In Ghana 's Akan tradition, storytelling is an almost daily occurrence. Anecdotes and fables educate, teach, advise and shape communal behavior. Each story is meant to touch the listener's heart. It is believed that the community suffers if an important story is not shared. Important stories focus on heroic or notorious themes common to the public lives of men. The private stories common to the domestic lives of women are seldom, if ever, repeated. To do so would be immodest and attract unsuitable attention.

As a young Ghanaian woman, I accepted that only men's stories were told. Experience taught me that it was usually in my best interest to keep my story to myself. So I lived in silence, sharing neither my pain nor my joy, until my story was lost, even to me.
As I grew older, I taught myself to focus on the future. My desire to see the outside world got me out of Ghana at a young age. I spent time in Europe and South America . Eventually I settled in the northeast United States and my future looked bright. I was adjusting well to American culture. My career was blossoming, and I shared a beautiful home with my daughter. My friends and family admired and supported me. Then, on a winter shopping trip, I took what I thought was a harmless slip on a patch of ice. As it turned out, I had seriously injured my spine.

As my spine collapsed, so did my perfect life. Excruciating physical and emotional pain left me totally disabled. I couldn't walk, and I couldn't work, no matter how hard I pushed myself. I had lost the independence I valued so much. Money was getting short and I was in danger of losing the possessions I relied on for my self-worth and survival.

When I looked inward for spiritual strength I'd known as a child, I found that I had replaced it with self-reliance. In anguish, anger and confusion, I cried out to Spirit. Sankofa was my answer.
Easily thought of as the wellspring of Akan storytelling, Sankofa is thoroughly expressed in the Akan language as se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenkyi . Literally translated, Sankofa means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot." The symbol of Sankofa is a bird flying forward while it looks back to where it's been. The message was clear: If I hoped to heal, I would have to go back and fetch the story I had spent my whole life forgetting.

As I surrendered to the spirit of Sankofa , I was continually humbled by its depth and wisdom. A spiritual path revealed itself to me and propelled me toward universal consciousness. Teachers and friends appeared seemingly out of nowhere, blessing me with support, strength and inspiration. Simple yet awe-inspiring answers and guidance came to me through my dreams.

Through Sankofa I have discovered that my story is heroic and illustrious in the private way that many silent-women's stories are. It may attract unwanted attention. But more importantly, it will also touch hearts. If I fail to share it, my community surely suffers.