Mensah was born not too long after his country Ghana, gained its independence. As a country evolving from colonial rule, there was still a lot of work to be done to ensure proper governance. There were no phones, computers, few television sets and very few automobiles. In fact there existed none of the technological gadgets we use in our day. There were no child laws to protect the rights of children, though traditional rulers instituted certain norms and taboos to instill discipline and maintain order in their various towns and villages.
He said,” “though there were very few civic laws, our parents were each other’s keepers. Everybody in the community I grew up in shared a common goal when it came to the upbringing of their children. When it comes to discipline, you could be disciplined by anyone, at any time and place whether the people involved are your parents or not, once you are caught doing the wrong thing. The old people told some folklore, every evening or during our leisure times. I particularly remember the “Kwaku Ananse” stories. Our parents really believed in corporal punishment as a way to correct …show more content…
I had four brothers, two sisters and I was the third born son of my parents. We lived in a compound house in a community, which was under developed at the time. My parents made very little money which was not enough to provide all of us with the things we needed. Times were hard. I had to go to school barefooted. During school break, I would have to rush home to help my mum cook the food she would sell and perform other chores. During vacations, I took on odd jobs to save some money to get myself a new pair of school uniform and some other things I needed. Television sets were not too common at the time and my parents could not afford to buy one. But I yearned so much to watch TV, that I took no thought of what I had to do to achieve that. My dad had warned me about such behavior but my childhood curiosity led me on. I followed my two elder brothers one day to watch a concert and got home very late only to find the doors locked. We had nowhere to go and spend the night. Being the little one, my brothers urged me to knock on the door; perhaps our parents would pity me and open the door. There was no answer. We knew we were in trouble, but I knew I was in more trouble than the others. A Few moments later, I heard my dad and mum argue, then the door clicked open, there stood my mum,