The wonders of nature have so much power to captivate and inspire us. For those who have deep love and appreciation for the natural world, their passion is often infectious. Spending time with Prof. Kofi Asare Opoku and visiting his forest preserve, which he passionately calls Ananse Akuraa (the Spider’s Village), has opened my eyes to the beauty and complexity of our environment, and leads me on a journey of discovery.
“Knowledge is like a garden: If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.” This African proverb speaks to the need for nurturing knowledge and passing it on to younger generations to keep it alive and growing. Prof Kofi Asare Opoku has passed on to us the importance of preserving our natural environments.
Influenced by Prof Asare’s work at Ananse Akuraa, I engaged my students in community tree planting by planting about 1000 mahogany seeds which have been distributed to homes in the community. In addition, students in my school have been assigned to take care of young trees in my school.
William Arthur Ward, states, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” I want to dedicate my blog to show gratitude to Prof. Kofi Asare Opoku for inspiring me and many others, for being an example we can emulate. You have not just left knowledge in my mind but also in my heart.
Thank you.
Samuel Delali Awutey
Doryumu Methodist Basic School
Creative Arts and Computing teacher