OF OUR DAYS AND CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

I am not so sure if they do it like this these days but, back in my primary school days, Our Day was such a big deal. It was easily the best part of school life at the primary level. Our Day (I don't know how it got to be called so) was the last day of a school term (and often the end of an academic year) and  it was a day of fanfare and merry making.

 

On Our Day, we wore our "Christmas dress" and our nice shoes to school and ate home cooked meals. Unlike these days when kids eat Jollof rice for breakfast and gulp down bottles of Coke and Fanta without any care, in my primary school days, Our Day was among the few occasions and opportunities a child had to relish the sweet taste of a bottle of Coke, Fanta or Sprite. And oh, we savored every drop of it. 

But then, it was all not about just one day. We would decorate our classrooms with paper ribbons days or weeks ahead of Our Day. In the absence of glue, we made sticky starch from dough to hold the paper ribbons together. Stubborn kids played with the starch and splashed some on their school uniforms but who cared, those uniforms were probably seeing their last days as new ones were to be expected when the next academic year began. Then came the balloons; in bright colours, shapes and sizes they adorned the classrooms and gave them a more celebratory fervour. But I never liked them; their rubbery scent always got me nauseous and the fear of them exploding into pieces always gave me the jitters.  

 Our Days always started the day before; you could easily notice that indeed it was going to be a jolly time once again. There was rice, meat, fish and all other ingredients needed for the meal. It is important to mention here that such meals were not eaten on a regular basis at home. No way! One had to deal with the likes of Banku, Akple, Yam, plain Rice & Stew as part of the menu on a normal basis; ain't nobody got time to be fixing Jollof rice and curried rice for children regularly. 

I hardly slept on the nights before Our Day not with adrenaline gushing through my veins looking for an exit. And anticipation of what a good day it was going to be. But then as hard as I tried to stay awake into the next day, sleep would always finally come for me and leave me with dreams. The first smell to hit my nostrils in the morning was the sweet aroma of Jollof rice, and chicken as I quickly make a dash into the kitchen to ascertain that my Our Day meal was ready. For most of us, we bought the 'soft drinks' on the morn of the event and boy, were we not glad to dash to the neigbhourhood store to collect our chilled bottle of Coke or Fanta. After a quick bath, we were ready to go for Our Day, as we looked dashing in our dress, and shoes (back in those days, I wore sneakers popularly called Camboos) and our food carefully tucked away in a nice picnic basket. 

For most of us children, Our Days were good photo opportunities;I have seen a couple of pictures taken on such occasions and the memories and emotions of good days gone they evoked are priceless. Of important mention here is the fact that the pictures were not instant or taken with digital cameras of today. Neither were they taken using camera phones which have become common place now. Definitely, there were no selfies on Our Day. A group picture of friends or the class were the norm then. Often, these pictures were submitted to the class several weeks later by the photographer. 

Our Days were not always fun days. There was often the case of someone dropping priceless chinaware or plate from home and the fear of a reprimand from an aggrieved mother (and I must confess he or she would be getting away lightly if that was all they received for their carelessness). I have always wondered why most parents allowed their children to bring to Our Day, the precious plates and other expensive kitchenware. But then I believe it was equally an occasion to showoff the riches of the home.  Many a bowl cover have been misplaced on such a day; never to be found as they drifted into history of the occasion. 

The fanfare of the day came to an end with the last school assembly session for the year. Most of whatever the teachers were yelling to our young faces were lost on us as we looked forward to going back to the classrooms to say a final goodbye to our mates. Term reports were given out on Our Day. For those who failed the exams or were repeating the class, whatever joys of the day they brought along quickly dissipated into thin air as the bleak unknown stared them in the faces. 

 

-2014

 

For Lawrencia Zigah

Of wizards, football, money and societal values: the Ghanaian Story

I am still yet to come to terms with the revelation by self acclaimed most powerful jujuman in Ghana Kwaku Bonsam that he is the cause of the injuries of Portuguese football star Christiano Ronaldo. Ever since he burst into the limelight some five or so years ago, Kwaku Bonsam has not spared any "opportunity" to tell us all about just how powerful he is and compares himself to the legendary Okomfo Anokye of old Asanteman. He has strutted about town with a swag of a latter day hip-hop artiste and lives a flamboyant lifestyle as he seeks to give some modern taste to his trade in esoteric realms. In case you didn't know, he has a website which is kept updated.

 

Kwaku Bonsam spent a year or two in the Bronx of New York and his daily exploits were captured in film as cameras followed him about like he was a member of the Kardashian tribe. But, wait, he is a jujuman man, a witch doctor, from Ghana.

 I still remember one morning in 2009 when he was given a slot on TV3 morning show to display his powers. I watched as he conjured money from god knows where to the gleeful excitement of the show host. Ever since that time, a question has nagged me so long for answers; where are we going as a country as far as science and technology and hard work supported with research, are concerned?

Not a day passes by without a new movie being released unto the Ghanaian market by  Kumawood (name for the local-largely Kumasi based-movie industry especially). Most of these movies usually go along the story line of people dabbling in the occult and fetish practices, witches and wizards, dragons running amok and benevolent spirits blessing their adherents. If movies are a reflection of the sociocultural outlook of a people, then it is indeed sad to note that they indeed do not present a good view about Ghanaians and the values we hold dear as a society. 

In the years gone by, values such as hard work, diligence and the strive for excellence were held in high esteem. This is however fast eroding by the day as people seek other "means" of making money and enjoying societal goods. These days, fetish priests, mallams, and juju men jostle for airtime to advertise their wares on radio and television. Some are known to be sponsors of prime time news on some radio and television stations much to the chagrin of our collective sensibilities. The society is saddled with the burden of young men and women dabbling in the occult and amassing wealth their parents could only dream of in a fufu induced dream. Stories abound about some of them dying horrible and disgusting deaths after they failed to meet their end of the contract with juju men or the years they were given to enjoy their wealth expiring.

 



Kwaku Bonsam

 

Have we as a society sat down to ponder about the dangers of promoting such bizarre and twisted wealth creation avenue by our young people? What sort of future are we leaving behind for posterity if we adopt a policy of "ways and means" and "the end justifies the means"? If we continue to let the likes of Kwaku Bonsam to hold sway and dictate the values of society, and we push hard work, diligence, investment in the background, we should not be surprise if young people start slaughtering their mothers in the names of sacrifice for a money rain.

 

We seem to have relegated the importance of science, and research into appropriate technology to the background in our quest to deal with our numerous problems and are on the look out for benevolent spirits to have mercy on us and rain money on us. As for those so-called men of God selling "blessed water" & "frytol" as quick fix avenues to riches, their story will be told another day. 

In the mean time, I wish Kwaku Bonsam will channel his so-call powers to helping us deal with our energy crises. Can we have some unusual rains at the Bui Dam which is close to a shutdown due to falling water levels? How about calling upon some dwarfs to  "arrest" the falling currency? Oh, wait, that will be too much to ask for I guess. That will be him doing some good with his "powers' for a change. Rendering Christiano Ronaldo injured for the World Cup, is a more worthier course in his estimation. He should just as well, cripple all the players of the world cup teams so the cup is given to Ghana and case close; we have won the cup!!

This is the sort of society Ghana has become after some 57 years of independence; one where Sakawa boys (and girls) are the heroes and role models for most of our youths. One where juju men and occults blatantly advertise their services and have become the first point of resolution for life's troubles. A society where the motto is easily "get rich or die trying, any means possible".