Ghanaian Born Czech Citizen Michele Seeks To Trace Lost Family

Michele Mensova

Michele Mensova was born in Prague in the Czech Republic in 1967 of Ghanaian descent as the daughter of Lawrence Osei Tutu and Erika Dieterlenova and for the past 47 years has endured an ongoing life of deceit and lies surrounding her father and why he suddenly disappeared before she was born.

As a little girl Michele was told by her Mother that her Father was dead and it wasn't until she was 20 years old that her Mother admitted the supposed truth that Lawrence Osei Tutu suddenly left Prague several months before Michele was born allegedly knowing his wife was pregnant.

Such unexpected revelations devastated Michele who quite naturally was offended that her Father had deserted her. However in 2009 when Michele was 42 years old she finally uncovered the whole truth which was that her Father left the Czech Republic in 1966 without ever knowing he was to be a Father.

Obviously this altered Michele's opinion of her Father and she has spent the past five years desperately trying to track Lawrence down with the little evidence she has regarding where has been living for the past 47 years.

What Michele does know is that her Father was born on the 22nd January 1937 in Kumasi and arrived in Prague in 1964 to study at the University of Agriculture. but left abruptly two years later when he was allegedly deported back to Ghana.

Before arriving in the Czech Republic, Lawrence worked at the Central Cooperative Counsil in Accra. There is also a rumour that he arrived in the UK in 1967 although no solid evidence has support this theory.

Since 2009 Michele has worked consistently hard to track down Lawrence Osei Tutu including contacting the Czech Embassy in Ghana but without success.

However she is not prepared to give up trying to find her father as she knows that now at the age of 77 years he must be possibly nearing the end of his life, if he has not sadly passed away already.

Michele has lived in Prague all her life and grew up as an only child. She has been happily married to Martin for 24 years years now and is a Mother of five children. However still the aching, nagging thought of her Father not even knowing she exists will not fade at all. So working on the likely theory that Lawrence is most probably living back in Kumasi or somewhere else in Ghana in his twilight years, Michele is wholeheartedly appealing the the national media in Ghana to try and help her locate her Father.

Michele has never been to Ghana but definitely feels as though part of her belongs there...in her Father's homeland and she says, 'Having been deprived of the truth for so many years about my Father it would be wonderful to connect with him and let him know he has a long lost daughter.

'If sadly he has already died then maybe I can at least connect with any family I may have in Ghana, perhaps brothers, sisters cousins etc. To be able to link up with any of my 'lost' family would make my life complete and I will not rest until I have exhausted all paths that could possibly lead me to learning something about my Father's life over the past 47 years.

'My sincere message to all newspapers, magazines and radio stations receiving this press release is...if you can please publish my heartfelt situation then I will be eternally grateful'

MICHELE MENSOVA