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 6th 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.
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I would be reviewing the book soon. Read my review here.
sounds like a great event nana ,look forward to your review ,all the best stu
ReplyDeleteI like the issues the book discusses. Nice one.
ReplyDeleteit was Stu. I will review it soon.
ReplyDelete@Myne... it's an inward reflection.
ReplyDelete