From Atlanta, down to Lagos, back to Montego Bay - a new photography series by Black Arrow takes you around the globe to spotlight how the black experience embodies the culture of soccer. See-through the lens of dope black photographers who expertly capture how our brothers and sisters develop their own unique relationship with the beautiful game and witness the variety of experiences that unfold. Each story is made up of a sequence of snapshots that thrusts us into the day-to-day lives of real ones from underrepresented communities around the world.

Black Arrow Photography Series #002 (Accra, Ghana)

If you didn’t know by now, 2019 was coined “The Year of the Return,” an initiative by the country of Ghana which commemorated the 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia.To honor this landmark, the call was put out for members of the African Diaspora to finally “come home” and reconnect with our roots. Weeks of ceremonies, events, festivals, and parties were organized to welcome the diaspora back to the motherland. 

While in Accra, Ghana, Black Arrow connected with Eunice Beckmann, a beautiful black German sister who currently plays for FC Koln in the German Women's Bundesliga. Who is Eunice?

She grew up in the city of Wuppertal, Germany and loved nothing more than dancing to hip-hop and playing soccer in the streets and breaking boys’ ankles. This sista has played professionally in Germany, Sweden, USA, Switzerland, Spain, and is an official UEFA Ambassador for “We Play Strong,” a project aimed at promoting women’s football.    

While Eunice’s nationality is German, she is the daughter of parents who had relocated from Ghana. She has always maintained a connection to her roots even in Wuppertal because the Ghanaians in her community got together for church every Sunday decked out in African garments singing loud and turning up just like they were back in Accra.  She told us her last name “Beckmann” is actually a very typical German last name. Her father had adopted his former wife's last name when he first came to the country in hopes of improving his chances of getting a job.   

Eunice loved growing up in her hometown and never once complained. As the only black girl on her soccer teams growing up, she often felt insecure and different from the rest of the kids, but traveling the world at a young age through soccer and meeting other black folks who would tell her how beautiful her skin is boosted her pride and confidence in her identity. This is why reconnecting with the diaspora can be so powerful.  

Despite the fact that she felt like she had to work 10 times harder because she was black and had to consistently convince people that, yes, she is both black and German, she is very  proud of the diversity within her own identity and loves representing both flags  🇬🇭🇩🇪  

These photos are from the Cape Coast Castle, the slave fortress that represented the “point of no return” for African slaves 400 years ago.   Cape Coast Castle is the largest of the buildings which contains the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.