“Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.”
~ African Proverb ~
Meaning of Sankofa
Sankofa is a Ghanaian word meaning “to go back and get it” or “to go back and take.” This Ghanaian word has two symbols—a heart and a mythical bird moving forward with its head turned backwards, symbolizing the importance of learning from the past. The egg in the bird’s mouth represents future generations to come. These two symbols of Sankofa were combined to make the logo of this website.
About
The Sankofa Archives and its Galleries were created as an educational tool to help people of African descent worldwide research their history and see positive images of their ancestors and their contributions. The website was founded by a New York-based librarian Marjorie Charlot, who is of Haitian descent. She has advanced degrees in Architecture Technology, Library Information Science, and Urban Studies. She has worked in libraries for more than 20 years and continues to supervise and instruct at academic libraries.
The website is arranged by subject and presents the names and information about remarkable people of African descent from various historical periods and cultural backgrounds. For each individual or subject, links are given to websites that can give more insight on the topic or help in research. When possible, links to sites that end with .edu, .gov, or .org are provided. In some cases, links to books one can preview are listed, along with their citations (Chicago Manual of Style). The citations are drawn from the original sources, but it is always good practice to double check whether citations follow the most recent standards. The site also presents a list of online videos, organized by subject.