well good afternoon and thank you for
waiting so patiently when you look at my
profile I am the last of ten children
and these things follow you so I’m the
last year my topic this afternoon is
about investing in children I have great
pleasure and I feel honored to share
with you stories and people who have
invested in my life and inspired me to
do the same thinking about stories we
all sometimes hear the phrase you have
to dream big dreams and big dreams are
wonderful only dreamers can change the
world and for me the dreamer that stands
above all dreamers it’s Joseph so when I
read the story of Joseph the one with
the Technicolor Dreamcoat
yes when I read the story of Joseph I
wanted to interview him so this poem is
about my interview with Joseph dreaming
yourself dreaming yourself tell me what
you saw
I saw in the field of since we bought 12
seats all in all I looked again and saw
in my dream 11 sheets on the ground for
homage the page – one sheaf alone and
that belonged to me dreaming yourself
dreaming just that what else did you see
I saw in my dream the Sun the moon and
the Eleven stars shining bright I looked
again amazed to see the
about and called me Lord dreaming
yourself dreaming yourself tell me what
is true dreams are dreams when you sleep
but do they all come true your dream is
life your dream is hope to help you
understand the one above cause on you
some special job to do your dreams may
not unfold the way you thought they
would the words that greets you in the
way prepare you for your role appointed
in love by him who will make your dreams
come true
his plan it all perfectly and he’s
marked the dates for you so when you
find your journey long which makes you
sad and blue recall your dreams and
there do hope that some day they will
come true the journey between your
dreaming you may be a long and winding
road and when you think your dream has
died believe in the giver of Dreams who
lives above he will make it all come
true so that is my poem about my
researcher well I was born in a Ghanaian
village where children learn the trade
of their parents so my parents were
farmers I was destined to be a farmer
for the rest of my life then something
wonderful happened according to Lord
Tennyson’s poem the old order changes
yielding place to new and God fulfills
himself in many ways lest one good
custom should corrupt the world and the
year I was born
the old order was changing this man came
on the stage of the world
asaji for dr. kwame nkrumah Ghana’s
first prime minister and first president
he was fighting from independence from
colonial rule and the first thing on his
mind was to educate Korean children and
the only way he could educate us was if
he made education compulsory because our
parents were not going to just let us go
to school when there was work to be done
on the farms and so compulsory free
education came about and that is why I
went to school this is another quote
from dr. kwame nkrumah and this quote
really delights my heart what does the
educated man do and for me I like the
last sentence where he says the educated
man needs to have power to appreciate
the needs of the people around him and
be of service to them and so he also
inspired me not only to get
education but also to do something with
my education so dr. kwame nkrumah stands
in the annals of my life as the man who
set my foot on the first step of this
journey I was humbled to learn that in
1949 the year I was born was the same
year he was planning to educate Canadian
children how amazing is that well Sonya
and yet so far
education was free but our parents had
to buy uniforms and books at that time I
said my elder sister and I were the only
ones young enough to go to school but
before my final year I was it was 1965
where I would have been in my final year
in school my mother couldn’t afford to
buy my school uniform all the books I
needed life was tough so she said to me
I’ve tried the best I could you have to
help me in the market so no one will
know the pain in the heart of a child
when you see all your colleagues walk
into school and you are in a market
selling and I carried that big platter
on my head
selling soap and towels and talc in the
neighborhood at that time we had moved
from Keita Karachi to Hanoi and Jorge
was a big vibrant town the people of ho
ho speak away and I didn’t speak away at
the time I didn’t understand the
language so our mom called me to buy
soup and when I went when I went to him
I said to him please sir do you speak
English because I don’t understand away
he said of course I speak English
have you finished your elementary school
education already and I said no sir
so why are you not in school and I so
please sir it’s a long story
my mother has tried the best she could
but she can’t afford financially things
are really tough she can’t afford to buy
my uniforms then he paused and said who
is your mother so I told him my mother’s
name and he said we’re in a market is
she so I told him where my when he could
find my mother in the market I thought
you wanted to buy arms because my mother
sold us well he he paid for what he
bought and I just carried on selling
that same week my mother came from the
market and he said she said you have to
go back to school oh okay we have to
find a school for you
and fortunately for me the school she
found the school that had vacancies for
me was the RCL school in Hawaii and I
was so fortunate also to have mrs.
Teresa Senna who was not only the
headmistress of the school but my class
teacher Emmy citizen who was passionate
about poetry we learned all kinds of
poems from Lord Tennyson’s the old order
changes to hell instant arises hard
gifts all kinds of poems but I was one
poem a narrative poem which had 19
verses and she wanted us to learn all 19
verses and that poem was by Robert
Southey an old English poet who wrote
about Bishop Otto the narrative of the
poem was that this rich Bishop appointed
a day to quiet the poor without delay
the poor folk flocked from far ania the
great barn was full as it could hold
of women and children and young and old
then when he saw it could hold no more
Bishop hat oh he made fast to the door
and Qualis for mercy on Christ to their
cold he set fire to the barn who burnt
them all to my young heart how cruel can
this be shall be he killed all the
people who only wanted a bit of grain
from him but getting to the end of that
narrative heavy shop who run away and
hid himself in his tower in an island
not only did he have rats eat in all his
corn the rats marched to him and the
part of the poem that delighted me my
young heart was and all at once to the
bishop the goal they knowed the flesh
from every limb and now they pick the
bishops bones for they were sent to do
judgment on him
and so in my young heart I realized that
nobody really gets away with it you know
nobody gets away that even bishops don’t
get away with murder
and so that poem put the love of poetry
narrative poetry so I started writing
for poems when I was in school and I
wrote it as a hobby I wrote poems for my
friends for their birthdays
anniversaries I enjoyed writing poetry
and short stories and then after school
again entrance into nothing and I
enjoyed nursing it was fantastic
learning about the human body look Lenny
about anatomy physiology and nursing and
all the principles that was amazing
am I finally in sa my mother became ill
then she was admitted to my hospital
and as we do in every corporation or
company I hope all my colleagues would
go and visit her by her fruits the
doctors everybody agrees at Hannah’s mom
oh honey how is Hannah’s mom doing and
my mother felt so proud and fulfilled
after her discharge from the hospital
she said to me Hannah what’s the name of
that man you asked to come and beg me to
send you back to school that question
took me aback that’s what man she said
the man came to me in the market and he
gave me a strict warning he said madam
if you don’t turn that girl back to
school you know you’ll regret it in the
future because I can see a bright future
for her that man whose name I don’t know
you couldn’t ask I grown up what is his
name it is not part of our culture I
never knew this man’s name and yet he
invested in my life because he took the
trouble he took his time to go and speak
to my mother and because he did that I
was able to go back to school and now
then International Society of poetry I
have bestowed on me the title
distinguished boys this would not have
been possible had not somebody invested
in my life and so that is why I write
life-affirming stories I believe that by
writing life-affirming stories and
encouraging children to accept
themselves learn to live love themselves
they also will grow up and also learn to
invest my story ponder song addresses
the antagonist within every every story
has a hero and a villain a protagonist
and an antagonist but what is the
antagonist in the story of your life is
you or how you feel about yourself or
how somebody made you feel about
yourself as we heard from Jackie
she was walking around and nobody knew
the hurt she felt and so in my story
panda song I brought all the animals in
the world into one rainforest a bit like
today you know our world today is made
up of all nationalities and so we have
Miss India who even though is a little
monkey is not afraid to argue with a
camel and the animal started to argue
whether the creator has paint pots and
paintbrushes in his workshop because he
painted everything different there’s a
row said yes I think he has look at my
stripes hmm so the bull father also
agrees but look at pandas see where
Panda is the parrot said of course look
at my beautiful furthers the creator
painted them and the tiger steps have to
say my stripes are more beautiful than
yours do you hear that on a school
playground or in adult life when people
compare themselves with themselves Saul
of Tarsus who became poor the apostle he
wrote those who compare themselves with
themselves are not wise but in my rain
forest the animals continue to compare
themselves then the peacock also and
fells his feathers and says the Creator
had more time for me you know
look if printed every single further so
beautifully at which time panda began to
sob and asked panda why are you crying
she said I don’t like myself I don’t
think I’m beautiful
look at me I’m neither white nor black I
wish I was black all over all white all
over the Cody Nico said if you were
black all over you’d be a black bear
you’ve got a black bear already and if
you’re right all over you’ll be a polar
bear we got the polar bear already so
the Creator must have purposely made you
the way you are you are beautiful you
are unique you are special and so they
encourage panda to look at a reflection
in the lake and when she did of course
she’s different but she’s beautiful and
so when panda looked at herself in the
lake
she came up and she remembered a song
her mother used to think shall we listen
[Music] [Applause]
waiting so patiently when you look at my
profile I am the last of ten children
and these things follow you so I’m the
last year my topic this afternoon is
about investing in children I have great
pleasure and I feel honored to share
with you stories and people who have
invested in my life and inspired me to
do the same thinking about stories we
all sometimes hear the phrase you have
to dream big dreams and big dreams are
wonderful only dreamers can change the
world and for me the dreamer that stands
above all dreamers it’s Joseph so when I
read the story of Joseph the one with
the Technicolor Dreamcoat
yes when I read the story of Joseph I
wanted to interview him so this poem is
about my interview with Joseph dreaming
yourself dreaming yourself tell me what
you saw
I saw in the field of since we bought 12
seats all in all I looked again and saw
in my dream 11 sheets on the ground for
homage the page – one sheaf alone and
that belonged to me dreaming yourself
dreaming just that what else did you see
I saw in my dream the Sun the moon and
the Eleven stars shining bright I looked
again amazed to see the
about and called me Lord dreaming
yourself dreaming yourself tell me what
is true dreams are dreams when you sleep
but do they all come true your dream is
life your dream is hope to help you
understand the one above cause on you
some special job to do your dreams may
not unfold the way you thought they
would the words that greets you in the
way prepare you for your role appointed
in love by him who will make your dreams
come true
his plan it all perfectly and he’s
marked the dates for you so when you
find your journey long which makes you
sad and blue recall your dreams and
there do hope that some day they will
come true the journey between your
dreaming you may be a long and winding
road and when you think your dream has
died believe in the giver of Dreams who
lives above he will make it all come
true so that is my poem about my
researcher well I was born in a Ghanaian
village where children learn the trade
of their parents so my parents were
farmers I was destined to be a farmer
for the rest of my life then something
wonderful happened according to Lord
Tennyson’s poem the old order changes
yielding place to new and God fulfills
himself in many ways lest one good
custom should corrupt the world and the
year I was born
the old order was changing this man came
on the stage of the world
asaji for dr. kwame nkrumah Ghana’s
first prime minister and first president
he was fighting from independence from
colonial rule and the first thing on his
mind was to educate Korean children and
the only way he could educate us was if
he made education compulsory because our
parents were not going to just let us go
to school when there was work to be done
on the farms and so compulsory free
education came about and that is why I
went to school this is another quote
from dr. kwame nkrumah and this quote
really delights my heart what does the
educated man do and for me I like the
last sentence where he says the educated
man needs to have power to appreciate
the needs of the people around him and
be of service to them and so he also
inspired me not only to get
education but also to do something with
my education so dr. kwame nkrumah stands
in the annals of my life as the man who
set my foot on the first step of this
journey I was humbled to learn that in
1949 the year I was born was the same
year he was planning to educate Canadian
children how amazing is that well Sonya
and yet so far
education was free but our parents had
to buy uniforms and books at that time I
said my elder sister and I were the only
ones young enough to go to school but
before my final year I was it was 1965
where I would have been in my final year
in school my mother couldn’t afford to
buy my school uniform all the books I
needed life was tough so she said to me
I’ve tried the best I could you have to
help me in the market so no one will
know the pain in the heart of a child
when you see all your colleagues walk
into school and you are in a market
selling and I carried that big platter
on my head
selling soap and towels and talc in the
neighborhood at that time we had moved
from Keita Karachi to Hanoi and Jorge
was a big vibrant town the people of ho
ho speak away and I didn’t speak away at
the time I didn’t understand the
language so our mom called me to buy
soup and when I went when I went to him
I said to him please sir do you speak
English because I don’t understand away
he said of course I speak English
have you finished your elementary school
education already and I said no sir
so why are you not in school and I so
please sir it’s a long story
my mother has tried the best she could
but she can’t afford financially things
are really tough she can’t afford to buy
my uniforms then he paused and said who
is your mother so I told him my mother’s
name and he said we’re in a market is
she so I told him where my when he could
find my mother in the market I thought
you wanted to buy arms because my mother
sold us well he he paid for what he
bought and I just carried on selling
that same week my mother came from the
market and he said she said you have to
go back to school oh okay we have to
find a school for you
and fortunately for me the school she
found the school that had vacancies for
me was the RCL school in Hawaii and I
was so fortunate also to have mrs.
Teresa Senna who was not only the
headmistress of the school but my class
teacher Emmy citizen who was passionate
about poetry we learned all kinds of
poems from Lord Tennyson’s the old order
changes to hell instant arises hard
gifts all kinds of poems but I was one
poem a narrative poem which had 19
verses and she wanted us to learn all 19
verses and that poem was by Robert
Southey an old English poet who wrote
about Bishop Otto the narrative of the
poem was that this rich Bishop appointed
a day to quiet the poor without delay
the poor folk flocked from far ania the
great barn was full as it could hold
of women and children and young and old
then when he saw it could hold no more
Bishop hat oh he made fast to the door
and Qualis for mercy on Christ to their
cold he set fire to the barn who burnt
them all to my young heart how cruel can
this be shall be he killed all the
people who only wanted a bit of grain
from him but getting to the end of that
narrative heavy shop who run away and
hid himself in his tower in an island
not only did he have rats eat in all his
corn the rats marched to him and the
part of the poem that delighted me my
young heart was and all at once to the
bishop the goal they knowed the flesh
from every limb and now they pick the
bishops bones for they were sent to do
judgment on him
and so in my young heart I realized that
nobody really gets away with it you know
nobody gets away that even bishops don’t
get away with murder
and so that poem put the love of poetry
narrative poetry so I started writing
for poems when I was in school and I
wrote it as a hobby I wrote poems for my
friends for their birthdays
anniversaries I enjoyed writing poetry
and short stories and then after school
again entrance into nothing and I
enjoyed nursing it was fantastic
learning about the human body look Lenny
about anatomy physiology and nursing and
all the principles that was amazing
am I finally in sa my mother became ill
then she was admitted to my hospital
and as we do in every corporation or
company I hope all my colleagues would
go and visit her by her fruits the
doctors everybody agrees at Hannah’s mom
oh honey how is Hannah’s mom doing and
my mother felt so proud and fulfilled
after her discharge from the hospital
she said to me Hannah what’s the name of
that man you asked to come and beg me to
send you back to school that question
took me aback that’s what man she said
the man came to me in the market and he
gave me a strict warning he said madam
if you don’t turn that girl back to
school you know you’ll regret it in the
future because I can see a bright future
for her that man whose name I don’t know
you couldn’t ask I grown up what is his
name it is not part of our culture I
never knew this man’s name and yet he
invested in my life because he took the
trouble he took his time to go and speak
to my mother and because he did that I
was able to go back to school and now
then International Society of poetry I
have bestowed on me the title
distinguished boys this would not have
been possible had not somebody invested
in my life and so that is why I write
life-affirming stories I believe that by
writing life-affirming stories and
encouraging children to accept
themselves learn to live love themselves
they also will grow up and also learn to
invest my story ponder song addresses
the antagonist within every every story
has a hero and a villain a protagonist
and an antagonist but what is the
antagonist in the story of your life is
you or how you feel about yourself or
how somebody made you feel about
yourself as we heard from Jackie
she was walking around and nobody knew
the hurt she felt and so in my story
panda song I brought all the animals in
the world into one rainforest a bit like
today you know our world today is made
up of all nationalities and so we have
Miss India who even though is a little
monkey is not afraid to argue with a
camel and the animal started to argue
whether the creator has paint pots and
paintbrushes in his workshop because he
painted everything different there’s a
row said yes I think he has look at my
stripes hmm so the bull father also
agrees but look at pandas see where
Panda is the parrot said of course look
at my beautiful furthers the creator
painted them and the tiger steps have to
say my stripes are more beautiful than
yours do you hear that on a school
playground or in adult life when people
compare themselves with themselves Saul
of Tarsus who became poor the apostle he
wrote those who compare themselves with
themselves are not wise but in my rain
forest the animals continue to compare
themselves then the peacock also and
fells his feathers and says the Creator
had more time for me you know
look if printed every single further so
beautifully at which time panda began to
sob and asked panda why are you crying
she said I don’t like myself I don’t
think I’m beautiful
look at me I’m neither white nor black I
wish I was black all over all white all
over the Cody Nico said if you were
black all over you’d be a black bear
you’ve got a black bear already and if
you’re right all over you’ll be a polar
bear we got the polar bear already so
the Creator must have purposely made you
the way you are you are beautiful you
are unique you are special and so they
encourage panda to look at a reflection
in the lake and when she did of course
she’s different but she’s beautiful and
so when panda looked at herself in the
lake
she came up and she remembered a song
her mother used to think shall we listen
[Music] [Applause]
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