With her neatly kept dreadlocks and a Kenyan flag emblazoned on her blouse, Kea Tiffani Simmons looks as though she belongs in Kenya. She even has a Kenyan name, Wakesho Akinyi. However, it is only when she speaks that her South Carolina accent becomes apparent. Some hours ago she was in an interview with Lynn Ngugi and she talked about her plans to relocate to Kenya.
She is currently leading a group of over 160 African-Americans on a journey to search for their African roots. The group is made up of individuals from various parts of the US and the UK, all hoping to start a new life in Kenya. Simmons explains her reasons for wanting to relocate, stating that she feels Nairobi is more like home than any city in North Carolina.
She expresses the frustration of being a black person in America, living in fear of discrimination and violence due to the color of their skin. Simmons, the founder of World Views Organization, has been coming to Kenya since 2012 and has already invested in property in Juja. She is determined to make Kenya her new home and has fully embraced her new name Akinyi which means “born in the morning.”
She is currently working on her residency papers and has already obtained Kenyan citizenship. She has also purchased 164 acres of land in Kenya. When asked what attracts her and others in the group to Kenya, she explains the magic of the country. She highlights the warmth and friendliness of the people, as well as the unique blend of cultures that seamlessly merge with Western values. Simmons also praises the Maasai people, referring to them as the “last Samurai.”
As part of their itinerary, the group plans to visit Mombasa, where they hope to receive new Kenyan names from a team of Mijikenda elders. This visit will likely bring them closest to their African roots, as Mombasa served as a departure point for ships carrying black slaves to America’s cotton and sugarcane farms over 300 years ago. For Simmons and her fellow African-Americans, this journey is a pilgrimage in search of their history and a new place to call home. Watch the full video below.