The Boys of Kumasi Road

A story for the Ghanaian diaspora.
In 1973, three hungry fourteen-year-olds in Kumasi shared one bowl of kenkey and swore they'd never be hungry again. They crossed to Lagos for work, pooled their wages in fear of the city's knives, and split three ways: Yaw to Germany, Kofi to America, Kobby to London.

Kobby vowed to live fully in London and never look back — he died rich, surrounded by strangers. Kofi invested only in himself, came back accomplished, but found a year missing with his sick mother. Yaw sent envelopes, cars, and many things home to family and friends over four decades, and was called the sun of Kumasi — until the money slowed and the very people he fed asked, "What did you do with your monies?"

At Kobby's funeral, Yaw stood and answered. He confessed the truth: distance breaks everything. Money builds no house — staying does. Do not be Kobby. Do not be me. Be Kofi, and then do what none of us did enough.

"Come home as often as you can. And whenever you come, stay a little longer — long enough to build something real. Otherwise, you will only end up like me."

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Picture: illustration by GhanaChild.