He made up his mind that in 6 years, he would return to Ghana (his home) with something valuable. He had no idea what that something was, though. He only knew he had to bring
something, and that ‘something’ has to be something valuable.
It was his definite decision. The year was 1870. The time was early morning. The venue was a
village. It was somewhere in Ghana, where a man was destined to make history.
On this said day, this man would travel. But, before then, he would exchange embraces with his family, he would bid the goodbyes and he would leave.
He would travel to Fernando Po (renamed Bioko), in Equitorial Guinea, where he would work and alongside searching for his ‘something valuable’ (to return to Ghana).
His name was Tetteh Quarshie; and his passion was told to be farming! He was the man who introduced cocoa to Ghana (of course the very first Ghanaian who even thought of that).
He travelled to the Island of Fernando Po in 1870 and retured to Ghana in 1876.
6 years!
How this man managed to ‘smuggle’ those cocoa seeds into Ghana bears a different story that shall be told by my
children (possibly). He was a man of a deeper spirit of a patriot!
I tell you, the benefits this country has amassed (and still amassing) from the valuable Tetteh Quarshie brought to
Ghana far surpasses that of Alladin’s genie. Riches untold! His positive action (I mean, of ‘smuggling’ the cocoa seeds into Ghana), has bore many fruits; fruits that has serviced Ghana and Ghanaians for decades!
Ghana began cocoa exportation in 1891. And since then, we have earned the good name as one of the major cocoa exporters in the world. The credit goes to Tetteh Quarshie! His positive action changed the destiny of this country! (Forever).
Permit me to ask. Is there any 'Tetteh Quarshie' in Ghana today? Are there youth who share semblance in acts with him? A youth who share same character trait as he? We need more of such men in Ghana. Men whose positive actions would contribute to the progress of our nation.
A Japenese youth would travel abroad with a single shirt at his back (with his single trouser to wear), and his luggage (a school bag) strapped to his back. He would go to America (or any other place that is abroad to him including Ghana), with the determination no so unlike Tetteh Quarshie and copy something of value there to his home country-Japan. They literally ‘copy’ systems (businesses, ideas) from elsewhere and ‘paste’ it in Japan. And as to whether their attitude has helped Japan to progress or not, you will have to tell me.
Same can be said of the Chinese youth! He cares less about temporal possessions (when he travels abroad). He cares more about things that
will foster personal improvement and national progress.
Flip it to our side of the world and you will know that a whole book can be written about the Ghanaian youth in diaspora. He is so unlike the Japanese or the Chinese youth. To him, self-progress (and national
progress) should be deleted from the Maslow’s theory.
He would travel abroad, and his valuable may be an ‘american accent’. Add laptops, phones, ipads, baggy jeans, shoes, american hairs et al.
Quite a problem. Don’t you think so?
Well, when my friend Steve Amoako decided to travel abroad for his long vacation, I only adviced him to learn from the Japanese and the.Chinese youth. I asked to him to ‘copy’ something of value from abroad (akin to that of Tetteh Quarshie), so we can ‘paste’ in Ghana upon his return.
Who knows? Maybe, he can ‘copy’ how to process cocoa into useful ends for exportation.
CREDIT: Kofi Arkoh.
Author of 'A Memo to the Ghanaian Youth'
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