Through the Gates of Thought: a review – by Tony Williams

Nana Damoah is a Chemical engineer who works for the Anglo-Dutch multinational corporation Unilever, makers of a myriad of food and home and personal care products. Previously he ran a factory in its Ghana subsidiary where he managed over 300 people. Currently he’s the Technical Manager of the company’s Research and Development Department. Married with three children, he also has two literary blogs, tweets regularly, interacts with fans on Facebook and is a contributing author to the online e-zine StoryTime which is dedicated to publishing authentic African fiction.

With so much on his plate, it says a lot about Damoah that he was still able to manage his time and marshal his thoughts to write and publish two books, including his latest Through the Gates of Thought.

Damoah’s rationale for penning his new book not only shows why he felt compelled to share his musings with the world, it reveals a man who, as a Ghanaian, is deeply proud of his African roots and cannot help being inspired by his culture where the thoughts, ideals and knowledge of the family, tribe or clan have been transmitted from one generation to the next by means of an oral tradition.

“I think of my descendants two, three or four generations from now; I think of my children forty, fifty years from now; I try to remember the stories my dad shared with me about his life’s experiences. Will my descendants know what I am going through today, what my wishes were for my generation and for them? Can the lessons I have picked up from the varied peregrinations in my life be crystallised for eternity, for the benefit of those yet unborn?” Damoah ponders.

In an effort to find answers, he embarked upon a pilgrimage through the gates of thought and contemplation, almost akin to the spiritual quest of King Solomon during which he sought to understand what was the whole point of man labouring endlessly under the sun, and what is to be gained from it all in the end.

Continue reading Tony William’s review on his blog: Caribbean Book Blog