by Kofi from Cape Coast asks Santa if he really visits everywhere, learns about Ghana’s historic coastline, and hears how Christmas connects communities across every continent
Dear Santa, my name is Kofi and I am nine years old. I live in Cape Coast, Ghana, where my papa says our old fishing boats have been painted in the same bright colors for as long as anyone in our family can remember.
Dear Kofi, I have admired those bright, colorful boats myself for a very long time, and your papa’s memory of them sounds entirely accurate.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, do you really visit Christmas around the whole world? My little sister does not quite believe one person could manage that many countries in a single night.
You can gently reassure your sister, Kofi. I truly do visit every corner of the globe, with a great deal of help from a very well-organized team and a sleigh built for exactly this purpose. It is an enormous night, but a genuinely joyful one.
My second question is about our coastline. My teacher says our region’s history along the coast is very important, and sometimes difficult, to learn about. Can you tell me more?
Cape Coast holds deeply important history, Kofi, including historic sites connected to the transatlantic slave trade, a painful chapter that is remembered today so its lessons about human dignity are never forgotten. Learning that history carefully, as your teacher is helping you do, is an important part of building a kinder future.
My third question is, how can Christmas mean the same thing to so many different countries when everyone celebrates it so differently?
That is a wonderful question, Kofi, and I think the answer is that the details change, food, songs, dates, even names for me, but the heart of it stays remarkably consistent everywhere: generosity, family, and hope shared freely with others. I have seen that same spirit in every single country I visit, dressed differently each time, but always recognizable.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Kofi Asante
Cape Coast, Ghana
P.S. Which country do you visit first every year?
That is a closely guarded secret, Kofi, even from the elves.
