed him to engage in vigorous fundamental ecosystem development activities. Featured as the mobile medical doctor in “The Next Step Homecoming” Study Tour.