Chief of Baare (Naab Nya-akora Mantii)
In a passionate, straight-talking address that blended stern warnings with parental love, the Chief of Baare, Nya-akora Mantii, sent a clear message to the youth of his community: your future is worth far more than the temporary gleam of illegal gold or market-day coins.
Speaking at the District Assembly Conference Hall during the commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labor, Nya-akora Mantii pulled no punches as he addressed an audience of students, teachers, parents, and local authorities.
Chief Nya-akora Mantii began his address by positioning education as the non-negotiable cornerstone of a prosperous future.
“No Education, No Future”. He stated unequivocally that without education, there is simply no future for the youth or the wider community.
In a striking observation, the chief noted that when students take their education seriously, they insulate themselves from exploitation by anyone including their own parents.
He urged students to change their social habits at home, advising them to make their books their closest, most reliable companions.
A major focus of Nya-akora Mantii’s speech was a fierce warning against sacrificing a long-term future for immediate, short-sighted financial gain, specifically targeting market trading and “galamsey (illegal artisanal mining)”.
The chief strongly condemned the practice of abandoning school to work in dangerous galamsey pits or local markets, describing the money found there as fleeting and deceptive.
He highlighted the devastating health toll of illegal mining, warning that children working in the pits frequently contract severe, life-threatening illnesses. “The money you earn there,” he cautioned, “will never be enough to cure the sicknesses you bring home.”
Pointing to a heartbreaking reality in the Baare community, the chief lamented that many young girls who dropped out of school for galamsey sites have returned home pregnant, effectively ending their education and placing a heavy burden on their families.
Turning his attention to the adults in the room, Nya-akora Mantii made it clear that parents are often complicit in undermining their children’s academic success.
He openly criticized parents who physically march into schools to pull their children out of class simply because it is a “market day” and they require extra hands for trading.
While acknowledging that children must learn responsibility through household chores, he pleaded with parents to stop overburdening them to the detriment of their studies.
He proposed a practical balance: domestic chores should take up a reasonable amount of time, perhaps 30 minutes and after which children must be left alone to focus entirely on their books.
Injecting a bit of humor into an otherwise heavy address, the chief offered lighthearted yet firm guidance to both boys and girls regarding their future domestic lives.
He urged young girls to master the art of cooking and kitchen management, jokingly warning that if they fail to do so, their future husbands will seek meals elsewhere, leading to inevitable heartbreak. Conversely, he reminded the boys to learn domestic responsibilities and understand the weight of providing for a household, warning that if they cannot support their future wives, those wives will walk away.
The chief of Baare, Naab Nya-akora Mantii concluded his address by lifting the spirits of the students, painting a bright picture of what they could achieve if they stay the course. Looking out across the conference hall, he confidently told the students that sitting among them were the future presidents, doctors, and lawyers of Ghana.
Using a poignant local proverb, he reminded them that the older generation is constantly transitioning, “one step up, one step down” and that the entire future of the nation will soon rest solely on their shoulders.
He urged students to lean on each other, advising them to ask their classmates for help with difficult homework instead of running off to find quick money.
Leaving the crowd with a powerful mantra to carry home, Chief Nya-akora Mantii closed to resounding applause: “Take your books seriously, and tomorrow will be yours.”