To the African Ancestry Family and Afrodescendents of Guinea Bissau :
The Decade of Return is unprecedented in the history of our young nation and it is of major importance to Guinea Bissau.
To facilitate the success of this initiative and to streamline the efficient use of resources, the Ministry of Culture asks all groups desiring to be a part of the Decade of Return to coordinate their efforts with the Decade of Return Coordinators: Siphiwe Baleka of the Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America and his team in Bissau (Repat Bissau) and the Ban-Faaba association.
In this way, we can all work together as one and easily monitor and measure the success of the Decade of Return.
Invitation
“The Secretary of State for Culture, having knowledge of African-Americans of Guinea-Bissau descendants interested in visiting the country, serves to formulate an invitation to give them greater openness and possibility to arrive in Guinea-Bissau.
So that there is no impediment, this invitation will be signed and authenticated with the oil stamp used in this institution.
The contact will be through the coordinator of the return decade Siphiwe Baleka of the Balanta B'urassa History & Genealogy Society in America and from his team in Bissau and the association Ban Faaba.
Bissau, June 21, 2021
The Secretary of State,
Dr. Francelino da Cunha”
The Decade of Return Coordinators plan and host individual and group tours, meetings with officials, naming ceremonies, funerals and burials, visits to villages and development projects, vacation travel to the Bijagos Islands, restaurant tours, and anything else you may want to do in Guinea Bissau. In addition to providing the best, most authentic experience for all descendants of Guinea Bissau returning to their ancestral homeland, the program is also offering free visas and the opportunity to apply for citizenship.
TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN THE DECADE OF RETURN INITIATIVE AND TO BE REGISTERED AS A DESCENDANT OF PEOPLE FROM GUINEA BISSAU, THE FIRST STEP IS TO
COMPLETE THE FORM HERE
THE NEXT DECADE OF RETURN EVENT IS BEING SCHEDULED FOR
NOVEMBER 23RD TO THE 30TH
Secretary of Culture Dr. Francelino da Cunha with Siphiwe Baleka, President of the Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA) and BBHAGSIA members Kamm Howard, National Co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA); Robin Rue, Alderwoman for the city of Evanston and Reparations warrior; Nicole Vaden, Co-Chair of the BBHAGSIA Women’s Committee; and her brother, Gerald Avery, BBHAGSIA Import/Export Specialist.
Umaro Balde, Director of Marketing, Ministry of Tourism; BBHAGSIA Member Robert Bumpers; Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo; BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka; Ben Cunha, Principal Technical Advisor, Ministry of Tourism
