“Africa's freedom and political independence remain incomplete until the continent has total control of its rich natural resources,” Jabari Osaze, High Priest, Shrine of Ma’at, Harlem, New York said on Monday after a lecture given by him and his wife, Co-Chief Priest of the Shrine, Dr Anika Daniels-Osaze at the Pan African Lecture Series organized by the Obokese University of Excellence (OUE) in Cape Coast.

The lecture organized once every month sought to encourage political and economic integration among member states and to help eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism from the African continent. This month’s topic was on the meaning of the “Year of Return”.

Dr. Anika Daniels-Osaze stated that “It is not only up to the leadership to resolve the remnants of enslavement in the West and colonialism on the continent. It is up to the scholars, historians, and educators to impart knowledge of our shattered history, which led to the theft of human resources, natural resources, culture, and community.

"The Return is an opportunity to rebuild our relationships across the diaspora. For too long we have allowed outsiders to determine our destiny. We have allowed colonizers to dictate how we live, work, learn, worship, and socialize with each other. The Return has reminded us that our families must be repaired. That we must not only see the Return as a physical manifestation of our connection, but also a mental and spiritual one.”

The priests of the Shrine of Ma’at are visiting Ghana as part of their role in the development of Obokese University of Excellence and support for the Cape Coast Technical University training program.

They also spoke at Aggrey Memorial Zion SHS in Cape Coast, Ghana about the importance of education, history and reuniting the African Diaspora to an audience 500 students with resounding applause.

Subsequently, they visited the sacred Obokese Stone after which the university is being named.

Mr Osaze states “as Kemetic Priests, it is of particular importance for us to visit the Obokese Stone. According to a legend priest by the name of Asebu Amenfi, I brought the stone from Ancient Egypt (Kemet) to assure that the legacy of Kemet would not be lost.

"Part of restoring our African Diasporic community includes reclaiming our ancient African traditions including our spirituality. The priests of the Shrine of Ma’at want to see Kemetic spirituality return to Africa and look forward to developing the Shrine of Ma’at in Ghana."

For more information, they can be reached at maat@shrineofmaat.org.