Nairobi kurokɛseɛ a adaagyeɛ nnim no fa baabi, na mmarimaa kuo bi a wɔnni ahwɛfoɔ de ayɛ wɔn atenaeɛ. Wɔn deɛ, sɛdeɛ ɛda biara de bɛba no wɔfa no saa ara. Dakoro anɔpa bi, mmarimaa yi sɔre firii awɔ no mu bobɔɔ wɔn akɛtɛ firii ɛkwan ho. Sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a wɔn ho awɔ betu enti wɔde ewira sɔɔ egya ano toeɛ. Magozwe ka saa mmaarimaa kuo yi ho. Ɔno ne akumaa koraa wɔ wɔn mu.
In the busy city of Nairobi, far away from a caring life at home, lived a group of homeless boys. They welcomed each day just as it came.
On one morning, the boys were packing their mats after sleeping on cold pavements. To chase away the cold they lit a fire with rubbish.
Among the group of boys was Magozwe. He was the youngest.
Ɛberɛ a Magozwe awofoɔ wuiɛ no, na wadi mfeɛ nnum pɛ. Ɔkɔtenaa ne wɔfa nkyɛn. Saa panin yi anhwɛ abofra no yie. Wamma Magozwe aduane anni amee. Ɔmaa no yɛɛ adwumaden ahodoɔ pii.
When Magozwe’s parents died, he was only five years old. He went to live with his uncle. This man did not care about the child. He did not give Magozwe enough food. He made the boy do a lot of hard work.
Sɛ Magozwe nwinwii anaa ɔbisa asɛm bi a, ne wɔfa no aboro no. Sɛ Magozwe bisa sɛ ɔbɛtumi akɔ sukuu a, ne wɔfa no boro no sane ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Wagyimi dodo sɛ ɔbɛsua adeɛ.” Mfeɛ mmiɛsa ateetee yi akyi no, Magozwe dwane firii ne wɔfa nkyɛn kɔtenaa abɔnten so bɔɔ ne bra.
If Magozwe complained or questioned, his uncle beat him. When Magozwe asked if he could go to school, his uncle beat him and said, “You’re too stupid to learn anything.”
After three years of this treatment Magozwe ran away from his uncle. He started living on the street.
Na abɔnten so tena abrabɔ yɛ den enti, dabiara mmarimaa no mu fa kɛseɛ no ara brɛ ansa na wɔanya wɔn ano aduane adi. Ɛtɔ ɛberɛ bi a wɔkye wɔn, ɛtɔ berɛ bi nso a wɔboro wɔn. Sɛ wɔyare a, wɔnni obiara a ɔbɛboa wɔn. Ɛkuo yi de wɔn ho to wɔn sika ketewaa bi a wɔnya firii deɛ wɔserɛserɛ, deɛ wɔnya firi rɔba a wɔtontɔn ɛnne nneɛma dada a wɔtumi dane ani yɛ no foforo a wɔtɔn no mu. Adeɛ a ɛsan ma abrabɔ no mu yɛ den paa ne sɛ, akuoakuo foforɔ bi a ɔpɛsɛ ɔgye kurokɛseɛ no afa baabi bɔso no tumi bɛne wɔn ko ntɔkwa.
Street life was difficult and most of the boys struggled daily just to get food. Sometimes they were arrested, sometimes they were beaten. When they were sick, there was no one to help.
The group depended on the little money they got from begging, and from selling plastics and other recycling.
Life was even more difficult because of fights with rival groups who wanted control of parts of the city.
Dakoro bi a Magozwe rehwehwɛ sumina nkyɛnsee mu no, ɔhuu abasɛm nwoma dada bi a atete. Ɔpepaa efi no firii ho de hyɛɛ ne kotokuo mu. Ɛberɛ ne aberɛ biara ɔyi nwoma no hwɛ mfoni a ɛwɔ mu. Ɔnnim sɛdeɛ yɛkenkan nsɛm a ɛwɔ mu no.
One day while Magozwe was looking through the dustbins, he found an old tattered storybook. He cleaned the dirt from it and put it in his sack.
Every day after that he would take out the book and look at the pictures. He did not know how to read the words.
Mfoni no ka abarimaa bi a ɔnyini bɛyɛɛ wiemhyɛnkafoɔ ho asɛm. Ɛyɛ Magozwe adaeɛsoɔ sɛ anka ɔbɛyɛ wiemhyɛnkafoɔ. Ɛtɔ dabi a, na n’adwen yɛ no sɛ anka ɔno ne abarimaa a ɔwɔ abasɛm no mu.
The pictures told the story of a boy who grew up to be a pilot.
Magozwe would daydream of being a pilot. Sometimes, he imagined that he was the boy in the story.
Da bi na awɔ wɔ mu na Magozwe gyina ɛkwan ho reserɛ adeɛ no, Ɔbarima bi kɔɔ ne nkyɛn. Ɔbarima no kaa sɛ, “Yɛfrɛ me Thomas. M’adwuma bɛn ha, baabi a wobɛnya biribi adi.” Ɔde ne nsa kyerɛɛ ɛdan bi a ɛyɛ akokɔsradeɛ na ne nkyɛnsee a ɛbɔ so no yɛ bluu. Ɔbisaeɛ sɛ, “Megyidi sɛ wobɛkɔ hɔ akɔpɛ aduane bi adi anaa?” Magozwe hwɛɛ ɔbarima no, ɛnna ɔsane hwɛɛ ɛdan no. Ɔkaeɛ sɛ, “Ebia,” ɛnna ɔgyaa hɔ kɔeɛ.
It was cold and Magozwe was standing on the road begging. A man walked up to him. “Hello, I’m Thomas. I work near here, at a place where you can get something to eat,” said the man.
He pointed to a yellow house with a blue roof. “I hope you will go there to get some food?” he asked.
Magozwe looked at the man, and then at the house. “Maybe,” he said, and walked away.
Abosome bi akyi no, Thomas anim kokwaa mmarimaa no a ɛnni atenaeɛ no. N’ani gye ho sɛ ɔne nnipa kasa, ne titire ne wɔn a wɔtete abɔten so. Thomas tiee nkorɔfoɔ abrabɔ mu abasɛm. Ɔyɛ obi a ɔmfa biribiara nni agorɔ na ɔwɔ abotrɛ nso, ɔnyɛ ahomasoɔ anaa obi a ɔmmu adeɛ. Mmarimaa no bi hyɛɛ aseɛ kɔɔ ɛfie a ɛyɛ akokɔsradeɛ ne bluu no mu kɔgye aduane awia nnɔndummienu berɛ mu.
Over the months that followed, the homeless boys got used to seeing Thomas around. He liked to talk to people, especially people living on the streets.
Thomas listened to the stories of people’s lives. He was serious and patient, never rude or disrespectful. Some of the boys started going to the yellow and blue house to get food at midday.
Na Magozwe te anamonkwan bi a yɛde aboɔ ayɛ no mu rehwɛ ne mfoni nwoma no mu ɛna Thomas bɛtenaa ne nkyɛn. Thomas bisaeɛ sɛ, “Abasɛm no fa ɛdeɛn ho?” Magozwe buaeɛ sɛ, “Ɛfa abarimaa bi a ɔpɛsɛ ɔbɛyɛ wiemhyenkafoɔ ho asɛm.” Thomas bisaeɛ sɛ, “Abarimaa no din de sɛn?” Magozwe buaeɛ bɔkɔɔ sɛ, “Mennim, mentumi nkenkan.”
Magozwe was sitting on the pavement looking at his picture book when Thomas sat down next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a pilot,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“I don’t know, I can’t read,” said Magozwe quietly.
Ɛbere a wɔhyiaeɛ no, Magozwe hyɛɛ aseɛ kaa n’abrabɔ mu nsɛm kyerɛɛ Thomas. Asɛm no fa ɔne ne wɔfa asetena ne deɛ ɛyɛɛ a ɔdwane firii ne nkyɛn. Thomas ankasa bebree, ɛnna wankyerɛ Magozwe nso deɛ ɔnyɛ nanso ɔyɛɛ diin tiee no aberɛ biara. Ɛtɔ ɛberɛ bi na sɛ wɔredidi wɔ efie a ne nkurusoɔ yɛ bluu no mu a wɔdi nkɔmmɔ.
When they met, Magozwe began to tell his own story to Thomas. It was the story of his uncle and why he ran away.
Thomas didn’t talk a lot, and he didn’t tell Magozwe what to do, but he always listened carefully.
Sometimes they would talk while they ate at the house with the blue roof.
Magozwe mfeɛ du awoda bere mu no, Thomas maa no abasɛm nwoma foforɔ. Ɛfa okuraseni abarimaa bi a onyini bɛgyee din wɔ bɔɔlobɔ mu. Thomas kenkanee abasɛm no kyerɛɛ Magozwe mpɛn pii kɔsii sɛ dakoro bi ɔkaa sɛ, “Medwen sɛ ɛberɛ aso sɛ wokɔ sukuu kosua sɛdeɛ yɛkenkan. Wodwene ho sɛn?” Thomas kyerɛɛ mu sɛ, ɔnim baabi a mmofra bɛtumi atena akɔ sukuu.
Around Magozwe’s tenth birthday, Thomas gave him a new storybook. It was a story about a village boy who grew up to be a famous soccer player.
Thomas read that story to Magozwe many times, until one day he said, “I think it’s time you went to school and learned to read. What do you think?” Thomas explained that he knew of a place where children could stay, and go to school.
Magozwe dwenee baabi foforɔ a ɔrekɔtena ɛnne sukuu a ɔrebɛkɔ no ho. Na sɛ deɛ ne wɔfa kaeɛ no sɛ ɔyɛ gyimifoɔ sɛ ɔbɛsua adeɛ no yɛ ampa ɛ? Na sɛ wɔboro no baabi foforɔ hɔ ɛ? Ehu kaa no. Ɔdwenee ho sɛ, “Ɛbia na ɛyɛ sɛ metena abɔnten ha ara.”
Magozwe thought about this new place, and about going to school. What if his uncle was right and he was too stupid to learn anything?
What if they beat him at this new place? He was afraid. “Maybe it is better to stay living on the street,” he thought.
Ɔkaa ehu a abɔ no no kyerɛɛ Thomas. Aberɛ biara ɔbarima no kɔso hyɛ no nkurane sɛ baabi foforɔ hɔ abrabɔ bɛtumi ayɛ papa.
He shared his fears with Thomas. Over time the man reassured the boy that life could be better at the new place.
Ɛno nti Magozwe tu kɔtenaa ɛfie a ne mmɔsoɔ yɛ ahabanmono no mu. Ɔne mmarimaa baanu na ɛte ɛdan no mu. Mmofra dodo a ɛte efie no mu nyinaa yɛ edu. Ante Sisi ne ne kunu, nkraman mmiensa, ɔkra, ne apɔnkye a wanyini nso wɔ efie hɔ bi.
And so Magozwe moved into a room in a house with a green roof. He shared the room with two other boys.
Altogether there were ten children living at that house. Along with Auntie Cissy and her husband, three dogs, a cat, and an old goat.
Magozwe hyɛɛ sukuu aseɛ no na ɛyɛ den ma no. Ɔwɔ nnoɔma pii sua kosi sɛ ɔbɛtumi ne adadafoɔ no ayɛ pɛ. Ɛtɔ dabi a na n’abamu pɛsɛ ɛbu. Nanso ɛyɛ a na w’adwene ewiemhyɛnkafoɔ ɛne bɔɔlɔbɔni no a abasɛm nnwoma no ka wɔn ho nsɛm no. Wɔn nti, wamma n’abamu ammu.
Magozwe started school and it was difficult. He had a lot to catch up. Sometimes he wanted to give up.
But he thought about the pilot and the soccer player in the storybooks. Like them, he did not give up.
Na Magozwe te ɛfie a ne mmɔsoɔ yɛ ahabanmono adihɔ rekenkan abasɛm nwoma a ɔde firii sukuu baeɛ no, Thomas ba bɛtenaa ne nkyɛn. Thomas bisaeɛ sɛ, “Abasɛm nwoma no fa ɛdeɛ bɛn ho?” Magozwe buaeɛ sɛ, “Ɛfa abarimaa bi a ɔrebɛyɛ ɔkyerɛkyerɛni. Thomas bisaeɛ sɛ, “Abarimaa no din de sɛn?” Magozwe nwenwenee kaeɛ sɛ, “Ne din de Magozwe.
Magozwe was sitting in the yard at the house with the green roof, reading a storybook from school. Thomas came up and sat next to him.
“What is the story about?” asked Thomas.
“It’s about a boy who becomes a teacher,” replied Magozwe.
“What’s the boy’s name?” asked Thomas.
“His name is Magozwe,” said Magozwe with a smile.
Lesley Koyi
Wiehan de Jager
Agnes Asamoah-Duodu (OLE Ghana)
Asante Twi
Level 5
The audio for this story is currently not available.
