THE UNTOLD STORY ABOUT TETTEH QUARSHIE
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I am always happy when I put writings down for the benefit of the doubt and this writing is to unfold the untold story of Tetteh Quarshie, the proud son of our motherland Ghana.The man who made Ghana rich has been eroded with the untruth history of how he brought cocoa to Ghana.
This write is highlighting how he transported cocoa from faraway Fernando Po now Equatorial Guinea to Gold Coast now Ghana.
In our various lesson far back in primary school through to secondary school to tertiary level majority of we students have accepted the fact that he swallowed cocoa beans from Fernando Po to Ghana. Lets keep our fingers crossed as I unfold the truth about him.
Tetteh Quarshie was born in 1842 to a farmer from Teshie known as Mlekubo. His mother was known as Ashong-Fio from Labadi, both hailing from the Ga-Dangme ethnic group. In his teens Tetteh Quarshie became an apprentice in a Basel Mission workshop at Akropong. Due to his hard work he soon became a master blacksmith and was in fact the first blacksmith to be established at Akropong-Mampong. His hobby was farming.
In 1870, Tetteh Quarshie undertook a voyage to the Spanish colony Fernando Po (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea). About six years later he returned to Ghana with several cocoa beans, the Amelonado and made history.
What most of us have been taught was the transportation of the high income generated cash crop that was brought to Ghana. We were told that he swallowed the cocoa beans from Fernando Po which is15,387 km to Gold Coast.
How possible could this be if cocoa beans take five to ten days to germinate? and here we are informed that Tetteh Quarshie of blessed memory swallowed it.
As I always look for facts from all angles before a post, a learned friend of mine who visited the first cocoa farm at Akropong-Mampong in the Eastern Region of Ghana came back with facts after an interview with Mr. Yirenkyi, the caretaker of the farm planted by Tetteh Quarshie on his return to Gold Coast.
From Mr. Yirenkyi, Tetteh Quarshie was a Rastafarian or perhaps someone with dreadlocks and also a blacksmith by profession as we were told in our lower classes and still taught in the basic and history lessons.
It is understood that he was adopted by the Basel Missionary at Akropong-Mampong due to his humility, respect and hardworking nature. He was therefore handed a contract at Fernando Po by the missionaries and on arrival at the shores of Fernando Po, he saw that the cash crop was valuable and also good to eat.
After working there for six years he decided o return to his motherland, Gold Coast and this is where the untold story unfolds itself. I doubt the possibility of transporting cocoa beans all the way to Gold Coast. Did he not free his bowel on his return trip? If he did, did the beans we are made to believe he swallowed come out?
Let us educate ourselves because they say "history is well preserved when celebrated". Tetteh Quarshie never swallowed cocoa beans to Ghana, then Gold Coast but rather he smuggled seven cocoa pods in his tools box. As at those days no person was permitted to transport any seed from one country to another so he hid them under his tools on board the boat that came to the shores of Ghana.
On return he started a small farm where he planted the fruit which now serve as the major foreign income cash crop for Ghana at Akropong-Mampong. The farm is still there but rather pathetic because it has been abandoned by the state and people of Ghana.
Credit to Ruth Osei and Ras Collins (Ghana Institute of Journalism)
I am always happy when I put writings down for the benefit of the doubt and this writing is to unfold the untold story of Tetteh Quarshie, the proud son of our motherland Ghana.The man who made Ghana rich has been eroded with the untruth history of how he brought cocoa to Ghana.
This write is highlighting how he transported cocoa from faraway Fernando Po now Equatorial Guinea to Gold Coast now Ghana.
In our various lesson far back in primary school through to secondary school to tertiary level majority of we students have accepted the fact that he swallowed cocoa beans from Fernando Po to Ghana. Lets keep our fingers crossed as I unfold the truth about him.
Tetteh Quarshie was born in 1842 to a farmer from Teshie known as Mlekubo. His mother was known as Ashong-Fio from Labadi, both hailing from the Ga-Dangme ethnic group. In his teens Tetteh Quarshie became an apprentice in a Basel Mission workshop at Akropong. Due to his hard work he soon became a master blacksmith and was in fact the first blacksmith to be established at Akropong-Mampong. His hobby was farming.
In 1870, Tetteh Quarshie undertook a voyage to the Spanish colony Fernando Po (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea). About six years later he returned to Ghana with several cocoa beans, the Amelonado and made history.
What most of us have been taught was the transportation of the high income generated cash crop that was brought to Ghana. We were told that he swallowed the cocoa beans from Fernando Po which is15,387 km to Gold Coast.
How possible could this be if cocoa beans take five to ten days to germinate? and here we are informed that Tetteh Quarshie of blessed memory swallowed it.
As I always look for facts from all angles before a post, a learned friend of mine who visited the first cocoa farm at Akropong-Mampong in the Eastern Region of Ghana came back with facts after an interview with Mr. Yirenkyi, the caretaker of the farm planted by Tetteh Quarshie on his return to Gold Coast.
From Mr. Yirenkyi, Tetteh Quarshie was a Rastafarian or perhaps someone with dreadlocks and also a blacksmith by profession as we were told in our lower classes and still taught in the basic and history lessons.
It is understood that he was adopted by the Basel Missionary at Akropong-Mampong due to his humility, respect and hardworking nature. He was therefore handed a contract at Fernando Po by the missionaries and on arrival at the shores of Fernando Po, he saw that the cash crop was valuable and also good to eat.
After working there for six years he decided o return to his motherland, Gold Coast and this is where the untold story unfolds itself. I doubt the possibility of transporting cocoa beans all the way to Gold Coast. Did he not free his bowel on his return trip? If he did, did the beans we are made to believe he swallowed come out?
Let us educate ourselves because they say "history is well preserved when celebrated". Tetteh Quarshie never swallowed cocoa beans to Ghana, then Gold Coast but rather he smuggled seven cocoa pods in his tools box. As at those days no person was permitted to transport any seed from one country to another so he hid them under his tools on board the boat that came to the shores of Ghana.
On return he started a small farm where he planted the fruit which now serve as the major foreign income cash crop for Ghana at Akropong-Mampong. The farm is still there but rather pathetic because it has been abandoned by the state and people of Ghana.
Credit to Ruth Osei and Ras Collins (Ghana Institute of Journalism)
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