Teachings of Sankofa
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.
Symbolic Representation
Visually and symbolically “SANKOFA” is expressed as a mythical bird that flies forward while looking backward with an egg (symbolizing the future) in its mouth.
Mission Statement
A multi-ethnic cooperative community
initiative which seeks to merge the ideals (principles,
standards, morals, and ethics) of today’s leading men
and women, creating a more sustainable future through
the positive power of business. SANKOFA SOCIETY’S agenda
encompasses an active engagement in the shaping and
shifting of paradigms within today’s society through
community service, consultation, education, mentorship,
and the instillation knowledge and truths relevant to
our past, present, and future cultural significance.
The concept of sAN (go) ko (return) fa (take) is derived from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Africa. SANKOFA is expressed in the Akan Language as “se wo were fin a wosan kofa a yenkyi.” Its literal translation is “it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot”, essentially taking from the past what is vital, and bringing it to the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge.
Abstract symbol for SANKOFA