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In the sleepy town of Asebu, a few miles inland from the Atlantic along Ghana's Cape Coast, a serene 5,000 acre rural settlement is rising out of the palm forests and farmland. Pan-African Village is envisioned as an idyllic haven for settlers from the African diaspora. It was established in 2019, after a local chief announced that anyone from the diaspora could have plots for free. Hundreds of people, largely from North America and the Caribbean, have accepted the offer and are in the midst of building large homes. They regard themselves as the first wave of settlers, carving a new life in their ancestral homeland, devoid of racism and repression. But while locals have tentatively welcomed returning diaspora, Ghana is also experiencing some of the worst economic conditions in decades. In Pan-African Village, brewing tensions over ownership and privileged access to the land are threatening to spill over into violence and unravel the promise of this diaspora haven. This week on The Sunday Story, producer Andrew Mambo speaks with Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR's West Africa Correspondent, about the complicated relationship between the diaspora settlers and the place they see as their ancestral home.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

As the Russia-Ukraine War heads into its third year, we look at the state of the conflict. Also, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has spent millions in her home state and sharpened her attacks on former President Donald Trump, hoping to chip away at his support.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Lawmakers in Alabama are working on a legislative solution to a recent state Supreme Court decision which ruled that a frozen embryo has the same rights as a child. How do lawmakers want to fix the issue? Tomorrow will mark the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We'll check with NPR's Joanna Kakissis to hear how people in Ukraine feel about the future. And a data leak from a Chinese technology company is giving the world a glimpse into the Chinese cyber spying ecosystem. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Susanna Capelouto, Mark Katkov, Andrew Sussman and HJ Mai. It was produced by Claire Murashima, Ben Abrams and Milton Guevara. We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez and Phil Edfors, and our technical director is Stacey Abbott.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy