A SILENT HERITAGE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

A SILENT HERITAGE
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

LETITIA EVA OBENG

Smartline Publishing 2007

Letitia Eva Obeng A Silent Heritage - An Autbigrah Cright Letitia Eva Obeng 2007 First Published, 2007 ISBN - 9988-0All rights reserved. N art f this ublicatin ma be rerduced, stred in a retrieval sstem, r transmitted in an frm r b an means, electrnic, mechanical, htcing r therwise, withut rir ermissin f the Cright Owner Designers: Nana Adu Agyare, Vulate Tate Asare, Armah Armatey Published b Smartline Publishing C3 Castal Estates DTD Baatsna, Sintex Rad-Accra Ghana-West Africa E-mail:smartlne@wwwlus.cm

DEDICATION

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOREWORD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. A SILENT HERITAGE. A PROLOGUE OF MANY THANKS. IN THE BEGINNING HAPPY DAYS WITH MAMA. GLORIOUS DAYS. REALITIES AND UNCERTAINTIES. THE ASIHENES, MY SIBLINGS. STRIDING OUT. ACHIMOTA, NINO DAYS. v vi 3 4 11 21 40 54 66 93 102 117 132 141 163 173 200 209 223 234 255 270 284 298 306

10. ACHIMOTA, THE FORMATIVE YEARS. 11. THE STORM OF CHANGE. 12. THE STRANGE BEYOND. 13. THE CHALLENGE OF WORK. 14. FAMILY; LIFES ENDLESS JOYS. 15. RESOLVE AND OPPORTUNITIES. 16. LIVERPOOL AND Simulium. 17. CHILDREN LIFES GREATEST BLESSING. 18. THE BIRTH OF AN INSTITUTE. 19. LIVING WATERS. 20. STOCKHOLM AND THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT. 21. FROM WATER TO ENVIRONMENT. 22. UNEP. 23. CHINA.

24. NAIROBI AND WORK. 25. GROWING UP WITH MY CHILDREN. 26. MY FAMILY AND SPORTS. 27. ROA AND THE AFRICAN SREGs 28. RETIREMENT AND REFLECTIONS. 29. HOME AND MY GROWN-UP KIDS. 30. FAR AWAY PLACES. 40. KEEPING BUSY. 41. GHANA MY COUNTRY AND HOME. 42. MY LIFE, MY LOVES. 43. MY HAPPY EPILOGUE

314 332 349 353 368 381 467 478 494 515 541

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

FOREWORD
Dr. Letitia Obengs autbigrah is n rdinar autbigrah. It is nt nl a cativating life str f an illustrius and accmlished ersnalit but als a fascinating, ercetive and enthralling accunt f the lives and times f the Asihene and Obeng families and a lt mre. B ever standard, the bk is a remarkable iece f wrk. It is indeed utstanding n several cunts. First, the life story of our distinguished author, the first Ghanaian female Ph.D in Science, is a rich taestr rtraing the simle leasures f rural life in Ashanti, the hilarius and stimulating schl das at Achimta, rigrus intellectual endeavurs in austere st-war Britain, a challenging science career in Ghana and high level internatinal service in the area f envirnment which exsed her t wide-ranging glbal activities. Secnd, the term autbigrah belies the number and diversit f the characters in this absrbing bk. Dr. Obeng affectinatel and meticulusl chrnicles the rsums f her father, mther, seven siblings and their suses, her wn husband, Gerge, and her three children and their suses. Sme f the mst tuching assages in this autbigrah revlve arund Dr. Obengs lving interactins with her children and family members, the difficult days of her early widwhd and the blissful vacatins with her children arund the glbe. Furthermre the sce and reach f the bk g well bend the bigrahies f ersnalities. Dr. Obeng dislas her versatilit b emling the device f digressins t rvide us with exquisite gems f histr, anthrlg and scilg, such as the histr and gegrahical distributin f the Guan ele t whm the Asihene famil belngs, an analsis f

the institutin f chieftainc in Ghana, a brief fra int the litical histr f Ghana, an evaluatin f the educatin system in Ghana and reflections on gender issues. The author exlains that these digressin are meant t rvide backgrund infrmatin t nn-Ghanaian readers, but the have turned ut t be mst illuminating t Ghanaians als. The substantive value f the bk is enhanced b the literar rwess f the authr. Dr. Obengs elegant rse smetimes turns int delightful and sublime etr, articularl when she describes scenes f nature, invlving the rile r mvement f water. Her felicit f exressin is insired and sustained b what she describes as an enduring and ervasive life-force which is evident in her reflective moods. The bk is nt withut its lighter side. Fr examle, Dr. Obengs rtraal f the natinal traits f Ghanaians is marked b humur and wit as well as cmassin. Hwever the mst enduring imressin which this autbigrah leaves is that f a resunding triumh ver frmidable difficulties and challenges. The life of this renowned scientist and t internatinal executive, wh single-handedl educated all her three children t becme rfessinals, each with a Ph.D, shuld insire ever reader. Ghana and, indeed the whle wrld are indebted t her fr sharing her illuminating life exeriences with us. NANA DR. S. K. B. ASANTE
Omanhene of Asokore & of the Ghana Bar, Accra