A breakthrough day in Kumasi: My cocoa journey, continued
When I left off the story of how I did my PhD fieldwork on cocoa in Ghana, it was 2005, I was lying in a guesthouse in Kumasi, miserably ill, contemplating my flooded room, and without any cocoa connections to pursue.
So, what did I do next?
As soon as I was well enough to leave my room, I went down to the guesthouse courtyard. Sitting there with some family and friends was a young American-Ghanaian woman, I’ll call her Mary, whose room was across the hall from mine.
Mary had returned to Ghana after years of being outside, to reconnect with her relations and introduce them to her young child. We’d always greet when we passed one another in the hall, and I was always eager to chat. I found Mary’s story fascinating, and it was nice to connect with a fellow American.
Mary invited me to join her little group. As we chatted about this and that, I mentioned that I was looking for an apartment.
This was 2005, so there was not yet a Craigslist Kumasi, or anything like that. I’d scoured the notice boards at KNUST for places to rent, but had found nothing.
I really, really needed an apartment. It wasn’t realistic to stay long-term at the guesthouse, and I was desperate for a home base so I could finally unpack my backpack and settle in.
Almost carefully, as if he feared to get my hopes up, one of Mary’s relations mentioned that he knew of an apartment to rent. My heart leapt, and I could not help it. It’s hard to describe how much a lead – any lead, for anything – meant to me right then.
I thanked him, took my leave, and leapt into a tro-tro to go see this apartment. By the end of the day, I had a place to live.
领英推荐
I went on into the Kumasi city center to celebrate with a pizza. There I had another breakthrough – one that fast-tracked me into the heart of Ghana's cocoa industry. That opportunity also came from the simple act of talking with a stranger, of opening myself to his story and appreciating that he opened himself to mine.
You never, ever know who is going to help you in your journey, or how, or when. All we can do is be human beings with one another, and trust in that humanity.
That is truly all it takes – be open to people, pay attention and listen to them, and see where it will take you.