You are from Ghana? Our people came from there,” the old man said to me. I sat down on the ground next to him and a group of young men sitting in a circle “I know”, I said. “I was looking for you guys.” Ever since I was a young girl, I wondered where my family members had been taken after they were stolen from Africa and dispersed around the world. I watched Roots and wondered if we would ever reconnect? While doing a research on the African Diaspora, I discovered Accompong Town, a historical Maroon village in the hills of Jamaica's St. Elizabeth Parish. Thinking “Hey! Accompong sounds like a place in the Akuapem region of Ghana called Akropong,” I delved deeper into the history of the Accompong Maroons. Accompong Town was established in 1739 after nearly 50 years of guerilla war between a few hundred, poorlyarmed, resistance fighters and thousands of English soldiers.

Captain Cudjoe, the leader of the resistance, encouraged Africans from various tribes to set aside their differences and unite as Kindah, translating to One Family. Realizing they would not overpower the Maroons, the English Occupation Army offered a Peace Treaty granting the Maroons sovereignty and 1,500 acres of land. Every year, on January 6th, the Abeng Horn (cow horn) sounds to call the Maroons to assemble - just as it did 300 years ago. This marks the start of the Annual Accompong Maroon Festival celebrating the signing of the Peace Treaty.

It welcomes thousands of Jamaicans and tourists to take part in the festivities ranging from children's activities to traditional dances, shows and other activities. This year marked the 280th annual Maroon Festival hosted in Accompong. Realizing Jamaica's notable African history and the links that eternally bind the seeds of the Diaspora together, I longed to see Accompong Town firsthand. Little did I know, months later, my wish would be fulfilled. We took a scenic two-and-a half-hour ride from Kingston to Accompong Town, the home of the brave Africans who became known as Maroons. Having fallen asleep on the ride up the winding roads in the mountains of Accompong, I woke up amazed at how steep the hills were. It reminded me of the trip to my father's hometown of Aburi in the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa.

It was also very mountainous with scary steep hills. We drove around and around and up the side of the Jamaican mountain for what seemed like hours until we asked someone, “Is this the way to Accompong Town?” “Yes,” a gentle man replied eagerly, “Follow me!”

We originally planned to go there for the day but when we arrived the sun was setting fast. Our new Maroon friends said there was a big party that night so we were happy to stay the night and tour the following day.

We stayed in a bedroom of a local homeowner whose family was more than hospitable, welcoming us as a part of their family. The aura was serene like Ghana. The people were warm and friendly. I thought about the ancestral warriors who created this home away from home.

During the Trans Atlantic slave trade, around 10 to 28 million Africans were taken to the Americas and the Caribbean to be chattel slaves, working for free and living in deplorable conditions. In Jamaica, enslaved Africans were mostly of Akan descent, followed by Yoruba, Fon, Efik and Moko tribes.

The Kromantis, an Akan group of Ghana, was the dominant African culture and made a lasting mark on the legacy of Jamaicans and African resistance. The name Maroon comes from the Spanish word cimarrones meaning untamed or wild. It is used to describe the Africans who escaped slavery and sought freedom and independence in a time of bondage.

From the year 1655, they teamed with the Tainos, who were native to the island, and settled in the mountains to form independent societies from the British. The Africans escaped to the mountains and led resistance movements which were led by leaders such as Nanny and Cudjoe, both from Ghana. Queen Nanny, an Asante born in Ghana, formed her own community in the eastern Blue Mountains, Nannytown, later renamed Mooretown.