Below there's information on what this symbol means and maybe we could all figure out "why" Janet has this tatoo on her wrist and not wonder, hope you enjoy it and if there's any questions or comments feel free to contact me...JJBOY


The Akan (Ghanian vernacular) word, Sankofa means "one must return to the past in order to move foward." The symbol of Sankofa is that of a bird whose head is faced in the opposite direction of it's body. This is emphasizing on the fact that even though the bird is advancing, it peridically makes it a point to examine/ return to it's past, since this is the only way for one to have a better future. Some also interprete Sankofa to mean, no matter how far away one travels he must always return home. However Sankofa is interpreted, the basic and important meaning still lies; one's past is an important aspect of one's future. So in order to make the best of one's future, one must visit his past.

Sankofa is also the title of one of the greatest movies ever made. The film by Haile Gerima is on slavery and it is distributed by Mypheduh Films Inc., distributors of Independent films by Africans and Africans of the diaspora.


Back to The Velvet Room!