Greetings Mr. President,

In 2011, during the inauguration of Ashesi University in Berekuso, the then US Ambassador to Ghana, Donald Teitelbaum made this comment:

“As I was driving here today, and I was bouncing…And I was being pounded like fufu… I came to the realization that the relationship between America and Ghana is very much like fufu… ”

He added:

“…when you take two separate ingredients, both of which are good ingredients alone. When you take plantain and you take cassava, both different things and both very fine things …when you mix them together, nothing particularly happens. But when you mix them together with a little inspiration and a substantial amount of perspiration, pound them, you get something new…”

Mr. President, at that time you were the Vice President of Ghana and the Guest of Honor to that memorable ceremony and this is what you said in response to the ambassador’s analogy of fufu :

“I wish to thank the American ambassador for his philosophy on fufu!”

This was followed by a long pause and then you added:

“You can philosophize with virtually anything…I wish to thank you for the philosophy of fufu”

Then, you made a promise to him…You said the following:

“The fufu is ready and I wish to assure him that the next time he comes,

the light soup will be ready too”

(Of course, the crowd made an applause….We really love promises ooo!)

That’s not all, you finally said the following, and this is actually the reason why I wrote this article:

“…and that he would ride on a SMOOTH ROAD from any direction he takes,

Kwabenya or Kitase, he would ride on a smooth road to this campus! ”

Click to watch video