Romkalaneh: Returning Home

An African Diaspora’s Journey to Sierra Leone

About Romkalaneh

This documentary is produced by the Temne Abara Nation and the Afromerican Project, and we would love for you to support it! We started pre-production in December 2024 and have a production window open through the spring of 2025. This film is looking at the film festival circuit to find the right debut and funding this project will help independent filmmakers complete it in time for the 2026 festival season.

The documentary will incorporate interviews, animations, and other storytelling devices, highlighting the journey to the Temne region of Sierra Leone. Here's a little more about the project:

Part One: The Genesis

The essence of Romkalaneh is the spiritual home we aspire to build together, in our hearts, at home and abroad, in Africa. Our story begins with a discussion about the Temne Abara Nation’s identity. Who are we? This question can only be answered through the story of the Temne people of Sierra Leone and their historical lineage.  Modern science via home DNA test kits and social media helped Foday, the founder of the Temne Abara Nation, connect with members over the years after getting his results from a DNA test. His research led him to learn more about the Temne and the group has visited multiple times since 2016. While this is the genesis of the Temne Abara Nation, our ancestors' origins go back much further. Their early ancestors came from outside Sierra Leone during the Mane invasion (15th and 16th Century) from outside of Sierra Leone. Bai Farma, the first Temne Chief, founded the Temne and their Koya Empire around 1505.

Part Two: The Dispersion

The Koya Empire lasted from the 1500s-1800s and got involved in the slave trade with European colonies. The majority of people taken from Sierra Leone, known as part of the Rice Coast, were enslaved during the 1700s. An estimated 400,000 people were captured from what is now Sierra Leone and shipped across the middle passage.

Battles with neighboring empires resulted in many Temnes being sold into slavery themselves and sent to the Americas. Using map and timeline animations, we tell the story of the Temne dispersion, from colonial Mexico and the Caribbean to the United States and beyond. Notable Temne descendants Juan Roque, Alexander Crummell, and others will be discussed in part two.

Part Three: The Return

Foday began organizing other people whose DNA results were Temne in 2013 online and via social media. He planned trips to Sierra Leone starting in 2016 and completed 10 trips before 2025. Part three shows the group traveling from the USA to Sierra Leone and interacting with each other and their Sierra Leonean kin. The group participates in a naming ceremony ritual of breaking kola bread and drinking water while libations are poured. The Temne Abara Nation is part of the larger tribe yet their views are unique. The Temne A'bara Seal and its symbolism are described. The story of the red clay-covered elephant and the Temne Abara creed is told over an animation of the seal.

Part Four: The Enculturation

The retreat includes cultural training like Temne language classes and cultural traditions handed down over generations. The vision for Romkalaneh is to create a space for learning and innovation, solving our unique problems from both sides of the African Diaspora. It is a physical space in Sierra Leone and a virtual village for members across the Diaspora to sponsor initiatives that uplift our people. We close on a joyous celebration, far removed from the suffering and violence of slavery.

Why Us?

Many members of the African Diaspora are awakened to a sense of identity by tracing their African lineage. This story offers a roadmap for communities looking to establish connections with their African ancestors in Africa. Technology and the internet make the world more accessible and this is true for those tracing their ancestry to Africa. Sharing this journey will encourage others to learn about their cultures and identities. We are telling our own stories and now is the time for this story to be shared!

How You Can Help

We are in the development stage and need to produce footage that will be edited with animations and other graphics to create a compelling, entertaining, and informative documentary. We plan to travel to Sierra Leone and film for two weeks. Then, we produce the documentary using the narratives from the footage and organize the story into a script that will guide the film through its four parts. The script is currently in active development and this campaign will help us bring it all to life. If we can meet and surpass this goal, we have plans to include additional footage from Sierra Leone and our next family reunion in the United States.

Action!

*Pledge support through a monetary donation or service!

*Follow our campaign here and on social media!

*Tell a friend! (word of mouth is still the best marketing)

*Share our campaign link on social media!

Try this: "I supported 'Romkalaneh: Returning Home' and you should too! (paste link)"

THANK YOU! (MOMO)