Adebayo Ajao Art

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

What if I told you that African ancestors from present-day Ivory Coast may be buried beneath the streets of New York City?

Pause.

Most people walk through Manhattan thinking they are standing on the foundations of finance, power, and skyscrapers.

Few realize they may also be standing above the graves of enslaved Africans.

When archaeologists uncovered the African Burial Ground in New York City, they found evidence linking some of the buried individuals to Akan cultural traditions from present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Think about that.

Centuries ago, men, women, and children were taken from West Africa, forced across the Atlantic, and buried far from home.

Yet they did not leave everything behind.

They carried their names.

Their beliefs.

Their traditions.

Their identity.

Even in bo***ge, they found ways to preserve pieces of who they were.

History is not always hidden in books.

Sometimes it lies beneath our feet.

How many other African stories are still waiting to be uncovered?

If this taught you something new, share it and help keep these stories alive.

06/05/2026

06/05/2026