Our Story
As a young 27 year old Afrikan Nova Scotian mother, with two beautiful girls, the vision for Sankofa Afrikan Gifts (formerly Sankofa Marketing and Sales) started as a need for me to be able to buy books and dolls that represented our vibrant, Afrikan culture.
It was then back in 1991 and still today, 2017, very difficult to buy Africentric products that reflect our rich Afrikan heritage and culture. I started researching websites, mainly in the United States where the Afrikan population was more prevalent and products more readily available and was amazed at what I found.
I immediately sent for some Afrikan dolls and books and was so pleased with them that I had to share them with my friends and family.
Not soon after that, I registered my business, AlySamm Personalized Products, to produce personalized children’s books and other personalized products. Reading was always a priority in our house and these books made your child the star of the story. What better way to introduce your children to the “Love of Reading” than to have them read about themselves as a star with one of their favourite Disney characters. I was particularly impressed with the Kwanzaa book and the Black Santa Claus story which reflected Afrikan culture. Thus was born the business, AlySamm Personalized Products named after our daughters Alyson (Aly) and Samantha (Samm).
The business evolved over the years as the girls got older and we added many more Africentric products. I always loved the story about the Sankofa Bird so when we were able to change the business name to Sankofa Marketing and Sales, we did. Sankofa is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana. The literal translation of the word and the symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.” The word is derived from the words: SAN (return), KO (go), FA (look, seek and take). Sankofa symbolizes the Akan people’s quest for knowledge among the Akan with the implication that the quest is based on critical examination, and intelligent and patient investigation.
The Sankofa Bird is a mythical bird with its feet firmly planted forward with its head turned backwards. Thus, the Akan believe the past serves as a guide for planning the future. To the Akan, it is this wisdom in learning from the past which ensures a strong future. The Akans believe that there must be movement and new learning as time passes. As this forward march proceeds, the knowledge of the past must never be forgotten.
(Source: https://www.berea.edu/cgwc/the-power-of-sankofa)
One more business name change in 2020 to promote more gift items. We retired Sankofa Marketing and Sales and we are now Sankofa Afrikan Gifts.