“From Asylum to Immigrant” in Germany

HAMBURG, Germany – As a young man in his 30s, Nana Kwaku Kurankye Kwatei fled his home country of Ghana and sought political asylum in Hamburg in 1984. Fleeing from military usurpers (Kurankye was a leader of a student organization that demonstrated against their regime).

Kurankye initially believed he had found a haven in the Germany metropolis. Yet, as Kurankye tried to further his education, he soon realized that even havens have their downsides.

 In his new memoir, “From Asylum to Immigrant: My Years in Germany (1984-2010)” (published by AuthorHouse), Kurankye pens a compelling story of the rise and fall and rise again of a man in search of freedom, family and knowledge.

“My experiences as an asylum applicant in Hamburg, involving what I came to see, to feel and how my observations and feelings affected me and my nuclear and extended families before we became legal immigrants is the main thrust of my book,” explains Kurankye.

Writing with both humor and resolve, Kurankye shows both the hazards of unbridled optimism and the transformative power of hope. His goal, he says, is to inspire other African immigrants. “The book,” he says, “carries pieces of advice and lessons to young and aspiring Africans who are determined to venture to come to Europe at all costs.”

Osei Piesie-Anto, Dean of Strategic Studies at the African University College of Communication (AUCC) in Ghana, offers this: 

“Having the privilege to extensively associate myself with this write-up, I strongly believe Nana Kurankye has attempted to tell the world his personal experiences. Looking at it from differing perspectives, one may conclude that, but these are the usual experiences of any ‘Burger’.

The pas faux is that, if someone doesn’t tell it, how do people learn from what is seemingly obvious, which invariably only lie at the doorsteps of those who experience it – not the untraveled.

About the Author
Author Nana Kwaku Kurankye Kwatei, popularly known as Nana Kurankye, had his secondary education as a pioneer student from 1961-1966 at Tarkwa Secondary School, Tarkwa, Western Region, Ghana. His journalistic and writing skills started very early from his secondary school days. He was privileged to be appointed first as the features editor and later on as the editor-in-chief of their famous school magazine “Benso.” In adulthood, Kurankye achieved many successes in the fields of social work, journalism and education. He is the vice president of AYACSA (African-German Youth Arts Culture & Science Association), a non-governmental organization aimed at helping immigrants of African descent. He is married with seven children and eight grandchildren.

Attention:
The book shall be launched on saturday the 10th of November 2012, at the Resurrection Power & Living Bread International, Haldesdorfer Str. 44,  22179 in Hamburg Gartenstadt . Time is 18.00 - 22.00. The general public is cordially invited.