After leaving his home country Ghana in 1993 to the United States, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) performer Kofi Kingston returned to the West African country on a four-day visit. Born Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, the current WWE Champion arrived in Ghana’s capital Accra on Thursday to a warm welcome from fans and members of the government’s 2019 Year of Return Steering Committee.
His stay in Ghana, which was captured by a WWE documentary film crew, was described as historic by the government affirming it would put a positive spotlight on the country as it celebrates the Year of Return of the Diaspora.
Kingston’s short but fully-packed trip included meetings with the President of Ghana and the Ashanti King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, visits to his father’s hometown as well as the Christiansborg Castle in Osu, just to mention a few.
Below is a timeline of his historic visit:
Kingston paid a courtesy call on the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, on day one and presented him his belt.
He visited a community school and spent some time with the children and teachers on day 2.
In what he described as an emotional trip, Kingston visited his father’s hometown of Ejisu in the Ashanti Region on the third day. He also visited the historic town of Bonwire where he weaved some Kente and stamped Adinkra symbols in Ntonso.
Kingston also visited the Christiansborg Castle in Accra and shared his experience.
Kingston attended Akwasidae Festival and had the pleasure of meeting the Ashanti King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on day 4.
Originally characterized as Jamaican Wrester, the 37-year-old’s mother Dr Elizabeth Sarkodie-Mensah affirmed to local media ahead of her son’s visit in an interview that he is a true Ghanaian and not Jamaican as he earlier presented himself during his 2008 debut in the WWE.
He stopped being billed as a Jamaican wrestler in late 2009 and later started being billed as a wrestler from Ghana. This earned him the title of being the first African-born performer in WWE history.
Kofi Kingston made history at WWE’s biggest annual calendar event Wrestlemania 35 in April and defeated Daniel Bryan in a very feisty, entertaining and roller-coaster encounter with his signature Trouble in Paradise move to clinch the highly coveted WWE Championship.
His historic win was widely celebrated and hailed by Ghanaians on social media. The wrestler has tattoos of Ghanaian Adinkra symbols along his spine with a set of eagle wings around the spine of his scapula.
