When James had managed to escape and made it home again after seven years, his mother was overjoyed. But his father was not so pleased. He thought James had broken his contract with the slave owner, and he was afraid that that would cause problems for them.

James wanted to learn to read and write. He was thirteen years old, and went round different schools 
trying to register. But they all said no.

“They were afraid of me. They saw a cocky teenager with hatred in his eyes, and they thought I’d cause a lot of trouble.”

Eventually there was one school that agreed to accept James. He started in Primary 6. 

“I couldn’t read or write though, and I didn’t understand anything in the lessons.”

There was only one solution. To spend breaks and lunchtimes with the little ones, asking for help. And to use their books.

“I had to swallow my pride and let the little children become my teachers.”

James quickly caught up with the students in his class. He graduated from school with top marks and went on to university. 

Bank manager
After university, James got a job at a large bank.

“Suddenly I had a manager’s job and I was earning lots of money. It was fantastic!”

He was good at his job, and was promoted to a more senior position.

“Life was going well, but every day I thought about the children who were still slaves, suffering as I had done.”

James started to use money from his salary every month to help a few children from the village to go to school. It started with two children. One year later, 52 children had received help to go to school, and Challenging Heights was born. 

>Read more about James Kofi Annan in the Globe magazine

Text: Eva-Pia Worland
Photo: Bo Öhlén 

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