Ghanaian-British writer Araba Ofori-Acquah celebrated her upcoming debut book Return To Source with a massive book launch party on April 4 at the Jamestown Coffee Company in Accra. The book was published by Hay House on the same day.
The book launch was MC’d by musician and visual artist Ria Boss and attended by 120 guests including celebrities, writers, wellness experts, and Ghanaian creatives, along with livestream attendees. Guests included producer and performer Juls, J Town, Betina Quest, ELi A Free, AFIA, Mawuli Gavor, and others.
The event featured a conversation between Boss and Ofori-Acquah discussing the importance of wellness resources that center African people’s experiences and revealing insights into the author’s own healing and writing process. The launch also included live music from Mr Bebe and The Local Dimension band, a custom Aphro cocktail menu inspired by the three seeds of African wellness Music & Movement, Asaase Yaa, and Magick, book readings, a live sound healing session, and a storytelling session by Akotowaa, AKA The Spider Kid.
Return To Source: Unlock The Power Of African-Centred Wellness invites Africans and Diasporans to reconnect with their lost heritage and find healing, self-love and transformation. Read the synopsis below:
This book is an empowering call to journey home to a new way of looking after yourself. A new way that is, in fact, the old way.
Globally, Africans and Diasporans are rediscovering that, even while navigating an oppressive and often unsafe world, we are called to make space for healing, not just for ourselves but also for loved ones, Ancestors and descendants. Our path to liberation includes a commitment to nurturing our personal and community growth by making wellness a priority.
Araba Ofori-Acquah is a holistic healer, DJ, writer and African-centered wellness expert based in Accra, Ghana. She is the founder of Self-Care Sunday, a wellness festival in Accra, and Ashe Wellness, an organization dedicated to connecting people to wellness through African knowledge & practices.
Ofori-Acquah began her wellness journey when she sought strategies to remedy anxiety and depression from working in corporate London. She was able to recover through yoga, talk therapy, meditation and writing. This journey motivated her to explore wellness practices from around the world, while seeking a holistic approach to wellbeing. Ofori-Acquah completed a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India and became a UK NHS-accredited Wellbeing Coach.
Her healing journey brought up questions of identity and authenticity, and she began to search for wellness knowledge and practices that reflected her Ghanaian heritage. However, Ofori-Acquah found only information relating to specific religions such as Ifa and Vodun (“Voodoo”). Following her relocation to Ghana in 2018 she discovered that, African-centred wellness is not always easily accessible. Ofori-Acquah was determined to give Africa a voice in the global wellness conversation and her book Return To Source is a testament to this core goal.
Buy Return to Source here: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble
See photos from the book launch below.
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All photos credited to Agyeiwaa AKA Jay Pepera and Victor Olagbemide (Olah Studios).
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