Book Review: In the Shadows of Politics:Reflections from My Mirror

Ghanaians have always complained about the failure of our prominent citizens, especially public office holders, to write their memoirs to serve as a guide and an inspiration to others.

Apart from Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President, who was a prolific writer and a few others, many people leave office without telling their story -- their background, tribulations, challenges, es -- what we may consider as their journey through life.

All that we know about these people are what was made available through official sources and those gathered from the rumour mill. Thank God, there is one person who has, through determination, broken away from this culture.

Sylvester A. Mensah has braved the odds and has put on paper for posterity, his journey through life, from where he could consciously remember events in his childhood, his early encounter with politics, albeit indirectly, through mainstream politics to where he is today as one of the key players in Ghana's national health insurance scheme.

In the Shadows of Politics : Reflections from My Mirror, is a simple narrative which is easy to capture the reader’s attention and would not let him/her go once he/she starts the opening lines. There will be that strong temptation to finish it once and for all. It is a book which tells the story of a man in a vivid and captivating style and reading it in pieces will not do justice to the narration.

The first chapter opens with a historical background that lends credence to Sylvester's political roots. It is about a man called Lovelace P.C Mensah, who is a diplomat and a politician. Sylvester or Sly, as friends and acquaintances prefer to call him, describes his father as one of the international foot soldiers of President Nkrumah and he again served as a diplomat in Ghana's Mission in the then Congo Kinshasa now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sylvester recalls his father’s bitter experience in the hands of soldiers of Major Joseph Mobutu while on an official mission to deliver an important letter to Patrice Lumumba who was then under house arrest. Those were the heady days of the Congo crisis which saw Ghanaian soldiers, on perhaps, their first international peace-keeping operations. The old man survived but the scars of torture remained with him for the rest of his life.

Readers, especially the young ones and historians will enjoy this part because of the historical account of Ghana's role in the Pan African Movement which culminated in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity.

At 50, Sly is relatively young but the events of December 31, 1981 revolution led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings drew him very early into politics when universities were closed and a student task force was formed to evacuate cocoa from the hinterland to the ports of Tema and Takoradi.

Sylvester was baptised into politics through the task force and from then one began a political journey which saw him as a zonal coordinator in the revolutionary era of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), a Regional Organiser and Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which sprouted out of the PNDC to a Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon.

The book talks of the intrigues and wrangles that take place behind the political scene and Sylvester's own experience when he attempted to win a parliamentary seat the first time and when he tried taking over as the General Secretary of his party.

Sylvester does not keep anything away from the reader including an interesting family life, a love story which ended in a happy and fruitful marriage. The reader will not be left in any doubt that success does not come easy.

In the Shadows of Politics: Reflections from My Mirror he tells a story of determination in the face of great odds. From an 'O' Level holder in the beginning, Sylvester managed to climb the academic ladder through hardwork and determination, two ingredients the youth of today need to cultivate if they aspire to get to the top in any field of endeavour.

At 50, the birthday which coincides with the launch of this book, many would say Sylvester has just started his full adult journey, but he can still look behind with pride that he has played his part to where he can easily be described as a great role model to the new generation.

This 153-page book is a must-read for all young politicians and old ones who can pick notes should they decide to share their experiences in a book form.

Like any human project, everything cannot be said to be perfect in the book. There are a few typographical errors which should be expected, especially when racing against time. But in all, In the Shadows of Politics:Reflections from My Mirror should be in everybody's library.

The book is due to be launched at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel Saturday December 28, 2013 at 5p.m.