You are here: HomeAfrica2020 10 19Article 388840

Africa News of Monday, 19 October 2020

Source: face2faceafrica.com

Alfred Sam: The pan-Africanist who was the first to send a ship to the U.S.

Chief Alfred Sam_Photo: Black America Web Chief Alfred Sam_Photo: Black America Web

In 1913, after traveling to the United States, gold coast merchant and Chief Alfred Sam began a quest to recall African-Americans back to their ancestral home. He enticed prospects by stating that there were “diamonds lying on the ground after a rain, trees that produced bread, and sugar cane as large as stove pipes.”

His aim was to convince African-Americans to not only invest in his company but to also reject the colonizers and “live a life of freedom.”

Alfred Charles Sam was born in the Gold Coast, in modern-day Ghana in 1880. More specifically he was born in Appasu, in the West Akim district. Before becoming instrumental in the Back-to-Africa movement, he traded rubber and other goods. He claimed to acquire the title of Chief from his uncle, to honor the fact that he traveled to either the U.S. or the U.K.

Sam was educated at a mission school in Kyebi, in eastern Ghana.

In 1913, Sam began correlating with Herbert Macaulay; the “Father of Nigerian Nationalism”. Sam then visited the U.S. and began organizing meetings in Oklahoma and throughout America in an attempt to convince African-Americans to purchase $25 worth of stock in his company, Akim Trading Company.

Seemingly a ploy to gain money, Sam was seen as a fraudster and later cleared by the U.S. government of trying to scheme others. Rather, he proposed his intention was to boost trading between Africa and America by trading cocoa, coffee and mahogany.

Sam was supported by African Pioneer a journal dedicated to chronicling the Back-to-Africa movement.

In September 1915, Sam attempted to send a second group to Ghana. Nonetheless, his company collapsed with many of the future settlers losing their valuable possessions and savings.

Sam then sold the S.S. Liberia and continued to work as a merchant.

Sources are divided on how and where Sam spent his last days. There are accounts of him either moving to the U.S. or Liberia.

Sam died in the 1930s.