Solomon

My friend and brother Solomon has died. This is one of the hardest things that I have ever been through in my life. In traveling with Africana, his taxi cab got struck a pole, putting him into a coma and eventually ending his life. I can not explain the grief that this brings me and the entire Africana family. I can not explain how it feels to be in the United States going through the actions of day to day life and know that my loved ones are suffering so much across the world. I can not explain this feeling of helplessness.

Solomon was a great dancer and a wonderful human being. He had a warm and gentle smile that put everyone at ease and lit up a room. I was lucky to spend the time with him that I did, both in the village and at the Green Turtle lodge. I was truly blessed to have known him and he has changed my life. My favorite memory of Solomon is when we went to the village and we were sitting around telling stories by the candles. The obrunis did not have many stories to share so we rotated around the circle, going from person to person to create the plot. I was sitting next to Solomon and he would always take the story and twist it in a way that I did not know what to say or how to carry the story forward. And then, he would look me right in the eyes, smile, and say "and then..."

Solomon had a spirit that I can not put into words. A happy easygoing, spirit, that loved his life and his friends. Now, it is his friends that must pull together to say goodbye. I wish that I could be in Ghana now. I wish that I could see his beautiful smile one more time.