Back to all words

Sankofa

2 stages from Akan (Twi) to English.

Today it means the Akan principle, symbolized by a backward-looking bird, of retrieving wisdom from the past to build the future

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
sankofa
Akan (Twi) · traditional
"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 of 2
sankofa
English · late 1900s
"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
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom