Internet takes ancient craft global

For Frimpong to have found such success through Internet revolution is no mean accomplishment here in Ghana, where 100,000 telephones barely service 19 million people. Getting online requires borrowing a computer - whether at a business, a public telecenter, or a friend's. Often, people procure a free Hotmail or Yahoo! account by paying a few coins to a university student.

Although all 54 African countries have Internet servers now - up from four 11 years ago - only 500,000 Africans have Internet access, excluding South Africa, according to the UN Economic Commission of Africa. Still, a disproportionate number of African users are white, affluent and educated, following rifts that line the digital divide.

"The government can't provide all the solutions," says King Tutu. "Private industry, like artisan websites, can provide some assistance. And education is the key to progress."

African telecenters are becoming a one-stop solution for education and business transactions. They are stocked with phones, scanners, photocopying and fax machines, and all-important Internet connections.

There are more than 20 pilot telecenter projects in Africa, according to the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. That number is in addition to a jumble of initiatives devoted to boosting connectivity in Africa.

King Tutu has his own initiatives toward modernizing and educating his citizenry. Since assuming the throne in 1999, people say, the king has demonstrated what those before him have lacked: vision and a deeper understanding of the world.

Educated in both Ghana and Britain, the king held positions in finance at Mutual of Omaha Insurance and London-based Ox. He later formed his own company in Ghana, Transpomech International Ltd.

"I'm very concerned about creating work for people, because if they have work, they can contribute to their children's welfare," says Tutu, the 16th Asantehene, King of the Asantes, which is the largest and most powerful tribal ethnic group in Ghana.

"The government can't produce all the jobs, and the government can't educate all the people. There needs to be a unified effort."

Tutu's gift of charm - a certain radiance and strict adherence to tradition, while setting his eye on broadband access - has inspired both loyalty and motivation among subjects, especially Frimpong.

"I carve with great care, for my king is not a small king," says Frimpong, who has been carving since he was a teen-ager.

"When the British came, they took away everything good about Ghana. I've been angry all my life, and have resented that. But now, Westerners are appreciating my work, even fascinated with it. Everything comes full circle."

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