STORY: A Shared Path | An artisan who turns bamboo into wealth
DATELINE: Oct. 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:54
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

STORYLINE:

Ghana

In West Africa, Ghana has been traditionally known for its natural resources, ranging from gold to timber.

However, forest coverage has been shrinking and many loggers are seeking alternative ways to make a living.

For George Sarpong, the future lies in bamboo.

The 31-year-old Ghanaian is trying to turn the plant deemed valueless by many locals into wealth.

When you are sitting in your own house, you don't learn anything. You must get out of your house to learn.
-- Ghanaian proverb

Obogu, Ghana

Sarpong has been a bamboo artisan for 23 years.

He runs a bamboo workshop and recruits young people, many of whom used to be lumberjacks.

SOUNDBITE (English): Sarpong and a young man
"Hi, I was in the logging industry. But it was not a promising job. I see you have been making bamboo products here for some time. It interests me. Can I try and learn from you?"
"Oh, that's great."

Bamboo grows much faster than trees, and is regarded as a good substitute for timber in many industries.

SOUNDBITE (English): GEORGE SARPONG, Bamboo artisan
"Bamboo is hollow. And anybody who uses bamboo is a very wise person because it is not easy and that is why I normally call it the 'wise man's timber.'"

Sarpong is a single father with a daughter, Margaret. He shows his love for her with bamboo.

Margaret remembers that when she was a child, her father would always turn bamboo poles into various products, like desks, chairs, toy cars, and model planes.

What she didn't know was that by selling self-made bamboo products, her father could put food on the table and send her to school.

SOUNDBITE (English): GEORGE SARPONG, Bamboo artisan
"Bamboo has really changed me and my daughter, because, hadn't it been (for) bamboo, I don't think I would have been where I am today."

Sarpong entered the world of bamboo art by chance and found it fascinating.

He quit his job and devoted himself to designing bamboo products.

Though Sarpong has created more than 50 kinds of products, his mother, however, didn't quite understand his obsession.

SOUNDBITE (English): GEORGE SARPONG, Bamboo artisan
"While my mother was yelling at me, one day she called me, 'my son, why wouldn't you change what you are doing,' as it is not moving as I expected. I told my mom I can change the world with bamboo."

Beijing, China

In 2016, the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, established under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), invited Ghanaian craftsmen to China for studies.

Sarpong was one of them.

This trip changed Sarpong greatly.

SOUNDBITE (English): GEORGE SARPONG, Bamboo artisan
"The way they showed us how to join the joints and the cutting. Before, I never knew there were some techniques of that nature, so this made me love bamboo more. It was amazing."

China is known as the "kingdom of bamboo." Here, to his surprise, Sarpong found that bamboo is used to create more than 10,000 kinds of products.

SOUNDBITE (English): GEORGE SARPONG, Bamboo artisan
"At the closing ceremony, I wept. What I learned from them, I decided to come and impart the knowledge (in Ghana). "

With the support of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, Sarpong founded a workshop, training more than 200 people for free. Here, they apply Chinese mortise and tenon techniques to make their bamboo products more durable.

Sarpong's income has increased fivefold. And more people are using bamboo as a new source of income because of him.

SOUNDBITE (Twi): RAKAYA ZAKARIA, Sarpong's trainee
"I'm glad to have met such a trainer. I have benefited a lot. Bamboo art changes my life and helps me reach a new height in my life."

The Belt and Road Initiative has helped Sarpong realize his dream of expanding his bamboo business.

Now, his new dream is to see the bamboo forests and industry growing quickly in his country, creating a green and sustainable future for the next generation.

In 2021, Ghana launched the Green Ghana Day project
as part of the "Green Ghana" program.
In 2023, Ghana plans to reduce carbon emissions
by about 64 million tonnes by 2030.

SOUNDBITE (English): GEORGE SARPONG, Bamboo artisan
"Through all procedures, bamboo will go far beyond its value. Just like humans, no pains, no gains. You should always believe you have a world of possibilities."

Sarpong's daughter is also joining the business, planning to inherit and pass on the bamboo culture, in this world of possibilities.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)