Reconstructed African Houses Handed Over at Seville Heritage Park

Jamaica and Ghana took another significant step in strengthening their shared African heritage on August 4, with the official handover of two reconstructed African houses at Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann.

The ceremony formed part of the four-day State Visit of Ghana’s President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. He was accompanied by Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Ghana’s non-resident High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Kofi Attor.

The African houses were built by members of the Ghana Armed Forces Engineering Reconstruction Corps, whose deployment to Jamaica initially came as a humanitarian mission following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last October.

After assisting with recovery efforts across affected communities, the engineering team remained to construct the traditional Ghanaian-style houses as a lasting tribute to the African men and women who were forcibly brought to Jamaica and whose culture helped shape the nation’s identity.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange, said the houses stand as a stark recognition of how small beginnings can have great outcomes and how the power of the African outlasted the plots of the colonisers.

“Today, these houses stand, Mr. President, on this property as a reminder of the powerful contribution of our African roots and culture to our achievements as a people,” Ms. Grange outlined.

She noted that Seville is where archaeologists from the Jamaica National Heritage Trust uncovered the remains of several African ancestors, some of whom were reinterred on the property.

The Minister also noted the return of the remains of an ancestor known as “Crystal” to Ghana, where she was buried in a symbolic act that challenged the legacy of the infamous ‘Door of No Return’.

Ms. Grange also indicated the growing partnership between Jamaica and Ghana in advancing the global reparations movement. She noted that Ghana’s successful United Nations resolution declaring the trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the “greatest crime against humanity” has strengthened Jamaica’s own pursuit of reparatory justice.

“We are pleased to be speaking in one voice and pledge our full support for the next steps for reparatory justice in the world,” Ms. Grange explained.

For his part, President Mahama said his visit to the cultural landmarks, including the Bob Marley Museum and the shrine of National Hero Marcus Garvey, reinforced the historical links between the two countries.

Marcus Garvey’s philosophy significantly influenced Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, during Ghana’s independence movement and the country’s early development, according to the Ghanaian leader.

President Mahama called the Seville tour the high point of the visit, stating that it offered a genuine window into what African ancestors experienced upon arrival in Jamaica, the peoples they encountered and how they managed to preserve their culture and identity despite the horrors of enslavement.

“So, I want to commend you for the hospitality we’ve enjoyed but also to say that we admire the courage and resilience of the Jamaican people,” President Mahama underscored.

“Also, let me commend the Government and people for your resilience in bouncing back, and I’m sure that Jamaica has come back stronger than it was before Hurricane Melissa hit,” he added.
President Mahama also thanked Jamaica for its strong support in securing the passage of Ghana’s landmark United Nations General Assembly resolution on reparations. He said the achievement was a shared victory that demonstrated the power of unity among nations with common historical experiences.

In the meantime, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, indicated that President Mahama’s visit to Jamaica was the first in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Senator Johnson Smith said Jamaicans benefited directly from the expertise of the Ghanaian engineering corps’ assistance following Hurricane Melissa, whose members worked alongside the Jamaica Defence Force to help restore homes, essential services and hope to affected families.

“It marked a significant milestone in our diplomatic relations and is yet another step in our re-energised bilateral relationship that Minister Ablakwa and I have been working hard at,” Mrs. Johnson Smith pointed out.