Excerpt of Tickling the Ghanaian by Kofi Akpabli

On August 26, 2011, at the British Council auditorium, Kofi Akpabli, author of A Sense of Savannah: Tales from a Friendly Walk through Northern Ghana, launched his second book, Tickling the Ghanaian: Encounters with Contemporary Culture. In this book Kofi seeks to unravel what at all tickles the Ghanaian. Is it Sunday afternoon's after church Omo Tuo and beer, or when Ghana is 'beating' its arch-rivals in sports, Nigeria? Articles in this book include the two that won him the CNN/Multichoice Journalist Award for Arts and Culture back to back in 2010 and 2011, becoming the first journalist, in the award's history, to have won one category back to back: The Serious Business of Soup in Ghana and What is right with Akpeteshie. Following his usual humorous style of writing, Tickling the Ghanaian promises to be funny and educating. Kofi takes a different view of what we have perceived as always to be archaic. Kofi has eyes of details and tells his story the best way it could possibly be told.

At the launch were Nana Professor S.K.B Asante, Dr Esi Sutherland, Dr Kwaku Boakye - a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (who was the reviewer) and Mr. Edward Boateng - Executive Chairman and Group CEO of Global Media Alliance. The book is currently available in all bookshops in the country.

How Cloths Tickle the Ghanaian

In today’s global village many would find it hard to understand why we make such a fuss about cloths. But the truth is that in Ghanaian society cloths mean the world. Beyond  adding style and colour to our fashion sense their usage also reflects a range of values. Clothes also serve  as mediums to convey traditional symbols and messages. While the utility value of cloths are almost endless a bulk of our proverbs  and riddles are derived from them. In this discourse, find out what some folks do when they have a cloth and desire to express a particular  gesture.

Ghanaman and the Rastaman - A Hair-Witness Account

This is a discourse on Ghanaians’ attitude to the rasta phenomenon. It is narrated through the writer’s own ‘hair witness’ account. Carrying the rasta hair-do from England to the ‘Motherland’ he evokes a range of emotions from people. Do you become a special person when you carry the Rasta image? There is also a psychological upper hand that one gains in close encounters. Find out what happened on the few times that people stepped on my toes and raised their head only to notice my rasta.

The Serious Business of Soup in Ghana

This award winning article takes the lid off the soup pot to reveal intriguing aspects of the Ghanaian character. When others sit at table they flaunt starter stuff, main dish, sauce, vegetables, lamb and the works. With us, it is all in the soup. Ghanaians love their soup. However, as it turns out, it is not everywhere that soup is king.  Even in our West African neighbourhood, not everyone gives soup the attention it deserves. Bottomline? As soup-eriors in continental liberation, Ghanaians must continue to cherish their soup culture and make our nation great and strong. 

The Rise of The Schnapps

No one walks to the bar to buy and drink schnapps. No one even serves it to friends when they visit. But due to a combination of factors, Schnapps has risen to become one of Ghana’s most important alcoholic beverages. The relationship between alcohol and power is well grounded in colonial history. When Europeans visited our shores to trade, their bargaining chips included exotic bottles of refined alcohol. Drinks such as Schnapps thus shared the same status symbols as guns. Schnapps may not be many people’s favourite drink but it is like medicine that must be drunk to keep cultural relations whole.

Between Tinapa and Boflot- Where did the old  Taste go?

This discourse deals with taste and memory or better still the memory of taste. The meat of the matter is a simple question. Did our foods taste better in the past? The story also proposes the promotion of Ghanaian snacks and dishes which seems to be losing ground. This discourse reminisce akukor mmensa. And wonders why ‘ojenma’ pepper has stopped being a thriller.  Is it the fertilizer or it is climate change? Or it is Christmas chicken tasting wrong. 

Dongomi … Albarika- the  Ghanaian Art of Bargaining

One thing tourists and other visitors to Ghana seem never able to grasp is the way we bargain over goods and services. When a price is quoted, the seller rather goes on to ask how much the buyer would like to pay. We bargain not because we cannot afford but because we must. Indeed, for certain items it would be rude if you didn’t ask for discount. While we trace the history of bargaining discourse we discover how ‘‘Albarika’’ a term denoting discount became linked to Adabraka, an Accra suburb.

Things We Do For Rings

How come some things escape your attention and against all odds, manage to remain outside your understanding? Do you have such a grey area; something ordinary yet you never have been able to figure out? I do. Wedding rings, engagement rings, promissory rings and the lot. In Ghana, our forebears didn’t bother one bit about rings. But as with many habits we have adopted, we’ve taken it to levels that would surprise the originators. Thing about rings is they mean a m to the F side of the gender scale. Why for instance, would a lady wear her engagement ring while she has the wedding band on?  But are rings able to do what they are supposed to do? That is the 14- carat question.

The Truth about Fufu

In Ghana, we express serendipity by saying that ‘fufu has fallen into soup.’ This article shows how Fufu is a rallying point for families. For many enthusiasts fufu is life. It’s life attributes are typified by the mortar and pestle which  are analogous to the copulation that leads to procreation. All said and done, fufu is not only about finger licking and tummy filling. According to a local myth, the fufu story is central to the creation of the world!

Ghana vrs. Naija- Rubbing shoulders with a Giant

When it comes to West African neighbours that come closest in likeness to Ghanaians,  Nigeria offers a paradoxical prospect. In one sense, they are like us but in another... Nigerians are so interestingly different. In recent times Ghana’s showbiz scene reflects a huge dose of Naija influence. It’s all good. But there is only one  problem- we Ghanaians hardly have it in our heads that we are a small country. All we know is that ours is a very, very important nation, abi?

Batakari Has Spoken

The Fugu smock is the most distinctive dress from Northern Ghana. Also known in southern Ghana as batakari, Fugu has evolved from a native wear to a recognisable fashion statement awaiting its turn at the international catwalk. In Ghana, the Fugu smock assumed great significance when President Nkrumah chose to wear it in declaring Ghana’s independence. Indeed, a look at the dais on the historic moment of 6^th March 1957 would show that all his aides were in Fugu. Find out the reason for this dress code on the most important day of a nation’s life.

Why  Kokonte is facing the Wall

There are issues concerning aspects of our culture that colonialism and our religious experiences have stigmatised. There are also issues which we have blacklisted because …well we really don’t know. The story of kokonte is one such matter. Check this: give the Ghanaian a ‘behind closed doors’ treat of hot kokonte with groundnut or palm not soup with okro representing. The beneficiary will come out sweaty and gratified after having  swallowed and licked the fingers. But suggest to this same individual to serve kokonte at his own birthday party and the excuses would begin...

What is right with Akpeteshie?

With an active grass root loyalty, Akpeteshie is one of  the most recognisable alcoholic brands in Ghana. However, all has never been well. For the right or wrong reasons the drink was outlawed in the past. Does this account for the defiance character Akpeteshie and its drinkers are associated with? Akpeteshie also has a very serious value proposition- that of faithfully serving Ghanaian traditional culture. This award-winning article shows why the love of Akpteshie makes some grown-ups weep, while others hate it with self-righteous anger. Most importantly, where does the law stand?

This is the way we say Good Bye

Funerals are big part of Ghanaian culture. They allow us to show  the bereaved family that they are not alone. Today’s funeral process, however, is becoming a complex, money churning enterprise. This story explores the various types of Ghanaian funerals. Because a huge chunk of the average person’s savings (and borrowing) goes into funerals, the discourse raises issues which challenge the status quo. For instance, how does it make sense to lay the dead in an expensive casket only to deface it because thieves would dig it up? In some cases, contractors and professional mourners are recruited. Find out what happens when these enthusiasts arrive at the wrong funeral! Interestingly, the ‘funeral segment’ is the biggest chunk in Ghanaians’ participation in domestic tourism… Talk about fun in funeral.

________________________

I would be reviewing the book soon. Read my review here.

One Day I will Write about this Place by Binyavanga Wainaina

I first heard of, and met, Binyavanga Wainaina at the American Corner of the Legon Centre for Foreign Affairs (LECIA) of the University of Ghana. He had come there with another literati, Kojo Laing, whom I was also meeting for the first time. In his white linen trouser and long-sleeved round-neck top and green shoe, I settled to listen to this eccentric author in the company of friends. He informed the audience that what he was going to read would be from the manuscript of an upcoming memoir. Like most authors, he brought out his Apple laptop with care and set it on his lap. Opening it, he set out to read to us paragraphs. All I remember now from the reading is the tiny voice he had used to read to us pictures from his childhood and, most importantly, the loud laughter that followed every line.

The very next day I requested to be his friend on facebook. For those who are still not sure of whom he is, Binyavanga Wainaina is the author of, arguably, the most referred to satirical article on writing 'about Africa' titled How to Write about Africa. He is also the 2002 Caine Prize winner and founding editor and publisher of Kwani?.

I was therefore happy to read about the publication of his memoir One Day I will Write about this Place. According to Granta Magazine:

Binyavanga Wainaina tumbled through his middle-class Kenyan childhood out of kilter with the world around him. This world came to him as a chaos of loud and colourful sounds: the hair dryers at his mother's beauty parlour, black mamba bicycle bells, mechanics in Nairobi, the music of Michael Jackson - all punctuated by the infectious laughter of his brother and sister. He could fall in with their patterns, but it would take him a while to carve out his own. In this vivid and compelling debut, Wainaina takes us through his school days, his failed attempt to study in South Africa, a moving family reunion in Uganda, and his travels around Kenya. The landscape in front of him always claims his main attention, but he also evokes the shifting political scene that unsettles his views on family, tribe, and nationhood. Throughout, reading is his refuge and his solace. And when, in 2002, a writing prize comes through, the door is opened for him to pursue the career that perhaps had been beckoning all along. Resolutely avoiding stereotype and cliche, Wainaina paints every scene in One Day I Will Write About This Place with a highly distinctive and hugely memorable brush.

Similarly, Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Binyavanga Wainaina is a singer and painter in words. He makes you smell, hear, touch, see, above all, feel the drama and vibrations of life below the brilliantly and concretely captured surface of things in Kenya and Africa. The memoir bursts with life and laughter and pathos in every line and paragraph.

The book is available on Amazon.com. Also, be sure that when it becomes available in Ghana, ImageNations would bring you his views on and review of this book. Until then, I would want to say that if you want a different narrative about Africa, read this book.

Kwei Quartey Launches Children of the Street

On July 12, 2011, Children of the Street, a new novel by the Ghanaian mystery writer and physician, Kwei Quartey, went on sale. Children of the Street is part of the Inspector Darko Dawson series. Copies could be purchased from bookshops or downloaded onto laptops, smartphones, Kindles, iPads, Kobos and other tablet devices. The first book in the series is Wife of the Gods.

Praise for Children of the Street

“Quartey cleverly hides the culprit, but the whodunit’s strength is as much in the depiction of a world largely unfamiliar to an American readership as in its playing fair…” —STARRED Publisher’s Weekly

“Searing and original and done just right . . . Inspector Darko Dawson is relentless, and I look forward to riding with him again.” —Bestselling Author Michael Connelly

“Darko Dawson, with his secret struggle to stop smoking marijuana and his son’s chronic illness, is one of the most engaging characters this reader has ever encountered. The police work, the unexpected reveal of the murderer and the motivation for the killings, and the clever interactions among characters of widely different professions and social classes will completely satisfy readers who enjoyed the first book and intrigue newcomers.” –Library Journal

“CHILDREN OF THE STREET is a fast-paced rollercoaster through Accra…” - Kate Childs

But don’t take their word for it, try it and be the judge yourself. If you absolutely hate it, let me know by replying to this email and I will email you an Amazon gift card for the amount you paid for the novel. Depending on where you buy it, it runs between $9 and $15. There is no hardcover edition this time, making it much more accessible and affordable to everyone. Most hardcovers run between $24 and $30, which is a lot to pay for a book.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now so you can get to reading, and while you’re sinking into the story, I’ll go buy some sparkling apple cider to celebrate.

Read ImageNations' interview Dr Kwei Quartey. Click here to visit the author's website.

M.K. Asante: Author. Filmmaker. Professor.

At 29, when most of us are struggling to set our feet firmly somewhere, M.K. Asante is already an author of three celebrated books, the latest being It's Bigger than Hip Hop, a filmmaker and a professor. This Zimbabwean gem says he was conceived at the night of a Bob Marley concert and birthed nine months later. Thus, at conception point Asante was/is a man of the arts.

This exceptional professor shows that one can be a professor and be 'hip' at the same time. The two go together. In sweatshirt, Nike 'foot' and a cap over his Rasta hairdo, Asante has given lectures in over 25 countries across the world. He says that what counts is not the material things we wear, but the intellect - that intangible thing seated in the head which has no correlation with your dressing - that counts. A first glance would lead you to judge him as a hip hop star or a fashion aficionado; but Asante says it's bigger than hip hop. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer described him as a "a rare, remarkable talent that brings to mind the great artists of the Harlem Renaissance." Asante is the recipient of the Langston Hughes Award and his latest book has been hailed by the Los Angeles times as "An empowering book that moves you to action and to question status quo America."

Note that all these were not grabbed from the classroom. He is also street-smart and have earned his fair share of rustication, dismissals and 'negative-branding' by teachers. He was told he would not amount to nothing, but ten, twelve years on, he has amounted to some so significant that his achievements are worth sharing. Asante's other books are Beautiful. And Ugly Too and Like Water Running Off My Back, winner of the Jean Corrie Prize from the Academy of American Poets.

As an acclaimed filmmaker, Asante direcated The Black Candle, a film he co-wrote with renowned poet Maya Angelou who also narrates the prize-winning film. It was through this work that Maya Angelou commented on his talents on facebook. And this is where I met Asante. He wrote and produced the film 500 Years Later, winner of five international film festival awards as well as the Breaking the Chains award from the United Nations. He also produced the multi award-winning film Motherland. Read more about him here, but first listened to this interview with CNN's African Voices.

The First Science-Fiction Novel in Shona

In Africa almost everybody is bilingual. There is a choice between speaking the colonialist language or the local language. And often we find ourselves in the middle, speaking the Pidgin Language (English, French, Portuguese) in unofficial places. In Nigeria, Pidgin English is the most common form of communication. However, some scholars have called for the use of African Languages in official settings. This call has been called populist by some and shunned by others. In fact, recently an author argued that the African Language divides. Until then, I never heard that the language of our forefathers could divide us. We all had our say on the issue.

However, few authors are taking this call to higher levels. A name that comes to mind easily is Ngugi wa Thiongo'o, who writes in Gikuyu, his mother tongue. And Masimba Musodza is also contributing to making this dream a success. Masimba Musodza, according to the Press Statement below, has written the first science-fiction novel in Shona. I first heard of Masimba when I read his short story, Yesterday's Dog, in the first edition of the African Roar anthology. That story showed the cyclic nature of man and the ever-changing roles we hold. His story was one of my favourites in the collection.

The Press Statement

UK based Zimbabwean author, Masimba Musodza, has ushered in a new era in Zimbabwean literature by publishing the definitive first science-fiction/horror novel in ChiShona and the first in that language to be available on amazon Kindle.

MunaHacha Maive Nei weaves issues of greed & corruption, sustainable development, international corporate intrigue and concerns around bio-technology. Chemicals from a research station conducting illegal experiments begin to seep in to the local ecosystem, causing mutations in the flora and fauna. When a child is attacked by a giant fish, the villagers think it is an affronted mermaid-traditional custodian of the ecology- and seek to appease it according to the prescription of folk-lore. However, the reality of what is happening soon becomes evident, a reality more terrifying than any legend or belief.

MunaHacha Maive Nei was written for the next generation of ChiShona readers, taking a language that has long contended with encroaching westernisation into the modern world of information technology and new media. It was written in the United Kingdom, a country that considers ChiShona a language widely spoken enough to have official documents and information printed in. Musodza demonstrates a remarkable flair for ChiShona and overturns the notion that it is not possible to write "complicated stuff" in a language that is often shunned by the educated back home. Influenced by Professor Ngugi wa Thiongo's Decolonising the Mind, Musodza has been an advocate for the sustained use of African languages. (see this article here) It is his hope that MunaHacha Maive Nei will generate more than academic interest. The print edition will be published in the next few weeks by Coventry-based Lion Press Ltd.

Masimba Musodza was born in Zimbabwe in 1976, and came to England in 2002. A screenwriter by profession, he published his first book in 1997, The Man who turned into a Rastafarian. He is perhaps best known in literary circles for his Dread Eye Detective Agency series. Musodza lives in the North-East England town of Middlesbrough.

click here for the link to Musodza's page on amazon Kindle

Love, MadaGhana, A New Poetry Anthology by Crystal Tettey

The literary scene in Ghana is currently buzzing. Usually, one expects the older generation to lead the way but in their absence, in their inability to point the way or nurture the younger generation, the latter has taken the stage by thrust, redefining literature in their own unique way.

A new and fantastic collection of poetry, Love, MadaGhana by Crystal Tettey, has just been published and launched. In this collection, the artist pays homage to the rich heritages of her double origins: Madagascar and Ghana, hence the title Love, MadaGhana. The book aims at celebrating diversity via Madagascar and Ghana. Love, MadaGhana is full of imagery that inspires, elevates and colours the imagination. The launch took place on Friday, April 29 2011 at the Highgate Hotel in Accra, Ghana

About the Poet: Crystal Fanantenana Ranaivo-Tettey is a member of EhaLaKasa; a group of Spoken Word artists whose emphasis is on performing Poetry for positive social transformation. She is a Poet, Singer and Human Rights Advocate. Crystal is fluent in 3 international languages English, French and Russian. 

Her performances include features at Eha-Lakasa Poetry Mega Fiesta 2010, Bless The Mic – BTM: Ghana editions, Ghana Goes 2010 (an event dedicated by artists to the Ghanaian national team via football-themed performances), the Eha-Lakasa Poetry Slam 2009, and an NT1 Poetry Gala dubbed The Wordsmiths 2008 (a night of Contemporary Poetry and Music). 

She was also the Opening Act at DECIBELS (a concert organized by Canoe Magazine and featuring International Acts Nneka, Gena West, Bibie Brew and Efya). She starred in the 2007 DWIB Leukemia Trust Fundraiser Play/Adaptation of the animation “The prince of Egypt”, where she played the role of Yocheved.

Some of her published works can be found in “An Anthology of Contemporary Ghanaian Poems” (Woeli Publishing Services, 2004), “Face to Face - Poems and Short Stories about a Virus” (Goethe Institut, Woeli Publishing Services, 2004) and in “Sun and Snow Anthology”, Rhythm Foundation/project (funds raised towards developing the Dixcove hospital located outside Takoradi in Ghana), 2010. 

Copies will be available from Monday, 9^th May 2011 at Smoothies, Osu, Nubuke Foundation, Goethe Institute and the Silverbird Lifestyle store, Accra Mall. Plans are in place to get copies to the University of Ghana, Legon Bookshop.

New Poetry Anthologies from Ghana and Zimbabwe

Look Where You Have Gone to Sit (Edited by Martin Egblewogbe and Laban Carrick Hill)

The Writers Project of Ghana has released the first of a series of anthologies titled Look Where You have Gone to Sit. Edited by Martin Egblewogbe and Laban Carrick Hill and published by Woeli Publishing Services in Accra, Look Where You have Gone to Sit features the work of nineteen new writers, presenting exciting writings across different themes. Writers Project of Ghana intends to continue its efforts to put out more anthologies of Ghanaian writing; consequently, there will be a launch for the next anthologies for 2011 later this year, one for poetry and another for short stories. Copies of this anthology would be available in all bookstores soon, so keep looking.

I have a poem, Finding My Voice, in this anthology. For more information contact martin@writersproject.com.

Together by Julius Chingono and John Eppels

Co-published by 'amaBooks (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe), University of KwaZulu-Nala Press (South Africa) and University of New Orleans (USA), Together  is a collaborative writing between Chingono and Eppels. This book would honour the memory of Chingono who passed away in January this year. Together is being launched on April 18.

Date: April 18, 2011

Time: 5:30 pm

Venue: Lobby Books, Idasa's Cape Town Democracy Centre, 6 Spin Street, Cape Town

RSVP: aspath@idasa.or.za

Myne Whitman's Second Novel, A Love Rekindled

Myne Whitman, the popular Nigerian author whose debut novel, A Heart to Mend, received great reviews and praise, has released her second novel titled A Love Rekindled. Over the years Myne has established herself as a writer of love stories; in this way she is filling a gap in the literary culture of Nigeria and Africa as a whole. And even though she wouldn't consider herself as an avant-garde in this genre, her vision is to remain in it and become a foremost brand name, a worthy aspiration and an achievable one coming from one who has read Mills and Boon and has been influenced by a wide variety of writers both home and abroad including the likes of Cyprian Ekwensi, Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Chinua Achebe, Barbara Cartland, Francine Rivers, and recently, Chimamanda Adichie.

From the Blurb:

Efe returns to Nigeria after years in the United States, dreaming of an uncomplicated life. However, her nights become plagued by nightmares of Kevwe Mukoro, her ex-fiancé. Long hours at work and drinking in nightclubs only provide temporary relief, and when she encounters Kevwe's twin brother, she knows it's a matter of time before Kevwe is back in her life.

Sparks fly when they finally meet again, but desire is no match for bitter memories of heartbreak. All these years, Efe believed she was rejected; now Kevwe claims he'd never stopped loving her. Stuck at a crossroads, Kevwe prefers to look to the future, but Efe is not so sure. Can the traumatic events of the past be resolved, and will she give in to rekindled love?

This promises to continue and elevate the excite that began with A Heart to Mend. The author has agreed to continue the interview we had last year when she released his debut novel. Below is an embedded youtube video-trailer of the book (and this happens to be the first video I have embedded in any of my post). 

A Love Rekindled is available from the following outlets:

Amazon Paperback, Kindle, Createspace, Smashwords,and B&N Nook.

A Sense of Savannah Tales from a Friendly Walk through Northern Ghana by Kofi Akpabli

A new, witty, travelogue by CNN/Multichoice African Journalist for Arts and Culture, Kofi Akpabli, is about to be launched. The launch date is Wednesday March 30, 2011. Writing in his very usual manner, Kofi warns at the back of the book

Caution: For fear of emitting loud, embarrassing laughs do not read this book in public.

Again, I quote what led to the writing of this book. From the back cover:

When Kofi Akpabli was posted to the northern border town of Paga to do his national service he thought it was just going to be another 'national suffering.' But when he encountered love at first sight with the landscape and the people, he was soon to realise that something close to destiny tied him to the place. The author was welcomed to a world refreshingly different from the back streets of Accra and Cape Coast. He discovered the smell of dawadawa, the taste of pito, and the mystery of border towns. Over a period of seven years, Kofi criss-crossed the Upper East, Upper West and the Northern Regions. His real life adventures have been published in a cross-section of Ghanaian newspapers. By popular requests, here comes A Sense of Savannah, a witty collection of travel tales that best express the character of Ghana's savannah setting.

 A synopsis:

Way West to Wechiau

Kofi Akpabli

This is the hard core, nature lover’s dream expedition.  The object of chase is the hippopotamus, the largest mammal on land after the elephant. The vehicle to accomplish the mission is a narrow, 15 foot canoe dug out of mahogany. A river safari on the Black Volta, provides an unforgettable experience. Find out what happens at the moment of truth when the beast rears its ugly head.

Plus, there is more in this idyllic setting nestled between Ghana, Burkina Faso and La Cote D’ivoire. Also, learn about the Lobis who used to pierce the lips of their women. But that was then. Today, of course, a young Lobi lady would rather have her lips greased with designer lip shine.

Plus, do you know that there are people in Ghana who still spend cowries as a currency? A stroll at Hamile market stumbles across a Forex Bureau where you are asked if you want cedis or cowries. How does it play out when the ‘Chancellor’ of this Forex Bureau also sells cola nuts?

A Market Day in Navrongo

Ordinarily, a market day is a normal activity. But when it is also the platform for marriage, naming and other social ceremonies, then it becomes one big communal celebration. The Navrongo market day occurs every fourth day. But do not despair if you don’t have a calendar to keep up. When in the morning you see a young man pull a herd of goats, followed by an old man with a guinea fowl tucked under his armpit, next rides a boy in a donkey cart who overtakes a woman carrying a pan of shea butter… 

This discourse takes readers through what happens on a typical market day in Navrongo. But in the heat, and noise and spirited interactions, a place such as the Navrongo Police Station is not spared the action. The peace post receives a fair amount of the market share, as it were…

Christmas in Hamile

Hamile, the north westernmost part of Ghana might not be your ideal travel address for Christmas. However, when this destination was put to the Yuletide test, the result is an unforgettable experience that Accra may never provide. Here, a greeting such as ‘‘Barika da Christmas’’ is not a cultural shock but an admission of a shared heritage.

In Hamile, the pito drinking session is a kingly treat as the lady servers actually bow to present you with your calabashful. Also, experience a free sample of the Christmas atmosphere in Nandom, Larwa and Wa. Check all this out, and you would wonder why some people spend all their Christmas in the city.

A Savannah Valentine

Over the last decade, the media and an aggressive market place have made Valentines’ day a big social deal in Ghanaian society ‘‘Love is Contagious’’, says  the words of a song, and Tamale, has also been caught up in the Valentine web. This narrative captures how the foremost Northern Ghana city celebrated one such event.

This article is a running commentary on what went on where from midday until… well, Valentine expired. Faced with an influx of young lovers all dressed up in red, how does a poor, old Hausa kooko seller assess the event? And, oh, after all was said and done, what happened to the narrator himself in Room No. 26, Hamdalla Guest House on Valentine midnight?

Bawku the Beautiful

Frankly, the first word that comes to mind when Bawku is mentioned should not be conflict. This is one area in Ghana that nature has actually spoilt with beauty. For characterisation, Bawku possesses the indifference of New York, the business savvy of Kumasi and the live-and-let-live-in-spite-of-ethnic-diversity of Nima.  If you are wondering just how special Bawku can be then ask yourself this: how many places in Ghana share boundaries with two different countries?

From the moment the author arrived in town, with the instinct of a thirsty stranger, one interesting encounter led to another. Take the Yarigungu area which is enclosed by a lovely chain of hills. This stretch of highland is actually known as Agol, the protector god. His wife, the river goddess Agolok flows below. The children of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Agol’ are the blessed, little crocodiles in the river. And of course, they all live happily together ever after.....

Bolga to Kumasi by GPRTU

Gateway. That is the one word that underscores the importance of Kumasi to northern Ghana. As the nearest big city, it means more in several respects than Accra. Even for those hustlers who have the capital as the final destination, Kumasi is where to transit, learn the ropes and earn the passage.

                                                                                                  

A journey from Bolgatanga to Kumasi on a GPRTU bus, turns out to be a very important teaching experience. For example, if one wants to quantify the volume of akpeteshie that is quaffed in the Upper East Region, the best place to begin the survey would be the GPRTU Kumasi station at Bolgatanga. But the lessons are not limited to research. A course in long suffering also gets some credit hours. What other choice is there when one is trapped on a rickety bus, in an all night long journey and the co-passengers profile includes the following: a blind professional beggar with white cane and boy guide, some quarrelsome kayayes, a barber with scissors on the ready and a khebab seller travelling with his iron grill. Final lesson: sometimes, drama travels on wheels.

The Sirigu Success Story

What could make United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan leave his heavy UN schedules in New York to come all the way to Sirigu to interact with local women weaving baskets? ‘‘Inpiration’’ is not a bad guess. Sirigu used to be a poverty stricken savannah community until a retired old teacher, Madam Melanie Kasise found her long forgotten undergrad long essay among her old stuff. Her project work was on reviving the dying wall art of Sirigu. She brought out the book, dusted it and said ‘‘no’’ to a boring retirement life. Madam Kasise has never looked back since. She mobilised local women and now her Sirigu Women Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA) has 300 young and old members. 

 SWOPA also aims at providing simple but quality tourist services. The compound houses a museum, workshop, restaurant and a traditionally styled four-room guesthouse. Today, SWOPA has become the centre of community life. At night, secondary school chaps visit to study under solar light. At dawn, children come to draw water from the borehole. And during the day, this same place is overrun by mothers who have all come to assert their craftwomanship.

A Pilgrimage to Paga

Perhaps, no area has more relics and landmarks related to the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade than the northern regions of Ghana. Historians tell us that the bulk of the slaves were caught from the area. The border town of Paga Nania has a former slave camp that continues to attract all levels of interest. The Paga-Nania Slave Camp is sited on a huge area of rock known as Pinkworo ‘‘the Rocks of Fear.’’ With thick vegetation cover, the spot proved an ideal hideout.

The horrific event of the slave trade took a new meaning the day a group of 14 African-Americans arrived at Paga to re-discover home. Ever the true Ghanaians, the people and their chiefs, slaughtered a sheep, poured libation and served a delicious dish of hot African dance. What happened when an inexplicable spirit drew the African-Americans to the floor to do the Nagla dance? Talk about soul music.

Kumasi to Bolga (State of Emergency)

Some adventures never seem to leave you alone. A return trip from Kumasi to the north turns out not only more dramatic but reveals further insight into the people and systems that run our society. And then what happens when due to a security alert the journey is interrupted and the ‘‘son of man’’ has to spend the night on the hard, cold street and among very strange strangers? Another lesson: at the height of the helplessness of the human situation, comfort comes from the most unlikely places. This time, from the radio set of a tea drinking, Bin Laden apparelled gang. Ever heard of Wangara lullaby?

  

Drop me at Abavana Junction

This is an up close encounter with a man who helped Nkrumah to administer newly independent Ghana. The popular Abavana Junction at Kotobabi in Accra is named after L.R. Abavana (Esq.), but the interaction took place in Navrongo where he hails from. Coming shortly before the 82 year old passed away, the interview touched on his service to the nation as Minister holding a total of five portfolios.

An athlete in his days and a tennis freak, our hero was actually nicknamed ‘‘Lightening.’’  He reminisced the doubles he played alongside Kwame Nkrumah against Kojo Botsio and Gbedemah.  Find out the particular joke President  Nkrumah used to play on this humble man each time he bumped into him on the corridors of flagstaff house where they both shared an office. Hint: it begins with Nkrumah sniffing Abavana’s pocket.

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I would be interviewing the author and reviewing the book on this platform, so keep visiting. Note that the book would be launched on Wednesday March 30, 2011. Visit Kofi's personal website here. Read his funny, rib-breaking, award-winning article on soup titled The Serious Business of Soup in Ghana knowing that there is more in the book.

Definition of a Miracle by Farida N. Bedwei

Farida N. Bedwei, author

Farida Bedwei's debut novel, Definition of a Miracle, has received rave reviews from home and abroad. It is a bold novel that puts into perspective the idea of 'not giving up'. It also challenges the kind of story that has become representative of Africa. I am sure that had this been written in the mould of the 'acceptable' African Story, hope would have been lost.

The author, Farida Bedwei, was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but spent most of her childhood in Dominica, Grenada and the U.K. before she (at 9 years) moved with her family moved to Ghana. At age 10 she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This condition made it almost impossible for Farida to enroll in mainstream school at such an age and was thus tutored by her mother, entering mainstream school 2 years later when she was 12. She, however, overcame the challenges posed by this condition in a country which is not disability-friendly and excelled academically and has risen to become one of the top software engineers in Ghana. 

The novel, which runs parallel with her life though it is not an autobiographical, tells of an 8-year old girl's struggle with cerebral palsy in a community where people suffering with the disease are misunderstood and viewed as incapable of contributing meaningfully to the society. The disease itself is deemed to have a superstitious linkage.

Excerpt from Definition of a Miracle by Farida N. Bedwei

At breakfast Mummy announced that she was taking Emefa to Labadi Polyclinic given that she was still under the weather. Whilst preparing breakfast Emefa had been overcome with the need to throw up and run out to the bathroom, leaving the pot Quaker Oats on the stove unattended. Daddy was home, it being a Saturday and he offered to take us to the beach. We cheered loudly at this for we hadn’t been to the beach since we moved down, though we’d driven past it a number of times on the way to Tema.

Daddy said, “Why don’t we all go together, that way we can drop you and Emefa off at the polyclinic on our way and pick you up later?”

Mummy paused in the act of buttering her bread, pondering over the logistics. “Naah, you can drop us off but we’ll just take a taxi back since I don’t know what time we’ll finish.”

“But isn’t it just an ordinary check-up? It shouldn’t take more than an hour.” He took a sip of his coffee.

“There may be a long queue when we get there,” she replied. “Its alright, we’ll just take a taxi back, you and the children go on and have a nice time at the beach.”

Standing up, she picked up hers and my plates. “It’d be nice to have a bit of quiet in the house so I can catch up on my studying, so please don’t rush back on my account.”

Carrying the plates to the kitchen, she called over her shoulder, “Bash, when you finish eating, help Jalal clear the table and wash up the plates since Emefa is lying down in her room. I’m going to have my bath and get ready.”

“Hey Ayorkor, I forgot to ask, how was the convention last night?” Daddy asked, getting up from the table, carrying his plate to the kitchen.

Mummy appeared in the kitchen doorway with a guarded expression. “It was very nice, very inspiring and powerful. By the way it was a crusade not a convention.”

Coming back from the kitchen, Daddy said, “I stand corrected. I’m going to warm up the engine. I’ll be outside.”

A look of relief came over Mummy’s face. “Ok.”

Turning to us she asked, “Do you know where your swimming costumes are?”

“Mine are in my panties drawer,” I replied. “Mummy, may I wear the pink bikini?”

“Does it still fit? If it does, you can wear it. I’ll help you change when I finish taking my bath. Basheera, Jalal you didn’t answer me. Do you know where your costumes are?” she asked.

“I think mine is still in the suitcase with some of my clothes—those which will not fit into my wardrobe. By the way, when is the carpenter bringing my chest of drawers so I can unpack all my stuff and put the suitcase away? It’s getting tiresome, having to pull the suitcase out from under the bed to take out my underwear whenever I am dressing after having a bath,” Bash complained.

“The last time he was here, he said he had finished making your chest of drawers but wanted to finish the bookshelves for your room as well as the ones for the study so as to bring them all at once,” she replied.

“But that was like two weeks ago; shouldn’t he have finished everything by now?” Bash asked, tying the bread plastic.

“I’ll ask your father about it, maybe you can pass by his workshop on the way back from the beach since it is opposite the beach, around the Trade Fair Site,” Mummy said.

She departed for the bathroom then and leaving us (well them) to finish clearing the table. I crawled back to my room to dig out my pink bikini, lay it on the bed and waited for Mummy to come and help me change into it. Bash came in a short while after, pulling off her Minnie Mouse nightshirt as she entered. Looking at her kneeling and pulling the suitcase out from under the bed to remove the swimsuit, I could appreciate her complaints—it sure as heck was inconvenient. Mummy came in a few minutes later, changed me into the bikini and pulled my oversized Donald Duck T-shirt over it. It reached down to my mid-thigh, thus I didn’t have to wear shorts underneath.

Mummy said there was no point putting on the braces for me since they’d be taken off at the beach, so I left the crutches behind as well.

We all piled into the car and drove to the polyclinic to drop Mummy and Emefa off first before continuing to the beach. Emefa was looking really tired and sickly; I hoped it wasn’t anything serious. Mummy reminded Daddy about the carpentry works currently outstanding and asked him to pass by the carpenter’s workshop on our way back home to find out the status of our stuff.

We had a pleasant morning at the beach, spending about three hours frolicking in the water and building sandcastles. The beach was a bit crowded, littered with people of different stations and races. There were a few white people, who looked more red than white from sitting in the hot sun. There were also persons of Lebanese descent whose olive complexion wasn’t as vulnerable to sunburn as the Caucasians. Then there were my fellow countrymen and women, most of them the natives of the Labadi Township. Quite an interesting mix, I found. Jalal made friends with the Labadi boys, joining them in a football game a few metres away from where we were seated. There were two red flags mounted on the shore about 20 meters apart, marking the ‘safe zone’. The safe zone was the safest area and swimmers were advised to swim between the two flags. The waves were quite rough, paying homage to the ferocity the Atlantic Ocean is reputed for. Sometimes you could see tiny tidal waves forming along the shores which a small child could be sucked into.

Daddy took me into the water a few times, supporting my upper body whilst I kicked and paddled my legs as a form of exercise. Back in London, going to the pool once a week had been part of my physiotherapy routine.

Around noon, Bash started complaining she was hungry. Daddy bought some kebabs which we ate on the way to the carpenter’s workshop.

The carpenter wasn’t there but his apprentice showed us our shelves and chest of drawers which he said was still wet from the glossing sheen which had been sprayed on it to make it look polished. He assured us that by Monday it’d have dried and they’d be delivered in the afternoon.

Satisfied, we headed home, tired and still a bit hungry, looking forward to eating lunch and settling down to finish my Famous Five novel. Timmy was currently missing and I couldn’t wait to find out where he had ended up.

As we entered the house I could hear Mummy and Emefa talking in the kitchen, well Mummy was doing the talking, Emefa was just crying.

Standing in the doorway we could see Mummy looking crossly down at Emefa who was kneeling in front of her, clutching her slit, begging her not to send her away.

After handing me over to my brother with a, “Jalal here, hold Zaara”, Daddy entered the kitchen and asked what was going on.

“Why don’t you ask her, ask her what the doctor said was wrong with her.” Mummy went to lean against the kitchen counter, folding her hands across her chest looking down at where Emefa was still kneeling in the middle of the kitchen.

Noticing us hovering in the doorway, she shouted at us to go to our rooms. Not in this lifetime, we hid behind the kitchen wall to listen in.

Read the full excerpt at StoryTime.


Note: In Ghana copies could be obtained from the Silverbird located at the Accra Mall, Julikart Cosmetics Osu (between MTN and Frankies), and INKA Accessories, Nyaniba (Opposite El-Gringo)


Farida has agreed to be interviewed on ImageNations.