OLOFINDJI Akande, a failed candidate in Benin’s last presidential elections, is working overtime to construct a common tomb to repatriate the souls of former slaves back to Africa. “It may seem to be a little bit of a mystical phenomenon but we in Africa know secrets like that. I once saw my parents bring back the soul of a person who died more than 200 kilometres from our village,” he said. Akande is the founder president of the International Institute of African Culture. The aim of the non-governmental organisation is to bring about an African renaissance. But the single most important project on his hands is a plan to erect “a common grave for our ancestors and all our brothers who fell victim to the slave trade” by bringing back their scattered souls to a common resting place. – AFP