Rotary was first introduced and received in West Africa in 1939 in Dakar, Senegal. The Rotary Club of Dakar, the Doyen Club in D9100 was born on 10th July 1939 with the membership of eighteen French expatriates. Dakar would remain the Rotary lone star in the skies of the region for seventeen (17) years after which period Rotary reached Cote d’Ivoire in 1956 and the Cameroon in 1957, both being French-speaking countries.
The first English-speaking country in the region to receive Rotary was Ghana, the newly independent nation, through the initiative of an indigine, a peculiarly interesting history worth mentioning.
In Ghana, Rotary was not introduced through the collective action of white business and professional expatriates, as it happened in most other African countries. Rotary was introduced through the singular effort of an African (Ghanaian) Accountant named Michael Daniel Quist, who worked with the American oil company TEXACO in Accra. He had previously studied in the UK where he got to know about Rotary through regular invitation by British Rotarians.
Ironically, though, membership of the Premier Club, the Rotary Club of Accra, was dominated (73%) by white expatriates who were leaders in the then known businesses and professions, members were so carefully chosen to present a non-political image to the radically anti-colonial ruling political leadership at that material time. For the same reason and to further insulate the new Rotary Club from potential danger of a political predator, and to secure its survival, the minority Ghanaian membership of seven were also intentionally invited from the public sector to suggest that they owed allegiance to their employer – Government of the day. Included in this group were three politicians two of whom were members of Parliament from the ruling party, and the third was the Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister, Kwame Nkrumah, the combative architect of Ghana’s independence. Michael Daniel Quist was a clever strategist, with a clear conviction; to him, stability was the first requisite ingredient for Rotary’s eventual success in Ghana, and as we shall see, in other West African countries.
The extension of Rotary throughout the English–speaking West African countries would be achieved mainly through the initiative of the Rotary Club of the Accra, under the leadership of Michael Daniel Quist. Before joining Texaco, M. D. Quist had previously worked as Accountant at Mobil Oil Company in the Gold Coast and later in Lagos, Nigeria for two years. As the Chief Accountant of Texaco, Michael Daniel Quist had an oversight responsibility in the other English-speaking countries, namely, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It was therefore no wonder he spearheaded Rotary Extension Campaign into Nigeria. Promptly indeed, the Rotary Club of Accra organized the Rotary Clubs of Kano, Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria, and Freetown in Sierra Leone. Michael Daniel Quist, through his historical external family links in neighboring Togo also had ultimate aim to introduce Rotary to that country.
During the period under consideration, Rotary Clubs emerged in the sub-region mainly in the principal towns which first served as seats of government of the colonial masters and hence the centres of trade. There was therefore a skewed concentration of expatriate businessmen and colonial civil service officials which served as the main source of membership of all clubs. Consequently the clubs appeared to be cultivating some racial and social exclusiveness against the numerous members of the educated African class. As a result of colonial history, the geographical territory of D9100 is basically bi-lingual i.e. French speaking and English speaking, but since 1992 a third language, Portuguese was introduced with the accession of Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau into Rotary.
One may feel that although they had executed some essential community service projects here and there, the expatriate Rotary pioneers were not so much motivated by the ideals of Rotary; the main motivation for joining Rotary was rather their quest for an almost exclusive, elite social club where they could meet and relax, and enjoy and maintain the status as part of their political and economic domination.
Rotary International correctly stated, in a declaration titled: Policy of Rotary International in International Service, the following: “The Rotary ideal of service finds expression only where there is liberty of the individual, freedom of thought, speech and assembly”. No wonder Rotary’s growth mirrored the momentum of liberation from colonial domination, as the wind of independence blew across Africa.
Collated by Rtn Roma (ARPIC 2015/18)
Contributions: PDG George Takyi, PAG David Anim Addo & PDG Francois Amorin
Edited by PDG Robert F. Atta