Born in 1985, grandson of Kane Kwei.

Years of childhood

My mother had seven children with my father. On his side, Cedi who is my father had 8 other children. That makes a total of 14 sisters and brothers for me.

I was born in Teshie and I grew up in this compound where the workshop is. I left here in 2004 to go to my father’s house, about one kilometer away from here.

I went to school up to the end of Secondary School. With the certificate of Senior High School that I have, I could enter university. To learn what ? The courses I used to prefer were French and Social Sciences (History). I did not like mathematics.

After leaving school, I stayed in the house for one week. Then I went to the shop where I stayed for almost two years doing the work of an apprentice. Cedi did not like it at all. He did not want me to learn this job; he thought that I should have gone further with school.

Years of wondering

A formal apprentice of my father had established his business in Nsawam. I tried to go and work with him. He could not understand why I could not stay with Kane Kwei Workshop. He did not refuse me but I understood that he was a bit reluctant to take me. Nevertheless, he was always saying perhaps, why not… but no straight answer.

By the same time, I was seeing the shop going down and down while the others like Paa Joe or Hello were upgrading. I could not understand why they could not settle the bills of the house. So I said to myself that at least, with the little knowledge that I had, I could put it in the shop and see the outcome.

I came to the shop and I started working. I was always doing, doing, doing with the wood I could find around and it was very difficult: sometimes I was staying in the shop for one month, two months, without any order. By that time, I was about 20 years old.

My cousin also left with the apprentices. There was nothing left in the shop. During this period, I was working alone. Even if there was no order, I was managing with the money I had to make some coffins, only design coffins, to put in the showroom. I did a Coke bottle, also the pepper. The pepper is still there.

People around, when they saw me here working alone, they were wondering why after I had gone to school all that long I was just an ordinary carpenter. All I was saying to them was “the reason for which I do that is to keep the legacy of my grandfather Kane Kwei. For his name to remain, and not only to remain, but to grow and allow them, who are also related to him, to benefit some nice things”. I wanted them to understand that we should not let this name die.

During that period, I brought other guys from the town (Teshie) to assist in the shop. There was no money coming in so I used some money I had, for their payment to stay. Sometimes they were coming and not even working. They were not interested in what I was doing but I needed them around me to keep my mind busy. To keep me in company, to keep me entertained. They never understood what I was doing.

I was in the shop not only to work, but to meet the people, the tourists, the expatriates, who sometimes were stopping to take pictures of the coffins, and to explain to them everything, what I was doing, what my grandfather had done and the success he had abroad before he died. I needed their moral support. The money they could give me was not the target at all, at all.

For two good years they have been the only ones to encourage me. It’s not easy.

Taking Off

Since 2007, the shop has started to work again. Some people do not know that I am not making big money, but they think so and as I am young they do not understand. They talk, they don’t care. They do not want to learn.

Even my mother herself cannot believe that I could do it to this extend. She supports me. But sometimes I know that she still wondering why I did not continue schooling…

People in Teshie like me because of the commercial I did for Aquarius, simple. Also because they don’t see me playing big. For the apprentices, some of them like me for the encouragements I give to them. Some others because when I am in the shop I always try to make it work. I started to organize for us to cook together, to eat together and they like it. Sometimes I calculate my daily expenses, let say ten GHC. I eat only once and with the money I save we cook for everybody.

I respect the apprentices a lot. So I must make everything even if I cannot pay them well. The chop money for one day is 25 GHC that is 12.50 euro. For that reason, if I am not around or if I do not have the money, they all know that I do not have it.

I have a believe now: if I die today, I will go with the little knowledge I have and the little money I have. If they do not benefit from that, if they steal me (my room is always open, I do not lock anything), if they cheat me, then later when they are on their own they will not have access any more to those things that I give them and it will be their own problem. My grand-father used to say “always in this world, whatever position or where ever you may be, you should always have something in your finger tips and I always say this because when I am gone, I am gone with my knowledge. And that will be the time people will see your knowledge too”.

My best wish is that one dream has come true for me and I am open for the rest of the relatives of Kane Kwei to have access to whatever they dream in their life.

The worst thing, my fears : many are linked to the shop. Because it is a business for the whole family. And I don’t know what they have in mind for the shop.

Traveling

The first time I left Accra, I was 13. I made a tour in Ghana with a friend. We went to Kumasi, then Takoradi by train. Then Busua Beach and Cape Coast. We visited places, museums, zoos. Elmina Castle where Obama went too. It was really nice for me I met a lot of people during this visit, nice people who were asking questions, and listening to what I was saying. Ghanaians, Nigerians, German, French. Doing all kinds of jobs.
Right after, my next target was to visit neighbouring countries. I was in Togo. Then Benin and Nigeria. Especially the north of Nigeria, to visit my French friend who was working in Kano.

After I was back. Still in school.

And I was dreaming to see more places again. I wanted to go everywhere, in Africa, in Europe, everywhere. Money was not the problem: I was to be accommodated and fed by friends who were inviting me. For the ticket, sometimes, several people were ready to gather the money together. Those friends were foreigners.

I had the opportunity to go to Morocco but I was refused the visa. I had an opportunity to go to Grenada, in the West Indies. But I had to spend four hours in London for connecting flight and they refused to give me the transit visa, once I had a genuine official letter from the Grenada Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I did not understand why they were like that. I could not understand why.

More recently, I also tried to go for the exhibition of three coffins in Seville, in Spain. I was again refused.

When the workshop was very low, I tried for one good year to join Students and Youth organizations. Still my friends from abroad, French and British, helped me to find which organizations could allow me to work for them. I wanted to work and travel even without making money. It was something I was dreaming for. I know that there are NGOs that help people everywhere in the world. People working for them do not make money or a little. Some of them are of the age I was by then, with the same education level that I had but they can be helpful for others. I wanted to be part of them, to volunteer with NGOs to share the ideas I have, to work with people in need in Africa or elsewhere. No way. I got to understand that young Africans have no right to help the others. Not a single opportunity is possible for them to bring evidence that they also can be helpful for the other.

Aquarius and first trip to Europe

Early this year, I met a lady from Germany based in Spain who was interested in using the shop in a commercial for Aquarius soft drink. She spent about three weeks together with me, moving for funerals, looking for film directors, choosing the kind of coffin she would like to use. We had to prepare them before the crew come for the shooting.

Finally, the lady decided to use me as the main character. She was like a guide to me to do the adding very easily. Before the shooting, she promised me that she would do all she can to bring me to Europe for the launching of the commercial. I could not make it for the launching but I was finally in Madrid where I stayed three days. I then moved to Belgium for the exhibition, I stayed three weeks, then France for one week, Italy for three days. From Pisa to Seville (three days) and from Seville to Madrid and Casablanca.

I liked it a lot. I was happy I went during that period where the shop was rising. I was happy to go by knowing that I had something at home that works with me.

It was really an opportunity for me. This is a dream of 99% of Ghanaians to see Europe. I met some people very important. Not only important but they made me important to them. Some families wanted me to stay with them; some museums wanted me to stay more. Some are willing to invite me for a residence. It was a very big lesson also for me. When I was leaving, some people were saying to me that I should stay in Europe, that life was better here, etc… This was very ignorance of them. Me, I saw that Europe is not a place for me to make my life. I also thought it would be better for me to come back for what I am doing than to stay there. If I had stayed there, I would also have stopped opportunities for some other young artists coming. I want every Ghanaian to have the opportunity I had to go and then come back. Nobody should spoil that.

Within those five weeks, I saw so many things : Santiago Barnabau Stadium in Madrid, Paris City Museum of Modern Art, the Eiffel Tower, the big church in Pisa, Pisa tower. In Paris, I also went to a huge show with Amadou and Maryam, Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 that was the original band of Fela Kuti. I saw bridges in Firenze. I visited the harbor of Antwerp that is the larger one in Europe, the zoo in Antwerp. So many things.

I wish I go again. But no more than a month because I want the shop to keep on and I have to be there.