Memphis, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/17/2012 -- 5 time World Karate/Kickboxing champion Anthony “Amp” Elmore has plans of being a part of the world’s largest African cultural celebration in African History. Elmore is scheduled to meet with South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool. A wedding is the best way to explain Elmore’s celebration idea. Elmore’s goal of meeting with the South African Ambassador is to ask the Republic of South Africa to honor African/Americans with a “Formal State Reception.” Elmore’s plan is called the “Safari Initiative.” The Safari Initiative is a plan to reconcile the African and African/American family issues. Elmore visited Kenya in 1990 to promote his auto-biographical movie “The Contemporary Gladiator.” While in a tent on Safari at the Massai Mara plains in Kenya Elmore was enamored with a spiritual mission to bring his African and African/American family together. Elmore cried in Africa when he met the spirit of his African ancestors who he describes as asking him to tell African/Americans to join again as family. Elmore returned from Africa a changed man and a new mission. Elmore took groups to Kenya for a decade. In 1998 Elmore visited the African Country of Ghana. Elmore entered the African Import business. Elmore has spent over 20 years working on the ground in Africa. Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis recognized Elmore’s work on the floor of Congress in 2009. Elmore understands the cultural divide between Africans and African/Americans. Elmore notes, in order to bring both cultures together it would require the development of “Cultural Pathways.” Elmore developed a plan called the Safari Initiative which is the planning and development of “Cultural Pathways.” Elmore suggests legislation that would help support this goal in America.
The wedding ceremony is the most fun and supported ceremony of humankind. Elmore explains to the South African Ambassador and to the world that bestowing of a “Formal State Reception” by an African Country to African/Americans is just a morally right decision as the overthrowing of the apartheid Government in South Africa. African/Americans are citizens of America, but family to African people. The honoring of African/Americans with a “Formal State Reception” is an institutional cultural pathway that will be accepting and celebrated by everyone. More importantly this effort can create jobs in Africa & U.S.
African/Americans arrived to American shores as captives stolen from the Continent of Africa. During their sojourn to America African/Americans lost their names, culture and history and relationship to the Continent of Africa. Many African/Americans lost their 100% African phenotype and most African/Americans can identify with some European or American Indian Ancestry. In 1989 the push for the term describing Black people as African/American emerged. The term African/American was used to describe one’s ancestral and cultural land origin as opposed to skin color. The U.S. government formally adopted the term African American in the 1990’s. The word African/American is a point of contention in both America and Africa.
While the United States Government formally adopted the term African/American. In the history of the Continent of Africa no African Country has formally accepted African/Americans into the family of Africans. In human culture formalities are hallmark and foundation of a people and culture. One of the most important human ceremonies is a marriage. Throughout human history many nations avoided war via the purposeful union or marriages of royal families.
The Formal State Reception of an African Government honoring its African/American family is tantamount and synonymous to holding a formal wedding ceremony. Just as a wedding brings nations and families together; the honoring of African/Americans with a “Formal State Reception” is the absolute way to bring Africans and African/Americans together. Just as a marriage is blessed and respect in human society the honoring of African/Americans with a “Formal State Reception” is a celebrative event. Such an event will attract African/Americans from all spectrums of society making travel to Africa a grand priority.
More importantly is the fact that a “Formal State Reception” marks the official date and time that the Sons, daughters of Africans taken as slaves officially and ceremoniously return to the Continent of Africa. Just as a wedding ceremony ends with a celebration a formal state receptions would translate into one of the greatest historical celebrations in African and African American history.
A “Formal State Reception” honoring African/Americans would be the largest movement of people of African decent returning to the Continent of Africa in human history. Such an event demands a stable African nation and a grand infrastructure that could conveniently accommodate all African/Americans and Americans from all social and economic spectrums. South Africa in 2010 hosted the World cup has the perfect infrastructure to host such a world class cultural event that will attract all nationalities.
Elmore combined and re-edited official South African Video footage into a video called “The World’s Best Video to Meet South Africa.” Elmore infused the Sounds of South Africa’s great musician Hugh Mesekela into the Video. Elmore produced the video as a cultural marketing tool skewed towards introducing South Africa and Africa to African/American people. While Africa is the ancestral home of African/American people Africa is a point of contention of many African/Americans accepting Africa as their Ancestral land. In history there has never been a formal ceremony to clear up this point of contention. When Africa formally accepts her African/American ancestors this issue will be put to rest.
Elmore a resident of Memphis, Tennessee will ask the Republic of South Africa to pick up the Gauntlet of Dr. Martin Luther King that fell in his death in Memphis, Tennessee to honor Dr. King’s legacy by helping to reunite the family of Africa and humanity together by hosting this auspicious occasion of Africa’s 1st Formal State Reception of honoring African/Americans.
About the Safari House Museum
The Safari House Museum is the home of Memphis residence Anthony “Amp” Elmore who is better known in Memphis as a five time World Karate/Kickboxing Champion filmmaker and business entrepreneur.