Kea Simmons, a Black American woman, broke down in tears during a visit to Ethiopia after the experience stirred emotions she had not expected, connecting her to her ancestry and the broader history of the African diaspora.
Why has Simmons travelled to Addis Ababa?
Simmons had initially travelled to Addis Ababa to research Ethiopia’s culture, business environment, healthcare system and available opportunities.
However, what began as an investigative trip gradually shifted into something far more personal.
“Somewhere along the way, it became personal,” she wrote, describing how Ethiopia gave her an entirely new perspective on her own identity and heritage.
Kea Simmons stands on African soil The turning point came when she visited the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Standing on African soil, she found herself overwhelmed with emotion and began crying unexpectedly.
She reflected on the generations of ancestors who were forcibly taken from the continent and never had the chance to return — a thought that cut to the core of her experience.
Who was Marcus Garvey?
Simmons also drew on the legacy of Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican-born Pan-Africanist whose lifelong advocacy for African unity and the spiritual and physical reconnection of Black people with the continent had long shaped her thinking.
His philosophy, which emphasised pride in African heritage and the idea of a collective homeland, clearly weighed heavily on her mind as she stood in the very heart of continental Africa.
Her account, shared via the Facebook page I Love Africa on September 29, 2026, struck a chord with many viewers who found themselves drawn to the themes of identity, belonging and the enduring bond between the African diaspora and the continent.
Descendants of the transatlantic slave trade
For many Black Americans and members of the wider diaspora, the experience Simmons described is not simply about tourism.
It speaks to a deeper longing — one rooted in a history of displacement — and the powerful, often overwhelming feeling that can accompany a first encounter with African soil.
Her story is a reminder that for many descendants of the transatlantic slave trade, returning to Africa is not merely a journey across borders, but a homecoming that reaches across centuries.
