The Sankofa Institute

Sankofa (pronounced SAHN-koh-fah) is a word in the Twi language of Ghana meaning “to retrieve” (literally “go back and get”; san - to return; ko - to go; fa - to fetch, to seek and take, and also refers to the Bono Adinkra symbol represented either with a stylized heart shape or by a bird with its head turned backwards. Sanfoka is a phrase and symbol that encourages learning from our past to inform the future. Another way to say it is reaching back to move forward. As an indigenous African thought, Sankofa is based on the premise and belief that human beings are part of the past and this past shapes the present. The present would also determine and greatly influence the future. In other words, we cannot know where are going unless we know where we are coming from, and we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward.

The Sankofa Institute is the brainchild of Dr. Lloyd T. Alston who is a recipient of having learning with the burning.  As a proud triple HBCU graduate—North Carolina Central University (BA in English), Hampton University (MDiv in Pastoral Leadership), and Hood Theological Seminary (DMin in Homiletics and Preaching)—and also from Grand Canyon University (MEd in Education Administration), he is poised to bridge academic preparation with pentecostal demonstration.  Sankofa is an array of teachings that are steeped in academic intensity without forsaking the pentecostal competency of our ancestors.

If you are looking for a real time encounter with the text and the timbre to propel us into tomorrow, consider a time of preparation at The Sankofa Institute.