BACK IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

The production team of the book project 'Black skin, Orange heart' returned to Los Angeles for the two remaining photo sessions and interviews. After months of establishing contact, a meeting with the youngest American descendant of Prince Kwasi Boachi was finally scheduled. And what a suprise meeting it turned out to be. Dominic Boachi is the treasurer of the Boachi family archive who has a profound interest in the history of his Ashanti ancestor. After showing a wonderful collection of black and white photos of Kwasi jr. and his second wife Trees Paules (Dominic's grandparents), he unveiled a replica of Prince Kwasi Boachi's seal ring with his initials and coat of arms. Dominic proudly posed for photographer Armando Ello with this unique artefact. (A special chapter of the book is dedicated to the Ashanti princes Kwasi Boachi and Kwame Poku who served as a 'warranty' for the recruitment of African soldiers for the army in the Dutch Indies and were sent to The Netherlands to receive a 'European' education, and their descendants in The Netherlands and the United States).

The last photo session took place in Bloomington at the eastern frontier of the city where Hubertus 'Koko' van den Burg lives. Koko is a great-grandson of African soldier Govert Stap who was born in 'Goeroma/Donko' (the region north of Ghana) in 1837 and was recruited in 1862. After serving in the Dutch Indies army for twenty years, he chose Soerakarta (Solo) as his permanent residence. The circumstances were notably different for his descendants: granddaughter Nora decided to leave the Dutch Indies in 1945, right after the Japanse occupation and took her children to The Netherlands. In 1967, Koko emigrated to Los Angeles, leaving his wife and children temporarily to find a job and housing. After securing both, his family flew to the US where they settled in the city of La Puente. As a selfmade man, Koko van den Burg has lived the American Dream. He owns his own heating and electrical repair business and proudly posed for Armando, wearing his handmade Stetson.