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The Weekly Passport
Issue #25
Culture Travels
July 24, 2024
GREETING
Our team visited the Hopscotch immersive gallery during our trip to San Antonio.
After a successful team-building trip in San Antonio, TX last weekend, our team packed our bags and made our way to Richmond, VA. Invited by Visit Richmond to explore BLK RVA - their tourism initiative to support and promote Black history, culture, and businesses - our team experienced a roller coaster of emotions during our trip.
In this newsletter, we’ll begin our recap series of our visit to Richmond sharing with you tips, advice, and highlights from our visit. Let’s get into it!
COMPANY UPDATES
WHAT IS AU6RG?
Have you ever heard of the African Union’s six regions?
Within the African Union, there are six regions: North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa, plus one last region, the sixth region, which constitutes the African Diaspora.
AU6RG = African Union 6th Region.
Why did we include AU6RG in the Culture Travels branded passport stamp?
In one word: relationships.
The political, economic, and cultural importance of the Diaspora has been increasingly recognized by the African Union. Over the last decade (perhaps longer), the contributions of this group have greatly contributed to the development of the African continent. This is why the “Sixth Region” is now included in the constitution of the African Union.
In 2003, at the end of the African Union (AU) Summit, the Heads of State declared (14 XVIII) add.:
“The African Union (…) decides to recognize the African Diaspora as an effective entity contributing to the economic, social, and cultural development of the continent.”
At Culture Travels, we firmly believe in the power of travel as a mechanism to sustain and grow the economic, cultural, and political contributions of the Diaspora to Africa. From visiting African countries to sharing compelling stories about African travelers and entrepreneurs to advising the White House on how to improve relations with African countries, our team is committed to continuing to foster strong relationships between Africa and the Diaspora through the power of travel.
For this reason, we’ve included AU6RG as a reminder of this commitment.
🧳 TRAVEL
HAVE YOU EVER WALKED THE SLAVE TRAILS IN RICHMOND, VA?
When visiting Richmond, you must visit with the Elegba Folklore Society. This non-profit organization, whose name Elegba derives from the Yoruba cosmology of West Africa, offers visitors immersive experiences that illuminate the experiences of the enslaved Africans who were brought to Richmond, VA.
Marie, Culture Travels Food Writer, recognizes the ancestors who walked the trails.
You will walk in the footsteps of your ancestors from their arrival point at the river’s edge into Shockoe Bottom, the area of Richmond that housed the holding pens, jails, blocks, and burial grounds of enslaved Africans. Along the trails, Janine Bell, the founder of the Elegba Folklore Society, interweaves and reenacts the narratives of enslaved Africans with characterizations and music from that time.
Janine Bell, founder of Elegba Folklore Society, leads us in ritual on the slave trails.
Marie prepares to walk the same trails where enslaved Africans did when arriving in Richmond.
Next week, we’ll share more from our visit to Richmond. Including why you should visit to learn how Black capitalism, entrepreneurship, and culture can trace its roots to Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood.