NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick posts controversial message as he visits Ghana

Published on: 06 July 2017

NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick has posted a controversial message criticizing July 4 celebrations as he visits Ghana in a 'quest to find personal independence'.

'How can we truly celebrate independence on a day that intentionally robbed our ancestors of theirs?' he wrote alongside a video of his trip to the Ghanaian town of Keta.

It shows the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who famously protested police brutality by refusing to stand during the national anthem last season, visiting schools and hospitals.

In an Instagram post alongside the video, Kaepernick explained: 'In a quest to find my personal independence, I had to find out where my ancestors came from.'

He told of how he traced his ancestral roots to Ghana, adding: 'I wanted to visit the sites responsible for myself for being forced into the hells of the middle passage.

'I wanted to see a fraction of what they saw before reaching the point of no return. I spent time with the / my Ghanaian people.'

He visited a local hospital in Keta, ate a local dish named banku at locals' homes and paid his respects at Kwame Nkrumah's Memorial Park, named after a former Ghanaian president who led the country to independence from Britain in 1957.

'I felt their love, and truly I hope that they felt mine in return,' he finished in the post to his 1.6million followers.

In an Instagram post alongside the video, Kaepernick explained: 'In a quest to find my personal independence, I had to find out where my ancestors came from.'

He told of how he traced his ancestral roots to Ghana, adding: 'I wanted to visit the sites responsible for myself for being forced into the hells of the middle passage.

'I wanted to see a fraction of what they saw before reaching the point of no return. I spent time with the / my Ghanaian people.'

He visited a local hospital in Keta, ate a local dish named banku at locals' homes and paid his respects at Kwame Nkrumah's Memorial Park, named after a former Ghanaian president who led the country to independence from Britain in 1957.

'I felt their love, and truly I hope that they felt mine in return,' he finished in the post to his 1.6million followers.

Kaepernick has taken up several humanitarian causes over the past few months to pass his time as a free agent.

He gave away his famous sneaker collection to the homeless in San Francisco in January raised money to donate food and water to Somalia in March.

Kaepernick also gave $50,000 donation to Meals on Wheels and donated hundreds of custom suits to a charity which helps former inmates secure jobs.

Over the last nine months, the football player has donated $700,000 to charity.

It formed part of his pledge to donate $1million to help underprivileged communities.

Source: Daily Mail

 

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