Thread by @WritersofColour

#BlackstarBritain: The Journey to Publication - by @jacqcourtenay mediadiversified.org/2022/02/27/bla…

'There are those who came to stay, and then there is the generation that has followed, that is, the generation to which my contemporaries and I belong; British-born and/or British-raised people of Ghanaian origin. Before any plans of an anthology came to mind,

..I had set out to find individuals who were willing to share their experiences with me. Why? Well, because the Year of Return had been announced by the then Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo-Addo and I was curious about what it meant for us.'

In the five days before Christmas 2018, I headed to Twitter and wrote a tweet, specifically asking to hear from British Ghanaians or Ghanaian Brits, stating that I wanted to write a piece on us about our experiences,

https://twitter.com/jacqcourtenay/status/1075725451430125569?t=0M_9i9yPh8ua3_FP0yh-Gw&s=19

..our identity, our sense of place in both the UK and in Ghana.'

Owing to what would turn out to be an opportune retweet by Media Diversified (@writersofcolour), the tweet exploded and within hours it had received hundreds of likes and retweets.

https://twitter.com/jacqcourtenay/status/1075725769421324289?t=2y_nd_T1Nsgwy_KTAxLAwQ&s=19

'I had not at all anticipated that there would be much of a reaction to it, let alone to such an extent that it would take me days to respond fully! My request to speak with British people of Ghanaian origin was with the intention of writing a short piece about their experiences'

However, the reaction to the tweet shaped something even greater. It firstly gave me the inspiration to begin writing my novel-in-progress, a story addressing issues of identity, migration and race from the perspective of British Ghanaians.

Secondly, it catalysed this: an entire book, an anthology, to be precise, about British Ghanaians and most importantly, by British Ghanaians.

#BlackstarBritain: The Anthology of British Ghanaians 🇬🇭 mediadiversified.gumroad.com/l/ddfyln

"investigating a part of the African diaspora such as British Ghanaians, whose identities straddle two continents and two countries that have, for centuries, had a tumultuous relationship, is a worthwhile and important endeavour." eventbrite.co.uk/e/blackstar-br…