The Walk to the Stage of Honor

By Eby Aka

The Walk to the Stage of Honor is a moral story, and a guide to life for youth. It delivers a unique educational message with no cultural boundary. The words empower and direct young people as they struggle to find their way into the real world, soothe their feelings in the face of challenge, and teach them the importance of hard work, success, and service.

The message also meets our valued young people at the crossroads where their hearts are pulling them in many directions searching for appropriate role models. They are tempted with many things, and most of them are troubled. They are entangled in a fast-paced world where most of them are left to raise themselves. The sacred traditional values of society have been lost to very unkind, selfish, and careless behaviors.

This book will empower your teenage sons and daughters with a unique moral education and empowerment that will keep them walking the fine line through the daily challenges. In this great message Eby built a real “fire wall” for the young people and did it in a story that takes them on a journey through many beautiful patterns of West African Culture. And for parents, this book will build a new cultural bridge for your family.

The message in this book is the best from his heart to guide young people throughout life. It is a moral compass, and in his own words what he calls “the trouble repellent” for young people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728373560

Book preview

© 2020 Eby Aka. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/30/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7357-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-7356-0 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Foreword

I have never met a person with as much heart to serve teenagers and young adults as Eby Aka.

His words on the pages of this book speak of that heart. To see teenagers and young adults become all God intended. To give them a moral compass that will change their lives.

He brilliantly points out how all of us can live a life that will make God famous.

This book will change you!

—Rich Hurst, Mentoring, Consulting, and Coaching

Team Leighton Ford Ministries,

Seattle, Washington

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Introduction

Major Topics of the Book

You are a Valued Gift to Mankind

Chapter 1     The Initiation

Chapter 2     The Drought

Chapter 3     The Recovery of the Land

Chapter 4     The Farewell

Chapter 5     The Fall of the Bullies and the Rise of the Dream Team

Chapter 6     The Tragedy

Chapter 7     The Mother’s Return

Chapter 8     The Scars of a Difficult Year

Chapter 9     Walking Into Adulthood

Chapter 10   The Confidence

Chapter 11   The Historic Journey

Chapter 12   On the Stage of Honor

Chapter 13   The Marriage

Chapter 14   France

Chapter 15   The Triumphant Return

Glossary

About the Author

Acknowledgments

I dedicate this book to all the children of the world as they are walking the thorny paths of this difficult and complex world toward their dreams; and to my son Ebby Jr. and daughter Akassi who are just making their debut.

My love and appreciation to my family and friends for their contribution and encouragement.

To my mother Allou Akassi and my father Eby Aka who guided my first steps, and from my little village in Cote d’Ivoire, gave me the golden keys that opened me the doors onto the world. They have left us but remain a great source of strength.

To my late beloved uncle Eby Kamelan in honor of his memory.

To my uncle Allou Kassi Rene, for sharing with me great stories about the history of my family.

To those who have heard and responded to the urgent call of children and their hearts have swayed toward their cause, and those who are giving to help make a difference.

My special thanks to the young men and women of the Peace Corps and religious groups, nonprofit organizations, and doctors and nurses without borders.

To authors who have sent messages of support and comfort to children in their writings.

To all the world philanthropists and ambassadors of goodwill who through their great initiatives have given hope and opportunity to children around the globe.

To my two illustrious late Ivorian Professors George Niangoran Boua and Jean Marie Adiafi who gave me great spiritual and moral support. They took me to the depths of knowledge about life and society. They taught me how to deal with the world and how to embrace life with all its sweetness and thorns.

To my dear friend Dr. Bini Kouakou who tirelessly coached me in many areas of my studies.

To my former English teacher Mr. Agbalessi Adolph for his great support, guidance, and encouragement. He remains one of my key mentors

To my two long-standing friends Ouattara Issoufou (Joseph) and Bernard Mambo (Ben) who gave me a new direction at the time I was searching for the right path at the crossroads.

To Sir Alamou Joseph and Mr. Amadou Gueye who, despite their busy days, sacrificed extra hours to give me free private classes at the time my mother was very sick and I had no financial support to pay for my school fees.

To the Gbane Family in Bouake, CI, for their support.

My late Uncle Brou Francois, his Wife Maman Koko and their children – they are an incredible family

To my dear friend Tim Philips and the members of the Lions Club International (Bouake, Côte d’Ivoire) who lifted me up in times of difficulties before I flew to the United States.

To Mr. Dicko and his wife Maman Lynda for their support during my early days in the Washington, D.C., area.

My appreciation to Mrs. Joan Vistica for her encouragement and help in the edition of this book and many others for their great suggestions during the review.

To my dear colleague and friend Mrs. Helene Darriet who tirelessly mentored me during my years as a teacher at International Christian Academy of West Africa (ICA).

To the staff of ICA, 1996–2000, including the following: Miss Jan Daughrety, Ken and Julie Vaughan, Mike and Amy Young, Mike Cousineau, Mrs. Helene Darriet, Tim and Eliz Carden, Pastor Brad and Cindy Nelson, Knute Reierson, Elmer and Pearl Baxter, Celeste Budney, Tim and Janice Phillips, Madam Cathy Urban, Dave Shady, Madam Helen Inman, Keith and Krista Ellenberger, Lizzy Sinclair, The Evan Evans family, Kanu Desire (driver and a great helper during African culture week), and many others who are not named here for their great support.

To all the students of ICA, 1996–2000, including the following: Ruth Sylvester, Jeremy Krombac, Jeremy Tompson, Elaine Luukkonen, Laurin Mink, Amber Marshal, Jordan Tjosvold, Erynn Campbell, Richie Carmichael, Mona Muchoki, and many others not named here for their great involvement and contribution as dedicated students to make the African Studies program a great success.

All the people named here represent a living community that nurtured me. They are here so their good deeds are never forgotten.

To all I owe everything that I will accomplish in my life.

Prologue

The main characters of this tale, Dr. Adiafi and his wife Fabienne, live a happy and successful life. The secret behind their long years of success is their great attachment to the moral values of their community from early childhood. They were raised to see moral values as the umbilical cord between a mother and a child. They bind the community together and feed the mind and soul of the people to see themselves as one family with a common purpose and one destiny. They rise and fall together. In their upbringing Adiafi and Fabienne were taught to see those sacred values as the sanctuary where every child, young and old, build the strongest learning foundations to achieve success. Out of that sanctuary, one should always remember the lessons of respect, discipline, trust, tolerance, fairness, courage, love, peace and justice, and forgiveness, as well as the importance of hard work and family.

Those who stay out of that education sanctuary will be short of the true ingredients of life and will travel into a world that mostly will look empty around them.

Introduction

This book is a moral tool for you, young people, as you are facing an incredibly challenging time today in your preparation to lead tomorrow. I want the message in this book to be a kind of coach to assist you as you are spending less and less time with your parents.

I know that a book will never replace a father or a mother, but a book can provide you with the same kind of advice your parents may give you to guide you through learning.

In The Walk to the Stage of Honor I am giving you a message that can help you focus and push your chess pieces (that is, the actions you take) in the right direction to win the game tomorrow (that is, your life). Understanding how to direct your life is even more important if your parents are not around. The foundation of the message in this book reveals the importance of moral values in many areas of the learning process. These values can help you become responsible individuals so that you may have a positive and constructive impact on society when you grow up.

While growing up with my single mother, I learned to embrace the idea to contribute with the little I could give to help build a nurturing, peaceful, and loving society. My mother always told me that I should treat my friends the way I would want to be treated, be kind, and work hard to achieve what I aspire to. She cautioned me against expecting to see the fruits of my effort to benefit me alone, and she warned me to avoid falling into selfishness, which down the road, could fence off my ability to expand great ideas, to do good things, and be successful.

My mother reminded me that the wisdom she was teaching me about life was the most effective way to help children cultivate, on their own, the quality of life that one day they can pass onto the same society that once nurtured them. This, in turn, enables children to make a difference in the lives of others.

As my mother instructed, I am sending back to society, through this book, a copy of the lessons I have learned.

I am sending you, valued youngsters, this little kit of advice to help you keep your heads up as you swim across the troubled waters of this very difficult and challenging time to fulfill your dreams, and give back to help transform your communities.

The Walk to the Stage of Honor is a great story with colorful and rich adventures to explore. It is a mix of sweet, bitter, and sour experiences of life with a great outcome. It is multicultural with many facets. The message gives you a sense of purpose and confidence in the future.

It has been carefully compiled to help you remain strong and resolute in the face of adversity.

Read it and prepare to give something back to society.

Major Topics of the Book

Through this moral story, young readers will learn about the following topics:

Discipline

Respect

Love

Tolerance

Peace

Hope

Character and determination

Peaceful and positive revenge

Bullies

Temptations

Marriage

Importance of friendship

Importance of work

Importance of teamwork

Work and success

Success and giving

You are a Valued Gift to Mankind

To the young readers of this moral

story, always remember that—

You are a gift.

You are born with lots of gifts.

Those gifts you receive at birth offer great things,

but you cannot see them all by yourself.

You cannot properly see and use those

gifts when you are young.

You need some guidance to learn to use those

great gifts to make your way into the world.

You need guidance from someone who can

teach you the key lessons you need.

You cannot skip those lessons, for they form the

strongest foundations on which you will stand.

These lessons you learn enable you to jump

safely and ascend into life with enough

wisdom to settle down in society.

Remember that living with wisdom is like living

with a good First Aid Kit next to you.

Wisdom gives you acceptance, respect, and

reverence in your community and beyond.

The lessons, moral and values you learn

throughout life are the ingredients of wisdom.

Your academic achievement does not buy you wisdom.

It is just a little part of it.

Your social education bestows you with wisdom.

As a human wisdom is what you are.

It represents what you are worth.

CHAPTER I

The Initiation

Far away, across the Atlantic Ocean, on the West Coast of the continent of Africa, there is today a country by the name of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

Côte d’Ivoire is a small country of 322,462 square kilometers (124,503 square miles), a land of more than sixty different tribes that speak more than sixty different dialects. For decades after its independence from France in 1960, with the friendliness of its people, its important natural resources, and great economic potential, Côte d’Ivoire has attracted millions from around the world who have made it their home. Those new settlers trace their origins from Europe, America, Middle East, Asia, and many countries of Africa and make up about 24 percent of the total population.

Côte d’Ivoire is located in the South of the great African Sahara Desert. Compared with the sandy surface of the Sahara, Côte d’Ivoire has a vegetation of forest, savanna woodlands, and grasslands with a beautiful coastline that hosts Assinie, Grand Bassam, and Monogaga, known to be among the world most beautiful beaches.

Unlike many other countries, the land of Côte d’Ivoire loves the cocoa plant. Cocoa can be grown everywhere in the forest region. More than 40 percent of the world’s cocoa beans used in the chocolate industry come from Côte d’Ivoire.

Although you do not see the name of that little country on the wrapper of the chocolate you eat everyday, it remains the most important origin of chocolate on the planet. Without the production of Côte d’Ivoire, there would be less chocolate in stores, on your birthday or your anniversary cake, in your ice cream, and on your cookies and your candy bars, and, maybe, you no longer would have that sweet and milky hot chocolate or your favorite chocolate pudding.

Niangoran Adiafi was born in that lovely and blessed country of Côte d’Ivoire, in the southeastern region where some of the greatest and largest cocoa plantations are located. Unlike many other children, little Adiafi was born in a small village. His father Niangoran was a great cocoa farmer and he was born in the same village.

Adiafi saw the first day of his life in spring, the great rainy season known to be one of the busiest seasons of the year, as farmers put seeds in the ground and transplant seedlings. Among all, the cocoa seedlings need some very special care to grow.

The presence of young children on the farm with their parents in Africa is a tradition. They are in a training process to take over in the future when they grow up. They are not fully involved in the work until they are old enough and capable of carrying some of the duties on the farm.

Adiafi began to follow his father to the farms when he was around six years old. From early morning, after breakfast, they would tour the farms until late afternoon, when the hot sun began heading toward the horizon. His father, Mr. Niangoran, was well known in the whole region as a great farmer. He took so much care of the plants on his farm that he never failed to have a good harvest. All year long, he would fight the rain, the wind, the weeds, and the fire. Mr. Niangoran protected his plants almost the same way he did his family.

As a young man, Mr. Niangoran did not get a chance to go to school. He could not read and write but knew by heart everything about farming. When his plants were not well, he knew exactly what to do to heal them, and he had a clear idea about what to do from one season to another. Mr. Niangoran was a great doctor of the cocoa plant.

For decades, like many other young men of his generation, Mr. Niangoran’s life was centered on the farmland, until his ideas took a new direction following the birth of his son Adiafi. Angry at the illiterate life he was living, he wanted to give Adiafi some opportunities to assure him a great and brilliant future. He knew that, without modern education, the chances for Adiafi to succeed would be limited, and he wanted to give him something that could take him far away one day from the farming cycle the whole family has been in for many generations. But before taking the dream for his son across the borders of his little village, he wanted to educate him about his cultural heritage: teach him about his ancestry, the ethics of the tribe, the secrets of nature, the land, and go beyond that tribal initiation to send him to school.

Mr. Niangoran wanted his heritage to be the primary education for Adiafi before sending him to school because he was afraid to lose him to another culture where he might learn things that would lead him to reject his own people. But despite his fear, he wanted his son to discover the mystery of the white man’s world he had heard so much about since the first ships from across oceans appeared along the coasts. During that time, when he was very young, he saw powerful guns and other strange things he never could have thought existed in the world.

One day on a lunch break at the farm, Adiafi saw a plane in the blue sky and asked his father, "Dad, who makes