Opinions of Friday, 28 May 2021
Columnist: Charles Yeboah
During the time current day Hani (Bergho) hosted a slave market, and was a business hub for the whole of West Africa, a rich merchant from Nasaana near Goka had rich Kente clothes to sell, and what ensued in the selling teaches us that opportunities can be discovered in all circumstances - good or bad.
Mr. Kuma, affectionately called Mr. KK, the rich merchant from Nasaana was a good man, and he was unhappy to see his compatriots suffer to make ends meet, as they had no means to labour and be paid respectable wages.
This was the time the famous Nana Adinkrah Agyemang, the Bono Jamanhene, had invented the Adinkrah symbols (otherwise known as Gye Nyame symbols), and were printed in rich Kente clothes.
The rich merchant had in stock a bulk of this new priced traditional fabric, and he contracted one of the youths in his neighbourhood who was idle and poor, to sell the clothing on the popular Bergho market, where it's reported: _"even if it's faeces you neatly wrap, it'll be bought from your hands."
In a matter of few hours, the youth came back to the rich merchant with the merchandise pristine and intact, not even a yard was sold.
The boy said to the now anxious and awestruck merchant that: when he entered the market, he kept the clothing in its safe, and after strolling through the market, he never saw anyone wearing same cloth, so he assumed when he uncovers it and rings the bell no one will approach the wares and buy.
The rich merchant never uttered a word, but took the goods from this boy, and bid him safe journey, albeit, to go in his folly.
At this time, there was another boy who stood by. He begged the merchant to try him with the goods.
Indeed, this boy returned to the rich merchant in a matter of same hours, or even less than the first one came back with the same clothing. And not even a half yard remained in the safe. All was sold.
This new boy responded to why he sold the precious clothes in such a short time, that: _"when I got to the Bergho market, indeed, I saw no one wearing same Kente cloth, so I adorned myself with one piece, and walked the length and breadth of the market, before my return to the safe, there were superfluous ready buyers who even needed more than I had in my possession."
And he was back to take more from the rich merchant for his next trip.
The rich merchant signed a contract with this new boy, and they worked together till the boy was settled by the rich merchant with his own Kente fabric shop and apprentices under him.
The new boy became a rich man thereafter, and he imparted his knowledge in those he mentored in and around Nasaana.
So it is, whatever we see lacking in this world, in our community, neighbourhood; our ability to discover the lack means, we're the very people to fix it. Because there are opportunities in all incidents to be discovered by a keen observer of the situations, as did Mr. KK and the second boy in our forgone parable.