“Thank you for yesterday!”: a pearl of African wisdom. In its simplicity, it emphasizes that only by artfully intertwining gratitude and memory can we bring to light faces and gestures that warm the heart and illuminate life.
During a meeting, I met Jean-Pierre Sourou Piessou. Conversing with him about the values of African peoples, he told me that in his country, when children begin to take their first steps, their mothers teach them attitudes that she believes are essential for living in communion and peace with everyone.
Among these, there are some that Jean-Pierre cherishes in his memory and heart and tries to live by: greeting people he meets; respect for the elders, who represent the historical memory of the people; gratitude not only for gifts received, but also for friendship, solidarity, understanding…
Of these attitudes, which Jean-Pierre recounts, enriching them with examples, I was struck by the way in which gratitude is expressed in his country. In our society, in fact, it’s enough to say: thank you! In Togo, however, three words are used: “Thank you for yesterday,” a short phrase that encapsulates and emphasizes the memory of the good received, gratitude, appreciation, and respect.
But why “thank you for yesterday”?, I asked Jean-Pierre.
My mother repeated this teaching to me every time we visited the families in the village, or when along the river, early in the morning or at sunset, I met acquaintances and they gave me something. Usually, I wouldn’t take my eyes off the gift I’d received, and then my mother, with a light touch on the shoulder and looking at me intently, would say: “wifuni kutsè titi,” meaning: “say thank you.” I, with my eyes lowered, would repeat: “kutsè!” and my mother, smiling, would whisper in my ear: “good, good.” But it didn’t end there. The next morning, along the river, meeting those who had given me the gift the day before, my mother would bow slightly, saying: “kutsè o’nan, kutsè o’nan titi…” which means: “thank you, thank you very much for yesterday.” It was the best way to express gratitude, which must not fade, but endure over time.” Incredible and fascinating!
“Thanks for yesterday,” Jean-Pierre continues, “may seem like the catchy refrain of a song sung by people celebrating the beginning of spring or the end of the rainy season. Instead, in my Africa, it’s a simple and joyful way to remember those who have given something, to individuals or to the community to which they belong.
The word “yesterday,” closely linked to “thank you,” indicates enduring gratitude toward a benefactor, or toward those who have supported us in times of hardship and suffering. “Yesterday” is the most appropriate word to indelibly link gratitude to memory.
“Thanks for yesterday” contains an invitation to each of us to cherish, forever, in the world of our most precious loved ones: the face of those who have given, through gestures, words, or gifts, a glimmer of happiness and consolation.”
Jean-Pierre recalls that one year, during the Christmas holidays, when he was ten years old, he and his family were mourning the premature death of his younger brother in a car accident. His uncles and aunts came to visit to comfort the family.
They brought traditional Togolese sweets, along with sheep, roosters, and chickens. Relatives had come from far away, so Jean-Pierre’s parents, grateful for their visit, invited them to spend the night with them and the entire community. At dawn, at the first cockcrow, according to African tradition, his mother, along with all the family members, woke the relatives to thank them, one by one, with the three important words: “kutsè o’nan, kutsè o’nan titi…” (thank you for yesterday).
This and other events, for Jean-Pierre and the people of Togo, are not just a memory, but life lessons and values to be preserved, because they are deeply convinced that we must always give thanks for everything received, because the good done is not lost, only if there is a thank you and a memory that supports it, therefore: “thank you for yesterday.”
Sister Maria Luisa Casiraghi,mc
