Through The Gates Of Thought Book Launch

AUTHOR’S ADDRESS

5 NOVEMBER 2010: TEACHERS’ HALL COMPLEX, ACCRA, GHANA

Madam Chairperson - Ms. Anna Bossman (Deputy Commissioner, Commission for Human

Rights and Administrative Justice), Sam Dontoh (HR Director, Unilever), Kobby

Parker who authored Gate 10 in the book, special invited guests, my family,

friends and loved ones, today is auspicious in many ways, but most importantly

it is the birthday of my best friend, the person who took the risk to proceed on

a journey with me, when all I had to my name was a promised first degree. And

this year’s birthday is a special one, considering that it was nearly postponed

forever. Will you kindly help me say “Happy birthday” to my wife Vivian Damoah!

My first book was released in October 2008, and launched in Ghana on the 18th of

December, and I set myself a target of releasing another one within two years. I

was able to achieve it in one and a half years. I am thankful to God and many of

you here for the encouragement and support in diverse ways.

My loving and faithful mum is here with us this evening, and I want to specially

acknowledge her. It is fitting that she features in Gate 1, in which I recount

one of the many lessons she taught us. Mama, medaase.

I always find it difficult deciding what to talk about on such important

occasions – too much to say, so little time. My boss, Sammy Avaala, told me a

story of a young village boy who had been in Accra working as a house help

(let’s call him Kofi), missing all the good food he used to eat back in his

hometown. One day, the mum of his madam visited and brought some good yams –

pona. Knowing that Kofi likes yam, Grandma gave him a good portion, and Kofi

took it to the veranda to do justice to it. He looks at the yams on the plate

and the stew by it, and remarked: “Pona paa nie, a, nanso, abom no sua!”, to

wit, “wonderful yams, but the stew is too small!”

My first book was Excursions in My Mind and this current one is Through the

Gates of Thought. Why do I focus on the mind, on thoughts, on reflective

thinking? That is my over-riding passion with my writing. I am motivated by my

desire to make my impact on my society, with my thoughts. To share my

experiences, with the hope that I may be able to change even one mind. If I can

change one such mind, I would have contributed to the agenda of building our

nation, our continent, our world.

I spent a couple of hours on a Saturday morning with a mentor of mine a couple

of weeks ago. In our discussion about how we can step-change the pace of

development in our country and continent, he told me the secret is in Romans

12:2:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by

the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's

will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Yaw Nsarkoh, another mentor of mine, who is currently the Managing Director of

Unilever East and Southern Africa, remarked to my team recently that “Africans

have still not accepted that we can be as good as anyone else.”

In chapter four of my first book, I assert that many of us don’t spend quality

time thinking, even though we worry. We are good at worrying about the present,

the future, even about the past, which Agathon indicated even God cannot change.

Is it because thinking is seen as hard work? Thomas Edison observed that “it is

remarkable to what lengths people will go to avoid thought.” Thinking is an

alien activity for most people, but if we are to be rich and prosperous, and not

just in the value of your bank account but more holistically, the quality and

quantity of your thoughts matter.

Each significant step change in the history of civilization has been brought

about by thinkers, and of course, implementers of the thoughts. We usually quote

this one definition of insanity: doing things the same way and expecting

different results from what the same method has delivered – nothing! We talk of

thinking out of the box, but we fail to ask whether we are even thinking within

the box in the first place. You can only be able to walk on the moon if you can

actually walk, whether under gravity or not.

The wealth of nations has been thought to reside under the earth or in the sea:

gold, bauxite, diamond, crude oil; some of the wealth is grown on the earth:

cocoa, coffee, corn. I aver that the best wealth of the globe resides in our

minds, and the real capital is an idea, a stance which is collaborated by Harvey

S. Firestone, who stated that ‘Thought, not money, is the real business

capital’.

A year ago, I caused a flurry of comments on my Facebook page when I asked a

question that was bugging me: “When will our media in Ghana stop discussing

events and petty squabbles and start discussing ideas and thoughts?” As I write

today, our airwaves are still replete with such talk. You all have countless

examples. We make mountains out of mole-hills and treat the actual mountains as

if they were less than mole-hills.

Or is it the case that we are proving Walter Lippman right, when he stated

“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much?” I find that most Ghanaians

behaving like untrained amateurs playing football – all follow the ball at the

same time! What I choose to call ‘stomach direction’!

In Africa, we have had thinkers like Kwame Nkrumah and Patrice Lumumba, people

who are usually described as being ahead of their time. Today, we have Nelson

Mandela, who is also unique in the sense that he is a legend in his lifetime.

Thinkers. Looking around today in leadership, do you see a lot of such thinkers

shaping the African agenda? We are where are today as a continent because of our

thoughts, and the extent to which we will go as a continent will depend on the

quality of thoughts that drive leadership. James Allens captures it thus: “You

are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your

thoughts will take you.”

Are we developing nations of thinkers? What would we rather give as a gift: a

fish or a manual on fishing? Are we teaching our generation and the next, our

youth, our children, the act of thinking? Of valuing ideas? During my time in

Nottingham University, I had a flatmate, Mirza Cengic from Sarajevo, who was

studying for his Masters in Critical thinking. I was intrigued by it, but that

is what we need: the art of critical thinking.

We must write our thoughts and share them. We write wills and leave property,

cash, etc for our children and benefactors. It is a sign of how we value

thoughts and ideas that we don’t deem it fit to document these and leave for

posterity.

What is the overriding thought or idea driving the agenda for Ghana and Africa

for the next decade for instance? My wish for my nation and my continent and for

all reading this piece is that we follow Blaise Pascal’s advice: “All of our

dignity consists in thought. Let us endeavour then to think well; this is the

principle of morality.”

As my friend Francis Obirikorang puts it, “we need a rude awakening from our

mediocrity and self pity.” Nkrumah declared that there was a new African, but

frankly isn’t that African old now, as we are not thinking ahead of the game

that much anymore?

Recently, the drilling of the world's longest transport tunnel was completed,

which connects Switzerland to Italy under the Alps. The 57km (35 mile) rail

tunnel has taken 14 years to build and is not likely to open before the end of

2016. [The distance from Tema Oil refinery to Korle-bu Teaching hospital via the

Motorway is 41.3km, so this tunnel is about one-and-a-half time that; from the

Refinery to Nsawam via the Motorway and Achimota is 56.3 km] It is expected to

revolutionise transport across Europe, providing a high-speed link between the

north and south of the continent. Eventually, trains will travel through it at

speeds of up to 250km/h (155mph), slashing journey times between Zurich and

Milan by as much as one-and-a-half hours.

It has taken 14 yrs to get to this point and will take 6 yrs to open it; this

project is taking 20 yrs, how many of our leaders think with 20 years from now

in mind? Isn’t 4 years long-term here?

And when we do think and put thoughts into plans, how many times don’t these

plans becomes what Andrew Ogutu, a trainer with Accenture, call SPOTS: strategic

plans on top shelves? We need to accelerate the translation of thoughts and

plans into action, for as James R Lowell said, “all the beautiful sentiments in

the world weigh less than a single lovely action”.

Our generation is the game-changing generation for our country and continent. We

cannot join in the chant of our predecessors; we cannot think at the same level,

we cannot go at the same pace. We are the generation with the greatest exposure

to what better conditions can be like – let’s replicate it here. We know what it

a country that takes action looks like – let’s cut the long talk. We know not

just the potential but the actual position this nation can spring to – let’s get

working.

In the words of John Legend, in the song ‘If you’re out there’:

If you hear this message, wherever you stand

I’m calling every woman, calling every man

We’re the generation

We can’t afford to wait

The future started yesterday and we’re already late

I thank you all for taking time off to celebrate with me. And I will covet your

continuous support and prayer for the success of Through the Gates of Thought.

May the Good Lord preserve us and bless us all.

Nana Awere Damoah

Author, Through the Gates of Thought & Excursions in my mind

www.nanaaweredamoah.wordpress.com

www.excursionsinmymind.blogspot.com