Reflections on Ghana … The Journey: The Instruments

From the Pan African Youth Orchestra’s concert last summer, presented by Riverfolk Music & Arts Organization

Submitted by Jim Horton, Riverfolk Music & Arts Organization Board of Directors

“I love the sound and energy of the Pan African Youth Orchestra. I marvel at the job Kweku Kwakye has done with such a vibrant orchestra. I am appreciative of the connection that Mark and Carol Palms have done to bring their attention to us. We particularly loved Mark’s CD, L’Africa that had Ghanese music.

The sounds of Ghana are particularly meaningful to me and my sister, Suzanne VanAppledorn. I’ll tell you the story: My late brother-in-law, Carl VanAppledorn was a urologist. My sister was a nurse. Through connections at the University of Michigan that sponsored physicians to travel to Ghana to take updated modern surgical and diagnostic practices to villages in Ghana, they would travel to do examinations, procedures, and help the physicians that had none of the latest materials and technology. They loved Ghana and the people.

One year, at an airport, a woman, Florence Akine approached them as they were leaving and asked if they would look at her son. He had been mutilated as a baby, for a birth defect and in trying to correct it, they made it worse; the young man would never have a normal life. Carl saw the problem, and realized that there would have to be major reconstruction surgery. There was one physician in the world at the time that specialized in this procedure, and as luck would have it, he was at the U of M.

Dr. Park was a Korean surgeon known throughout the world. He agreed to do this surgery, gratis, and the University would handle all expenses. The young man, Kwame, and his mother, would have to spend months in the US. Florence took leave of her job (in the airlines industry) and they came to America. They stayed with my sister, and I managed to get Kwame into Greenhills School, where I was teaching art. He would need to continue school while getting multiple surgeries.

This family became life-long friends. Kwame is now a young man with a good education in Ghana, and has a normal life. With the Covid outbreak, everyone lost their jobs in Ghana. Florence made it over to the US to temporarily work, and then could not get home. Back she came to Ann Arbor, lived with my sister, and worked for me on occasion. We often listened to African music, and Florence would dance and tell stories — fascinating folklore of her homeland and tribe.

Florence had to return to Baltimore for the temp job. She brought a ray of light to us … particularly my sister who is now a widow. Another great thing to have happened, is that a wealthy donor, one of the Greenhills parents that we knew when Kwame was a student, has stepped up to pay for legal fees to get the Akine family to immigrate to the US.

The Palms’ and Kweku visited my sister at one point, which is where I first saw and heard the PAYO. Any time I have a
chance, I tune them in, and marvel at the experience. I also had Ghanese students when I taught at Greenhills. They were astute and loyal. When I hear of Ghana, these are the positive reflections that I have.”

This week’s video clip of the PAYO features “The Journey: The Instruments.” View the video here.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.