BOOK REVIEW

In these days of the global village, it is not difficult to glean information about Ghana, that relatively small West African state that led black Africa to political independence, and which, as the author of this book puts it, is bravely marching forward with the front-runners for political freedom and economic development on the African continent.  Information on the country – its geographical location, its period of political instability, and its phenomenal economical growth, can easily be gleaned from the Internet and various socio-political treatises. Armed with such information, one might assume that anyone visiting the country will be in a better position to understand its history, its politics, its economy and its peoples.

But would they, really? I would venture to suggest that reading this book by Dr Robert Peprah-Gyamfi will place one in a much better and stronger position to understand the country and its peoples than any amount of Internet surfing or studying of textbooks will achieve. This is because the writer writes as a partisan, from personal experience and observation, having been born in the country, having grown up there, and having returned there, in the last instance, after thirteen years of absence.

Through the writer we are seeing Ghana constantly from two perspectives – through the eyes of the writer (his memories) before he left (or on his earlier visit) and through the eyes of the Europeanised doctor who returns after thirteen years, who registers his surprise at the changes, for better or for worse, that he sees. As he observes in his Introduction, when he last visited his native Ghana in October, 1994, the country might still have been seen as belonging to the “third-world”, whereas in his recent visit, in July 2007, the so-called third world and the modern industrialised, urbanised, developed world might be seen as existing cheek-by-jowl with each other! Thus on the streets of Accra might be seen women in traditional dress with babies tied to their backs, and smartly dressed “westernised” women driving expensive luxury limousines. Executive mansions might flourish in an affluent area where, however, the new development has outstripped the provision of services, where the roads are muddy and full of potholes. 

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What makes this book on modern Ghana so accessible, however, is the author’s dramatisation of his visit. The reader is, in effect, a fellow traveller with him and his family. We share the excitement of leaving the UK with the family, the packing of the luggage, the impending disappointment and panic when it seems their flight has been cancelled, as well as the sense of adventure when they have to rush to be in time for an alternative flight.

In all the confusion and uncertainty at the outset of the journey, one person, the author says, was prominent on his mind, namely his youngest child Jonathan, and we share with him the urgent hope that the young boy will not be disappointed by a cancelled flight! This very readable book takes us on an entertaining journey, since, in a sense, it reads like a novel – one flies out to Ghana with the author and his family and shares his son’s excitement of flying, and so it goes on; this is not a dry treatise on the economic, social and political conditions of Ghana, but a journey in which one meets the people, wonders at the signs of new affluence in the posh houses and expensive German cars driven my sophisticated housewives, travels with the author and his family to their old hometowns, shares the glee of their extended families in seeing them again, gains a personal and moving perspective into the recent past of the indigenous cultures, the poorer farming folk who in some cases still struggle to survive; it is an account of first-hand experience whereby one understands the author’s concern to help advance the prospects, not only of the disadvantaged members of the family, but of the country as a whole.

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We share with the author the need to purchase land in order to stem the flow of the younger folk to the cities where they engage in less profitable ventures as street vendors, or taxi drivers. We walk through pineapple and cocoa plantations with the author, listen to the expositions of successful farmers or entrepreneurs, and see the real potential of this wonderful, vibrant country with its incredibly fertile land watered my regular and plentiful rainfall. Best of all, we share and feel the warm friendliness of the people, the genuine African generosity in helping one-another, in sharing resources, the heart-warming sense of community that binds these people together – in this we sense the vital role that Ghana has to play in becoming a role model for other independent African countries.

In the course of this visit the author draws attention to many social issues through interesting discussions, dramatised through dialogue between two parties – for example, between the author and his provocative and precocious young niece Joyce who sees conditions from the point of view of someone living in Ghana. He has a lot of advice to give, and thoughts to convey, about what might be done to improve the economy and living conditions of Ghanaians, but does not do so in dry or tedious lectures or expositions. Such thoughts are placed in the mouths of the living actors. We, the readers, listen, intrigued, and become virtual participants in the discussions in so far as we feel drawn into them.

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As we travel with the author in the microbus he acquires, he points out the intriguing features and developments, like the new houses with their absentee landlords, an expression of the need for Ghanaian expatriates to keep one foot in the country. In this way we have an insight into the way these people are bound and tied to their country, unlike many refugees and expatriates of other countries that break their ties with their homeland. These people are faithful and patriotic to their homeland, and you will understand why when you read this book.

Reading the book is like travelling with a friend! When he and his family stay at the smart suburban hotel in Accra, we share his surprise that each room has satellite TV as well as wireless Internet access. Looking around we can exclaim with the author: “A pizza hut in today’s Ghana!” or “ATM machines in Ghana!”
The street hawkers “roaming up and down the streets carrying their wares on their heads, shoulders, arms, hands, backs”, and the ubiquitous traffic congestion, the countless taxicabs, hooters blaring, give us a different perspective of city life.

Quite an eye-opener is the amount of foreign capital that comes in from absentee homeowners and Ghanaians living abroad. Ghanaians in the Diaspora have played a vital role in the economic turn around, not only in regard to the building sector but also by way of direct investment. The Bank of Ghana, the author reveals, has estimated that remittances by Ghanaians abroad make up as much as 15% of the country’s GDP.

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What makes the book so readable and authentic, too, is the stamp of local colour that characterises the writing.  This is true of the author’s use of similes and metaphors. Mobile phones in Ghana, he says, are so common that they have become “something like handkerchiefs to Ghanaians!” The author’s aged father refers not to the place where his bedroom is, but to where his “sleeping room” is, and when his father shows him his house which had thankfully escaped damage by a recent tornado, the author exclaims, in the spirit of the indigenous language, “Your sleeping room got off scot-free, Kofi!”  When a woman is asked the name of the country to which her son wishes to visit, she says, “I can’t remember the name anymore. It’s a long one. I’ll bring him along next time. You will be able to hear it from the camel’s own mouth.”  When later the author is asked what she had said the name of the country was, he replies: “She couldn't tell me. She says it has slipped her memory. She will bring him [her son] along tomorrow so that I can hear it from the donkey' s own mouth.”  This use of local “linguistic” colour is not only delightful but adds verisimilitude to the writing: the sense of place, of culture and the people, are believable because they are real.

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So many aspects of life in Ghana are touched on. Some of the traditional values of the people make them vulnerable to exploitation, and the author is not slow to point out areas in need of reform. Funeral directors, for instance, exploit the Ghanaian custom to make a big deal of the passing of a loved one – in making available extravagant funerals and celebratory memorial services that leave the mourners with insurmountable debts.  One of the biggest problems is the tendency of the young to leave the farmlands uncultivated in favour of moving to the cities, Accra especially, where they become street hawkers and add to the problem of urbanised sprawl and poverty – whereas in fact the fertile land with its potential for tropical yields on a commercial scale holds the key for prosperity, not only for the farmers but for the country as a whole. 

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Of paramount importance is the author’s long-cherished vision to establish a much needed hospital or clinic in Ghana – his idea for a CHRIST THE KING HOSPITAL. The author writes:

I will immediately put the plan into action should I come across the means to do so. I will not be the main provider of primary care on the spot, however. I see myself as the mouthpiece of the clinic for the rest of the world, mobilising financial support from men and women of goodwill towards the running of the clinic.
Indeed, under the prevailing conditions in Ghana at the moment, a sum of around $200,000 would be enough to establish the basic building and equip it with the basics to get the clinic running. For the average earner like you and me, that amount might be regarded as a fortune; for some of the privileged classes of this world, that sum may well be regarded as small change.
My earnest wish and prayers are that I will one day come across an individual with such means, who will be prepared to help realise the dream of making this clinic a reality.

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Indeed, it is my hope that this book will bring his vision closer to realisation, by providing more publicity for those of means, including Christian and government bodies, to share his dream.

While there is much need in the country for such a hospital or clinic, the present climate of stability and economic growth in Ghana makes the realisation of such a medical facility far more realisable than in the less stable past. Not only will it fulfil a vital need, but become a worthwhile and secure investment.

Not only is the country now enjoying political stability, the author points out, but there are mechanisms in place to prevent the abuse of individual rights, to check accountability and foster greater transparency in government, to prevent acts of bribery and corruption, embezzlement of public funds from going unchecked.

Despite the challenges facing the country, Ghana, which led black Africa to political independence, is bravely marching forward with the front-runners for political freedom and economic development on the continent.

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It is in the light of this that the author urges all men and women of goodwill towards Ghana in particular and Africa in general to join him in a resounding salute in the recognition of the dramatic progress this country, this forerunner, this beacon of light has made, in an area that was once considered by some as the heart of darkness:

THREE CHEERS FOR GHANA!

Charles Muller

MA (Wales), Ph.D. (London), D.Litt (OFS), D.Ed (SA)

Diadem Books

www.diadembooks.com