Wanlov: Practice Sakawa with Compassion
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Ampoma - Kintampo South - You wouldn’t think there is internet here, where unknown bush creatures bay at the moon and the vultures are so monstrous that they create tornadoes with their wings…but there is. Thanks to Wanlov the Kubolor, the internet has come to Ampoma. How he managed to bring the information super highway to a place that only has one road is a marvel.
Wanlov the Kubolor
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But he is not here to discuss the logistics of that feat. Walov instead has a serious appeal to Ghana’s sakawa practitioners. As usual, MaizeBreak alone is able to bring you this story, as we are the only news organization trust worthy enough to carry this message to the masses. Clad in a white towel bound around his waist, the Kubolor squatted by a roaring camp fire and invited our team to sit opposite him. His brown eyes turned gold shimmered in the fire light. A dwarf brought our journalist alansa to consume as Wanlov sipped palm wine and stared silently at the full moon above.
Finally, he spoke.
“Sakawa saved my life,” he confided. “There were days that I didn’t think I would ever eat again, having been sacked from my family’s house for refusing to wear supporters ad trousers. Then one day, I discovered the internet, quite by chance, at God’s Way Internet Cafe at Ashaley Botwe in 2003, indeed, it was gift from God.”
He paused to thank a hummingbird for dropping nectar into his mouth. I know, who knew hummingbirds flew at night?
“The connection was very slow,” he continued. “It was just a dial up. But it opened my eyes to a world I had only seen on TV. NOW, I was seeing it on a computer screen. After surfing the net for days, I soon discovered that there were some elderly White people who like to give disadvantaged Africans money for free. I won’t say I collected their visa or bank account details, but I will say I had joined the sakawa movement. A movement meant to help struggling young men like myself fid their way in life, to get some small money chop. I liken it to the YMCA, but online. My compatriots used to take money indiscriminately from the elderly Whites, but I saw this was not good. When they would request gold, I would rather send them parcels of yooyi and alansa. Of course I wasn’t going to send them any @#!% gold! Those colonial days are past…but I could at least send them some fruit for the trouble they had gone to to send me the few thousands of dollars I received. With those proceeds, I started an alansa farm, and hire local labor, like Ofori over here.”
He motioned towards the dwarf. The Kubolor only hires dwarfs. It’s like an ogyakrom version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - only this version is Wanlov and the Alansa/Yooyi Farm.
“What is the point of this story?” he asked us. “I’ll tell you. The point is, if we want sakawa to be successful in the future, we have to give back. We just can’t be takers. That is why I want to implore all those brothers sitting at an internet cafe right now to please think about something to offer our partners abroad. Some sand from Cape Coast (but you can ring it from Volta), an ‘ancient’ carving (you can find some on Spintex)...anything!”
With that, he concluded his implore. He then instructed three dwarfs to climb on each others shoulders and blind fold us for the journey back.
“I can’t allow you to know the way here,” he explained.
We sadly said our goodbyes and asked how we might reach him for a follow up. He smiled benevolently (we think - because we were still blind folded).
“Don’t worry. I’ll be at a tro-tro stop near you.”
With that, he floated away into the sky like a brown skinned Jesus - only wearing a dirty towel, no shoes and massive dread locks.
