As I see statues of slave traders coming down in the UK, either by force #EdwardColston or swift planning #RobertMilligan, my thoughts have turned to the Sankofa bird - a powerful West African symbol relevant to this time (1/5) 
The concept of Sankofa comes from the Akan people of Ghana and is expressed as “sewo were fi nawosankofa a yenki” … “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot” (2/5)
With its legs facing forward, its head turned backwards and an egg (the future) in its mouth, the Sakofa bird illustrates the importance of past lessons in shaping the future. Gather good lessons from your past and use them to achieve future goals (3/5)
I’m hoping these past few days are the start of fetching what we have forgotten (4/5)
Let us learn how the UK owes a large portion of its wealth to the trading of enslaved people, let us recognize and reflect on this history and to use what we are learning to address on-going racial inequalities (5/5)
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