The Ultimate Bridge To The Gap; 54 Kingdoms Travels to Haiti & Expands Our Kingdom

An African identity conscious Fashion Line, 54 Kingdoms is a dynamic growing force in the industry that brings purpose to pleasure, or as they put it, “identity through Fashion.”

Spear headed by two young Ghanaian revolutionaries, Mr. Kwaku Awuah and Mr. Nana Poku-- 54 Kingdoms, consistently and well represents both Africa and the entire African Diasporic culture to the max—putting our people, concerns, and accomplishments to both the forefront of our minds and T-Shirts. With larger new found esteem and accolades, 54 Kingdoms is now being recognized, and rightfully so, to a broader demographic.

The Built for Haiti Campaign is a selfless and ongoing endeavor that promotes the revitalization of Haiti after the tremendous earthquake that rocked the small Island. The campaign is an umbrella campaign that envelopes various individuals and organizations including but certainly not limited to:  EDEYO Foundation, 54 Kingdoms, The African and Black Student Unions at the CUNY City College of New York, and myself who work on the grassroots level to stabilize Haiti and more particularly to rebuild a primary school in Bel Air, Port Au Prince by the name of Joyous Heart School with students ranging from Kindergarten to the 6th Grade.
 

I became acquainted with 54 Kingdoms last year when working on a facet of the Built for Haiti Campaign (BFH) which was our Built for Haiti Benefit Concert at The CUNY City College of New York in November of 2010. As a Haitian woman who was deeply connected and concerned with this specific Haitian cause, it was absolutely breathtaking and fascinating to see the two young men of 54 Kingdoms so invested, eager, and willing to rebuild Haiti in such an unparalleled passionate and sincere way.

By the time the concert was over, I was not only able to call Nana and Kwaku, co-workers of mine of the BFH Campaign, but I was then able to consider them my sincere friends as well. With that came a more intimate look at their true selves and a reflection of who they were—intrinsic humanitarians. After a few other events that corresponded to the BFH Campaign such as a few BFH Mixers around the NYC area, a beautiful sum of money was then accrued from all our endeavors and would then be then hand delivered by some of the volunteers of the Campaign to the students of  Joyous Heart School.
 

Low and behold, both members of 54 Kingdoms decided that they necessitated to travel in person to Haiti, spend time with the children and adequately deliver the funds. A new respect for both Nana and Kwaku was found by not only myself but so many others, as they so humbly and valiantly traveled to a country that even most Haitians deemed to be quarantined. In the midst of an endemic Cholera Outbreak and political unrest, 54 Kingdoms took a leap of faith and traveled to Haiti on February 20th of 2011. As Nana deemed, “we had to get involved, with our hands and emotionally.”
On their return, I was floored by the amount of positivity and radiance that they both found in and reciprocated to Haiti. In an interview upon their arrival, conducted by myself, I was able to pick their  minds, and souls a bit, and get a more intimate look to their week long stay in La Plein and Port Au Prince, Haiti.
 

I know personally, even when some of my own family traveled to Haiti after the devastation, there was a large amount of negative backlash, sincere concern, and apprehension from others in my family who did not see it fit to travel at such a time. With those sentiments fresh in my head, one of the first questions I asked Nana and Kwaku was if they received any negative and/or ignorant comments when they disclosed to their loved ones on their decision to travel to Haiti. Kwaku and Nana made it clear that it was not so much negativity that they faced, but more so the same concern and hesitancy that my own family had about entities ranging from health to physical well being. Nana explained further that he got a degree of misunderstanding from his loved ones as to why he would travel to Haiti as opposed to Ghana due to the fact that he had not been back to his homeland for 13 years. Nana went on to emphasize the ongoing work that both he and Kwaku continuously do for Ghana and likewise explained a very traditional African Diasporic sentiment and adage ‘of taking care of your own home and back yard initially before taking care of someone else’s.’  Nana so amazingly explained that although he understood those words, he revamped his mind to consider the entire African Diaspora as his backyard. “My house hold is the African Diaspora,” summed up Nana.
 

Kwaku went on to explain that their families were somewhat doubtful at first because they were unknowing, mostly because the media opted to portray only the most perilous and brutal aspects of Haiti while failing to show the ongoing efforts by Haitians themselves to alleviate their own situations. As Kwaku put it, in reference to his family’s doubts, “We educated them—and that is what our job is. Haiti is Africa!”
 

For me, one the most pressing and reoccurring premise that kept surfacing from the interview was just how well received they were. Hospitality was a term that has been continuously mentioned by both Nana and Kwaku to me even when we kept in communication while they were in Haiti, so much so that Nana laughs when he recounts the stories of the surprise that flooded the Haitians’ faces when they were told that Nana and Kwaku were not Haitians. Those stories are special because they portray not only how similar we are in spirit, but physiologically as well. Nana and Kwaku went on to say me how the phenomenal dance, school games, music.etc were so similar to that of the African culture that it reawakened them to see how similar we all truly still are...how much we correlate with one another. As Kwaku wondrously puts it, “we are from the same club, different places, same root.”
 

I explained that walking into Haiti, there had to be some preconceived notions and perhaps even misconceptions prior to their arrival; I wanted to know what notions were dismantled and which ones were re-created once an intimate experience with Haiti was rendered. Kwaku responded that he was always so curious to know if Haitians considered themselves Africans. Kwaku realized through conversations and interactions in Haiti that “they believe somehow and in someway that they are connected to African ancestry and not only that…but they are appreciative of Africa and knew very much about Africa as well…they are connected.” Finally realizing that became one of the more fulfilling moments of the trip for Kwaku. As he put it, “[that] was a beautiful moment.”
 

When asked about the divergences that they found Haiti and Africa to have, for the first and only time in the entire interview was their pure silence. And Nana and Kwaku both, very interestingly responded that they did not find any noteworthy differences from the two cultures. As Kwaku concluding this segment, he concluded with, “certain parts of Ghana, look like Haiti…the most beautiful parts—and vice versa. We share that similarity, success and struggle and it is appreciated.”

I asked both Nana and Kwaku to sum up their trip in three words. Nana is an overachiever, so he gave me four: “emotional, eye opening, rewarding, inspirational.” Kwaku went on to say: “Amazing, inspirational, informative.”
When I began this column, I had somewhat an ethereal vision for what Bridging the Gap would actually resemble, but it is not after truly knowing the men behind 54 Kingdoms that I have completely come to an authentic understanding of what Bridging Our Gap resembles, not only in theory but in actuality... As I always tell Nana and Kwaku, “I’m glad to know you.”

Article Written By: Sophia S. Vilceus