Sankofa is a term that is used often in Black intellectual circles. This is the clearest definition I've read. Sankofa represents the essence of why we think Black Heritage Network is so important.
FROM: The African American Studies Department at University of Illinois Springfield http://www.uis.edu/africanamericanstudies/students/sankofa.html
Meaning of the Sankofa bird
The concept of “Sankofa” is derived from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Africa. “Sankofa” is expressed in the Akan language as
"se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki." Literally translated, this means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot".
"se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenki." Literally translated, this means "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot"."Sankofa" teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone, or been stripped of can be reclaimed, revived, preserved, and perpetuated.
Visually and symbolically, "Sankofa" is expressed as a mythic bird that flies forward while looking backward with an egg (symbolizing the future) in its mouth. This ties with our motto: "In order to understand our present and ensure our future, we must know our past."
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