RexDanquah Defines Brand Mfantsipim

ByMagnus RexDanquah Magnus RexDanquah, MOBA 1972
& former Member, Mfantsipim School Board of Governors

Over the last century and more, Mfantsipim as a brand has meant several things to many, depending on where one is coming from, or where one intends to go.

What then are the attributes of the Mfantsipim brand; or better still what are the qualities of life that are ingrained in each and every student who passes through the School? What is the heritage, or the inheritance bequeathed to men as old boys?

These attributes, are very well defined in the School’s anthem, the School song, the School motto, and in the very culture of Mfantsipim, which all run like a red tape through the history of the School from its very foundation.

The objectives for the establishment of Mfantsipim, and the qualities that the founding fathers desired should be inculcated in every student by the time of graduation not only serve to mold the character but also turns the product into a sign post that bespeaks volumes of the vision and aspirations of men, and also women, who willed to see the world better.

It is important at this point to quote Sir Gordon Hadow, a former Deputy Governor of Ghana who worked with old boys from all secondary schools in the country, in the Civil Service.

In a speech delivered in November 1956 on the occasion of the Mfantsipim Speech Day, he mentioned inter alia “… certain qualities which those (i.e. old boys of Mfantsipim) have in common in greater or less degree.

“It is basically the capacity to apply one’s mind objectively to the great variety of problems one meets in life, both at work and at home. It is essentially a taught capacity, not an innate or natural flair – a capacity which has been gained the hard way, by strenuous and continuous endeavour at the school desk.

“The fortunate man who has acquired it takes each problem as it comes; examines it coolly, with the emotions kept carefully under control; sets aside all irrelevances; and reaches his conclusion by an orderly process of thought…

“The quality then which I have seemed to detect in my Mfantsipim acquaintances is compounded of mental discipline, mental honesty, and moral courage. This is a rare and formidable combination. It is rare in every country in the world and I will not be so disingenuous as to suggest that every boy who passes through Mfantsipim automatically becomes imbued with it.

“But I will and do suggest that all of you here at Mfantsipim have access to this quality, and that it is up to you whether you claim it as your own or not.

“Your School has produced many leaders, and if society at large has recognized them as such, then in all probability, society has noted in them a capacity for service; for capacity for service is a precondition of leadership. I wholeheartedly believe that there is great need in the world for leadership which has graduated through service and is mentally and morally equipped as I have described.

“Someone has said that ‘the men who move the world are the men whom the world cannot move’. He doubtless had in mind the sort of character of which I have been speaking and would, I venture to think, have felt very much at home, with the founding fathers of Mfantsipim. He would have rejoiced, as I do, that they had so well-prepared the Mfantsipim soil in which these characteristics can freely be cultivated, to the lasting benefit of the community as a whole.”

To such a veritable carving of a brand, Bartels, the 29th headmaster of the School, adds his own words:

“To have had a part in building a school which could earn such a comment, to have shared in guiding it through days of difficulty, in giving it a place in the affection of the people, and in making it a centre of Christian education and influence – that was the privilege of the Methodist Church in England and in Ghana.”

The Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society, whose formation was the result of the beginnings of the nationalist movement of 1880s, had as one of its principal objectives – protection of the rights of the aborigines of the Gold Coast at all times by constitutional methods.

Thus, they also saw the School as a vehicle to ‘foster in the rising generations a knowledge of their historical past and to encourage the study of the laws, customs and constitutions of their country, to promote a sound national educational policy with particular attention to agriculture, scientific and industrial training, and, generally, to facilitate the spread of industry and thrift in the whole country.’

With the knowledge of such a heritage, and of the great expectation and high standards set for him, a person who graduates from Mfantsipim will be looked up to to evince any number of the many qualities in his character, irrespective of whether he spends three, four, five, or seven years in the School before passing out into the world outside.

Among these qualities is the inclination to strive for selfless leadership as a politician of the right sort to render service to the community, the nation Ghana, and the African continent – a natural progression from an affinity and identification with the School which he is taught to honour and obey.

He is taught through example to emulate the faithfulness, truthfulness, the nobility and boldness of ‘the saints of old’ whose good works are constantly held as a banner before him.

Patriotism and positive nationalism then come easy in all things and at all times for the Mfantsipim old boy who, as Hadow puts it, has had access to these qualities and has claimed them as his own.

Having strived for excellence in the academic, and also within the social milieu to reach his goal he still allows humility, evidence of his constant spiritual development, to distil upon him as he endeavours to make it his hallmark to attain equal opportunity and justice for all others.

He desires fairness and equality before God and man as he honestly and faithfully renders service to God and country in harmony with the saints of old.

Again as Hadow puts it, the quality which is recognized in the product of the School is not innate; rather it is a multiplicity of principles that are carefully taught and continuously passed on from one generation to another. His allegiance to the School is never in doubt, and it becomes a commitment to an oath that binds old boys of all generations together to exhibit brave hearts and strong arms, especially “when the strife is fierce, and the warfare long.”

It is no wonder, therefore, that the Methodist Church, both in England then and now at home, have from the past jealously guarded and guided the School in order to sustain this distinct attribute that is the very essence of integrity.

It is a quality that is up to the present sought for in the gentleman, or lady, who should be given the responsibility to teach the students, and who is entrusted with the leadership of the School.

What then is Mfantsipim all about – its ethos?

It has never been only about the present, but has rather leaned towards a future of a just and fair society of shared values and destinies.

Mfantsipim is about more than the pursuit of academic excellence, and is inclined also towards the kind of apprenticeship institution that prepares students for life of service and distinction in character, comportment and behaviour to produce some of the most distinguished gentlemen in practically every walk of life.

Mfantsipim is about the Lockhart Character or Spirit which leans heavily on strict discipline, religious training, insistence on excellence, and dedicated patriotism for both students and staff, as well as on one’s own principled and courageous stand on issues of service, convictions, loyalty, honesty, and integrity.

Mfantsipim is also about exemplary life for humanity through selfless, purpose-driven, and visionary leadership for societal transformation at all levels of human lives.

It is about the capacity to turn out educated and cultured gentlemen with trained intellect, sharpened critical faculties, and a sense of curiosity, originality and initiative who have the capability to accept and cope with challenges in the Ghanaian society, and with the globalization that has been undergoing such rapid, revolutionary change ever since the foundation of the School.

Mfantsipim is definitely not about tribes; it is about a nation and a continent in unity, offering equal opportunities and shaping the thoughts, vision and energies of men of destiny towards unique contributions to enhance human life in every community and nation on the African continent and on the globe.

Mfantsipim is about the realization that the African’s brainpower has never been racially inferior, but he is intellectually as good as, and even better than the white man, given the same opportunities and conditions despite his so-called cephalic index (that in 1935, whilst the Pass List in England at Cambridge Examinations was 61%, in Mfantsipim it was 85%).

Above all, the School is about future leaders of this nation and their thoughtfulness and foresight in every human endeavour, in character and thought, in energy, initiative and resourcefulness.

To sum up is a quote from Prof. A. Adu Boahen who in his “Mfantsipim And The Making Of Ghana” book, written to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the School in 1976, stated:-

“But it is a greater privilege still to be an old boy of such a school and it is an onus on all old boys to help the School continue to live up to its traditions, its achievements and its reputation, and to make even greater contributions still to the development of our country.

“Above all, we should always be mindful of and live up to the motto of the School: DWEN HWE KAN.”

Finally, the whole Mfantsipim Brand is embedded in the Word of God as it is given by Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8 – 9 – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. These things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me (the School), do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

We could not have had any better summary than this quotation.

The response then to ‘What Does Mfantsipim Stand For As A Brand?’ should, in the words of Sir Gordon Hadow, be all the qualities, traits and attributes that are available, and are accessible, to every boy who passes through Mfantsipim School. It is therefore up to each and every boy, old or current, to claim them as his own, and not simply let them pass him by.