Anthony Baffoe - Racial Abuse Did Not Stop Me

It is the desire of most African women to have their babies in a Western country so that the children will become citizens of those countries and benefit from the many opportunities there.
However, the racial attacks, abuse, name-calling and humiliation these Black children go through at the hands of some of the citizens of those countries leave much to be desired.
This was what former ace Ghanaian international footballer, model and television presenter, Mr Anthony Baffoe, went through growing up in Germany.
"Germany was a country that was not used to the Black skin. They made it clear to me right from the beginning that I was not one of them, even though I had been born there. They made me to understand that I was an African and, therefore, I belonged to Africa. They called me names like Nigger, Kunta Kinte, Chaka the Zulu. These were the names of people I admire but they called me by those names as if I were a slave and worth nothing," he said.
“You know what, it was very painful but I never allowed those negative comments to stop me from reaching my goals.”
"That rather encouraged me to demonstrate to them that the African can really perform creditably in football, is intelligent and has leadership qualities just like anybody else," he noted.
And, truly, Tony Baffoe, as he is popularly known, justified those positive attributes of the African to his peers. The son of a former Ghanaian ambassador and diplomat, Baffoe spent almost all his life in Germany where he was born and brought up, distinguishing himself in various fields.
He is currently based here in Ghana and has brought his rich football expertise to bear on Ghana's football administration. He was the International Liaison Officer of the Black Stars during the World Cup and is currently a member of the Local Organising Committee of the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
The Junior Graphic caught up with him at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Accra, to share his childhood with children. Tall, slim and clean shaven Baffoe said his childhood was rosy from the beginning when his father was alive.
“My siblings and I attended an international school with the kids of other diplomats and had everything at our disposal," he noted.
But everything changed when his father died at a time he was only 15. His mother single-handedly had to bring up all seven of her children. In order to make some pocket money and help his mother take care of his siblings, he started selling newspapers around 5.30 a.m. before going to school.
"Sometimes it was really difficult, especially during winter when temperatures dropped to zero degrees. But I had to do that to assist my mother and to stop her from worrying," he recollected.
“I also had to start playing professional football at 15 years because that was the fastest way of making some money to help take care of my family".
Because Baffoe's mother could not afford to pay his school fees at the international school after his father's death, he was withdrawn and enrolled in a German school, a development which was quite challenging for him.
"My sister accompanied me on my first day in that school and a boy who was two classes ahead of me called me nigger and I slapped him," he said.
According to him, by that time he had learnt to defend his rights and would not allow anyone to take him for granted.
"I was outspoken and very confident. That was why I was made the school prefect, thereby becoming the only Black boy at the time to be given that post," he noted.
Despite being the only Black boy in the school, he said, he commanded so much respect among his peers and everybody wanted to be his friend.
Asked whether the racist attacks affected him in any way, he replied with a strong NO. He, however, said sometimes it disturbed him and so he cried when he got home.
"But I never cried in front of them," he quickly added.
Giving an insight into his career, he said he started playing football when he was nine years in the junior team, adding, "Anytime I scored a goal the fans called me Kunta. They threw bananas at me on the field and spat at me. When that happened, I got the bananas, ate them and threw the peels back at them," he said with a smile.
Young Baffoe used to fight a lot because of those racist attacks and the whites became afraid of him. Despite being Black in a predominately white team, he was the captain of the junior team that he played for.
He played for several clubs, such as FC Cologne, Stuttgart and Dusseldolf, all in Germany, and Nice in France. He attended the Badelberg International School and Nicolaus Gymnasium International School, both in Germany.
Mr Baffoe, who will be 43 in May, is Fante. His mother is from Sekondi and his father from Cape Coast. He is fluent in several international languages, such as German, French, Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
He is married to Mrs Kalsoume Sinare Baffoe and they have two children.
He advised children to read constantly and focus on their education, since that was what would help them to reach their goals.
Story by Augustina Tawiah