sankofa

Where does the word "sankofa" come from? It comes from Akan (Twi) sankofa, and was adopted directly into English (late 1900s).

Sankofa’s story begins in Akan (Twi): sankofa meant “go back and get it.” Compound of san ("return"), ko ("go"), and fa ("fetch"), from the proverb about retrieving what was left behind. It reached English by late 1900s as sankofa. Taken up in African-American and pan-African discourse as a symbol for reclaiming heritage, boosted by the 1993 film of the same name. Today, sankofa means the Akan principle, symbolized by a backward-looking bird, of retrieving wisdom from the past to build the future.

1. Stage 1 · Akan (Twi) · traditional sankofa "go back and get it", compound of san ("return"), ko ("go"), and fa ("fetch"), from the proverb about retrieving what was left behind.
2. Stage 2 · English · late 1900s sankofa "the principle of learning from the past to move forward", taken up in African-American and pan-African discourse as a symbol for reclaiming heritage, boosted by the 1993 film of the same name.