Book Review of Kwesi Amoak's Authorized Biography of VCRAC Crabbe

When Nana Damoah of BookNook Bookstore first sent me a photo of VCRAC Crabbe’s biography, my initial reaction was – meh! But then I remembered (thanks to Paul Adom Otchere’s “Election Petition” Documentary) that he was the first Electoral Commissioner of Ghana. And since I’m involved in electoral issues, I decided that maybe reading his biography won’t be bad after all.

Truth is, I was more interested in his beard. So I told Nana, “Maybe I will learn the story behind his beard!” And guess what? The book actually tells the story behind his beard.

To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Wow! What a man! Now, all I want to do is to sit down and have a chat with him - VCRAC Crabbe (the book also tells the story behind his long name). I’m sure such a conversation can easily span several hours. I will not even know where to start. Which question will I ask first? A parliamentary counsel who has served under every government from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to date, and is till in active service.

A few weeks ago, I met him at the Parliament House. Initially, I wasn’t sure if it was him as he looked younger and more handsome than the cover photo of the book. Once I confirmed that it was indeed Justice Crabbe, I went to say hello. I told him how much I enjoyed reading about him. He smiled and said there was another book on the way. Although I really wanted to take a photo with him, I was too shy (or perhaps starstruck) to ask.

I am inspired at the levels of depth to his life. His discipline. His belief in God. His dedication to service to country. Even though I was reading for leisure, I found myself taking notes as I read. I work in the public service now so I could relate to some of the work experiences that he shared.

The book is an easy read and the author uses simple conversational language. It is obvious from his writing that he knows Justice Crabbe on a personal level. The biography covers every aspect of his life – education, career, family, leisure.

My favourite chapter was the one on Freemasons. Free Masonry is shrouded in secrecy so I was happy to learn more about this group. The charge given to him at his initiation into Freemasonry was, “…dedicate yourself to such pursuits as may enable you to become respected in life, useful to mankind (humankind) and an ornament to the Society of which this day you have become a member”. Deep isn’t it?

His stance on death is striking. Basically, he believes that when it is his time to die, he won’t escape it. But until then, he lives his life without fear of death.

This excerpt from the book sums up his commitment to his country.

Recently, someone, a young friend of his, asked Charles if Ghana is worth dying for.

“Yes, of course” he answered.

“What? With all the mess that is going on?” his young friend said.

“You are making a very sad mistake. The government of the day is not Ghana. There is a difference between my country and the people who are in charge of the government at any particular time. We are looking at the human beings who are in charge of the country. They may not be worth dying for. I am thinking of my country. Where else do I go if there is any difficulty here. Ghana is worth dying for”.

 Go ahead! Contact BookNook Bookstore now for your copy of this book. I guarantee that you’ll love it 😊

I'm beginning to enjoy reading in cafes. Venue: Capitol Cafe, Labone