ChippingIn Is this the story you were talking about?
From this website (en.minghui.org/html/articles/2012/1/31/131075.html). It's in Sri Lanka, not Africa, but the story sounds similar?
"...Professor Haraldsson gave the film crew a very dramatic case from Sri Lanka.
The film crew and Professor Haraldsson arrived at a small town called Veyangoda in Gamphaha district to visit the Nissanka family. The couple had a daughter named Dilukshi Nissanka. The mother said that Dilukshi repeatedly said that she was not the Nissanka family's child. She believed that her real home was at Dan Bula, which is situated in the middle of Sri Lanka and over 100 kilometers from Veyangoda. When she was young, her parents sent her to a kindergarten run by a Buddhist temple, but she said, ?My temple is at another place.? During meals and before going to bed, she repeatedly talked about her ?real home.? Her parents thought she was joking, so they did not take her words seriously at first. However, she repeatedly talked about it and gave a lot of details about that family and the life down there, including her clothing, furniture and property. She said that she was pushed into a river and drowned while playing at the river. She had a clear memory of many details about the river and the scenes of the surrounding area.
Was she talking about fantasies? Professor Haraldsson said that if it's only a child's fantasy, she usually would think of relaxing and comfortable things, not death by drowning. For Dilukshi's mother, her daughter's ?past life memories? made them feel sad, thinking that her daughter was not satisfied with their care.
Dilukshi's parents could not stop her from making continuous requests to look for her ?real home.? Finally they went to the most famous temple in Dan Bula, the Rock Temple, to ask the abbot for help, since Dilukshi had talked about the temple as well. They asked the abbot if he knew a girl had drowned. The abbot said he did not know of such a girl, but he introduced the visitors to a reporter that he knew. The reporter interviewed the Nissanka family and published the story in the newspaper, including the details of the past life as described by Dilukshi. Several days later, the Nissanka family received a letter from a village in Dan Bula. The writer, Dharmadasa Ranatunga, said in the letter that the story published in the newspaper, including the scenes from the surrounding areas of the river, exactly matched the experience of her deceased daughter Shiromi. She wanted to meet Dilukshi.
Dilukshi and her parents went to her Dan Bula ?home? by car. Before reaching the village, Dilukshi described with excitement everything in the village, and even guided the driver on how to get to her ?home.? Her parents were really surprised. Eventually Dilukshi met with her parents, sisters and brothers of her past life. She was on her knees and burst into tears. The reunion in two lives made her parents feel both grief and joy. The onlookers were all touched by the scene. Dilukshi recognized her things, as well as the neighbors of her previous life. Professor Haraldsson noticed her demeanor also changed in this home. Her worries disappeared and she was not that stiff any more. It seemed that she was a lot happier and more carefree here.
Later, Dilukshi led Professor Haraldsson to the place where she was drowned in her past life. By a small river there was a big stone, and children often played there. Dilukshi said that she drowned there."