The Armah Institute of Emotional Justice (AIEJ), a global non-profit based in Accra, has launched a transformative storytelling initiative titled ‘The Story of Your Name’, aimed at exploring and celebrating the deep connections between names, identity, and Blackness. This unique project invites participants from across the African continent and the Diaspora to share the stories behind their names and the elements that shape their Blackness, using simple yet powerful voice notes.
The project, running throughout September, draws contributions from Ghana, South Africa, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Caribbean, the UK, and the USA. Each voice note, spanning 3-5 minutes, offers listeners a glimpse into the personal histories of individuals, shedding light on themes of family, nation, oppression, freedom, healing, love, pain, and power. These stories collectively form an audio map, building what the AIEJ describes as a “sonic bridge of healing.”
‘These stories are funny, moving, insightful, thought-provoking. There’s beauty, love,
trauma, pain, power. You get a history lesson in a story that is just 3-5 minutes long.”
says The AIEJ’s CEO, Esther Armah.
“We’re drawing an audio map using voice notes to
build a sonic bridge of healing with a global Black soundscape”, she explained about the
project’s intention.
‘The Story of Your Name’ is part of a broader Emotional Justice project, a racial healing framework developed by the AIEJ. The framework addresses the untreated trauma that shapes the emotional identity of African and Black people globally, aiming to foster healing within these communities.
Launched in September 2023, HEALING HARM | HEEDING HISTORY is a multi-year initiative under which ‘The Story of Your Name’ falls. This initiative focuses on facilitating healing between Black people in Africa and the Diaspora through both in-person and online events and campaigns. The inaugural event took place at the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD) in Adenta Municipality, featuring a fusion of drum, dramatization, and dialogue led by Ghanaian artist Pearl Korkor Darkey.
Supported by organizations such as the Ghana Tourism Authority, The Beyond the Return Secretariat, The African American Association of Ghana, The Ghana Caribbean Association, and Ahaspora, ‘The Story of Your Name’ marks the second year of the HEALING HARM | HEEDING HISTORY initiative.
September has been designated as Black-on-Black Healing Month by the AIEJ, with a call for Africa and the Diaspora to focus on the emotional identity that requires healing. The AIEJ posits that a thriving fiscal economy of investment requires a healed emotional economy of identity, and this project is a step towards achieving that vision.
For more information and to participate in ‘The Story of Your Name’, interested individuals can visit the AIEJ’s official website or contact them directly through their social media platforms.
