The Natural Retreat Inspiring Reconnection To Ancestral Africa

Hair stylist and wellness bar owner Janae Scott has jumped out of airplanes, quit her corporate job, and opened a 100% vegan bar, but nothing has changed her outlook on life more than knocking coconuts out of trees.

Scott spent five days in Ghana as part of an Indigenous Herbal Retreat, but her favorite part was the final three days of the trip, which took place in Joshua Asiedu’s off-grid eco-village. Scott and her group foraged food and herbs, made pottery from clay on the land, created cacao powder from nibs straight from the fruit, and harvested coconuts to make oil. 

“It was an eye-opener spiritually, physically, mentally. Everything was natural,” Scott said. “You had to be really mindful of the products that you use because when you shower, the water is used to water the trees. So you have to really be cognizant of the things that you use. You just don’t realize a lot of things that are part of the day-to-day world are toxic, that we’re putting on our bodies.” 

As ideas of slow travel, conscious tourism, and sustainable experiences are becoming more popular among travelers, there are also travelers who seek to reconnect with their own ancestry. Asiedu hopes to encourage Black Westerners to connect to their heritage through his workshops. 

“Ghana happened to be on my vision board,” Scott said. “When I did my 23andme report, my family was more from West Africa. A lot of people were there trying to figure out their roots. The retreat that we went on was more for learning how to utilize herbal medicine in a holistic route for healing.”

Scott had come across Asiedu on Instagram because she aspires to have an off-grid home of her own one day, but she didn’t expect to see him on the trip. In fact, Instagram led Scott to Ghana. When she saw Georgia herbalist Abril Donea open spots for the retreat, Scott, who has been embracing holistic health since the pandemic, signed up with her mother. 

“I think it was fate that he was a part of the wellness retreat because I kept saying, I hope I can run into Joshua on this retreat,” Scott said. “Completely living off of the land was the most beautiful experience ever. I got the best sleep there. He was really knowledgeable about his land. It was pretty dope to be able to experience making things by hand and seeing how he built his house just using his bare hands and taking his life learning about the land and the culture.”

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Harvesting Heritage

Asiedu himself began these retreats as a way to connect Westerners with ancestral ways of living closely with the land. Born in Italy to a Ghanaian father and Italian mother, Asiedu returned to his great-grandparents’ village of Makrong in 2019 to begin constructing an eco-village. 

“I managed to build a place that can welcome people that come in directly from a Western environment,” Asiedu said in a video. “And that was for me, quite a big revelation because I knew there were a lot of people looking for their natural roots. This was the call, to create a bridge between the Western modern world and Indigenous African one.”

Asiedu constructed his eco-village on a piece of land where his great-grandparents harvested and farmed cacao. Over time, he built wells and buildings from natural materials, and planted fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs for total self-sufficiency. He aims to keep several ancient traditions alive through his workshops, which are often led by Makrong elders.

“A lady named Auntie Emma came on land, and she is the person that you go to when you break a bone,” Scott said. “So she was showing how she heals your bones just using simple medicine that she was able to harvest off the land. No cast, no nothing, and that was just one portion of the herbal retreat. You don't realize the medicine that's around, the resources that they have. They barely have a tenth of what we have but they utilize their resources properly.”

Scott has returned to the United States feeling more set in her goal to live off-grid. Through Native Soul Bar, she hopes she can nourish and empower others to take control of their health. And as more children of diaspora travel to connect with their cultural, medicinal, and spiritual lineages, Asiedu is ready to welcome anyone who comes to his land.

“Being able to experience their vegan cuisine, with no animal products and fresh ingredients, my body felt amazing,” Scott said. The whole trip was more of a spiritual awakening. I feel more geared towards where I want to live off-grid and be more in tune with nature and my spiritual side.”

Learn More

• Follow Joshua and Abril on Instagram to stay updated on new workshops, retreats, and mini tutorials. 
• Check Asiedu’s website to find in-person workshops, online masterclasses, and digital store with items made by Makrong villagers. 
• Visit Native Soul Bar in Hampton, Virginia for cold pressed juice, Smoothies, Herbs, Herbal teas & natural products.

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All photos courtesy of Janae Scott.