Of letters & teenage yummy feelings: relics of the ancient art of love letter writing

 

Do you remember the first love letter you ever wrote? How about the first one you received? Can you spare a minute to try recall the emotions which flooded you as you opened the envelop (usually scented) to read the words of your dearest one? I believe your heartbeat went a notch up as the sweet "nothings" of love filled your head. The wait between the time we so quickly reply such letters and get a response is often an intense one. If you were in the boarding house then, you looked forward with feverish anticipation to the days letters are delivered. Stories were told of people writing letters to themselves when it appeared they were not favored much.

If you were not in school then, it was a mad dash for them when daddy was back from work and he passed by the mail box to pick up letters. It was always easy to go back to the letters and reread them, feel all mushy-yummy again as butterflies of love gush through your tummy and render you momentarily silly as you waded through the day effortlessly carried along on the wings of love.

In these days of social media, SMS,  Whatsapp, E-mail, and Twitter, I wonder if these same emotions, which the  love letters of old evoked in us still exist. Methinks that whatever loveydovey emotions there are these days,  they are transient and well, with one click of a button or swipe of a finger one can easily delete any memories or records of such letters. 

I remember my love letter writing days with such glee. Those days, you needed a special pen for such letters; thankfully a cute stationary shop down the street was my haven. I would carefully choose my pen, and move on the next must-have accessory; the writing pad. Over here, one did not pick just any kind of pad to write on. Which ever one you settled on often reflected the interests of the recipient; a pad with flowers on or butterfly were quite popular then. One could also settle for a beautiful seaside picture which added some softness and serenity to the letter.

Back in those days, it was quite popular to start a love letter with the following lines (after the affectionate salutation): 

"Dear Lorlor,

The sweet chocolate hills (i have always wondered if these hills really exist) have given me the opportunity to write you these few words........."

These opening lines (or a revised standard version of them) were often a constant in most love letters; and according to connoisseurs were enough to melt the hearts and emotions of one's loved one. Letter writing in general is (was) an art and a writer had to sit down, cogitate and come up with the perfect lines to convey the perfect mood to the recipient, and love letter writing was no exception of this requirement. Very often, I would read such letters several times over right at the post office as I smiled like a satisfied kitten with careless abandon.

 

When I finally made it home, it was one last read before bed, and you guessed right, I had sweet dreams the whole night. I was sure to spend the next day plotting my most appropriate response and by the end of the second day, it would be in the post before night fall. Oh, it appears I have forgotten something; a rather unpardonable error if our love letter was to be well received. The envelope!!

 

The envelope was the carrier of love tidings and hence must reflect thus. A colorfully decorated one was most preferred in such dealings but then if the cost was too high and the budget was too tight for a young boy like me who was 'powering" his love with pocket money, then a white Eno Serwaa envelope should suffice. This was often well decorated with flower patterns and some went further to add a dash of their favorite perfumes. I must mention here that much care was taken in addressing the envelope appropriately and the best handwriting was utilized at this point.

And so it went that the love affairs of our teenage days were carried on the wings of an aged and almost outdated craft of love letting writing. An art which sadly is fast eroding for nothing ever replaces a good mood, a nice pen and a beautiful note pad to trigger a flurry of words meant to evoke the wildest passions in a love interest.  

 

These days, with fast SMS, Whatsapp & Facebook, much thought is not given to the art of constructing a sweet love letter. If push comes to shove and love turns sour, a quick phone call to terminate ties is deemed appropriate behavior these days. Sadly enough, when my lover's attention waned, a phone call to me was all it took to break off the friendship and the art of love letter died with it.

 

After all, who had money to spare on love lost? But, that is another story all together. 

 

For Lorlor Adi Gbafa

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". 

Smartphones and a not-so-smart life

In my undergrad days at the University of Ghana some 13 years ago, mobile phones were  a novelty. If you owned a Nokia 3310 back in those days, you were the man (well, and the woman!!). Even the best phones then, weighed so much they were humorously referred to as "Gomoa Bankye", a comparison to cassava from Gomoa (I must confess here that i have never set my eyes on cassava from the Gomoa township and hence cannot confirm its size).  

 

Mobile phones were largely  the preserve of students whose homes were flowing with milk and honey, and not those of us who survived on "gari" for lunch on campus. Our fellow students who had the luxury of traveling abroad during the vacations came back with different models and shoved them in our faces. Back in those days, your ratings went a notch higher on the dating stock exchange if you possessed a mobile which had a radio. Thus began the mobile phone penetration into our social lifestyle and before long, almost every household can boast of at least a member who uses a mobile phone.

Today, we have the Smartphone; a sleeker, lighter, and more functional descendant of the Gomoa Bankye era. One key feature of the present generation phones is instant internet connectivity. With the proliferation of smartphones and the numerous applications (apps) available to users, it is much easier to keep up wth the rest of the world, find out how stocks are doing, read the latest on Ukraine or the goings on in the changing room of Manchester United, or join the global campaign to bring back some girls, all at the swipe of your fingers. To most users today, it is almost impossible to imagine life without their handsets. 

One wonders how we arranged appointments, connected with friends & fed our daily dose of both local and international news when mobile phones were at best devices only the rich and upper class could afford. Most of us would suffer severe withdrawal symptoms and disorders if we misplaced our phones or at best left them home as we stepped out for the day. 

Indeed our lifestyles  have certianly improved thanks to these Smartphones; but like everything else which begins with a noble course, there's a huge social cost to the use and especially over use of such devices. One key one is the fast eroding art of face to face interactions between people. It is an all too familiar sight to see people in a group talking to everyone but each other as they are each busy chatting with someone else online with their mobile phones. These days most homes don't share quality family times together as each member would most likely be keeping up their end of an online conversation rather than be seen chatting with the fellow family member. 

I was at a birthday party last Thursday evening after work; for those of you who know me very well, you will indeed find my attendance very strange given the fact that i am not much of a party person. But this particular party i was not to miss since it was of a special person. So, at about half past 7pm, I made it to the venue (a popular hangout on the Ring Road) looking dapper and as the youth of today say, with "swag" . I was ushered to my table where i hastily share pleasantries with my fellow members and quickly proceeded to bring out my so-called smartphone and within a few minutes, i was deeply engrossed in online conversations. Bad manners, you think? Do not worry, because all of us at the table were each engrossed in their phones. We were happier chatting with online friends than the with the real flesh and blood sitting across us.

Back in the days, i easily struck up conversations with a fellow trotro passenger on a trip (this was even more so the case if the person happens to be a beautiful daughter of mother Eve). These days, the moment i get into a bus, i whisk out my mobile phone as soon as i have comfortably settled in to the uncomfortable seats of the rickety trotro.  it is a common sight on most buses to see everyone hunched forward staring at the lighted screens of their phones making one wonder if the bus was full of hunchbacks. 

On the same matter note of trotro experiences, I am yet to recover from my shock of hearing a fellow passenger in a Lapaz bound bus tell someone over the phone that he was in Koforidua at the moment and would not be back till the following day! This revelation elicited laughter in the bus when at that very moment the driver's mate chose to bellow "Lapaz, Lapaz" to call in prospective passengers.  

I have received messages from people in a language supposedly to be shorthand of English. Thanks to mobile phone use, a new form of lingua has evolved and is used especially among young users on social media. However I am expected to know that "ikr" means "I know right", and "HBD"   means "Happy Birthday" and not "International Karate Road" and "Home Box Department", beats me. These days, people "lol" when in fact they have not made a sound what so ever. And oh, to the uninitiated, "lol" means "Laughing Out Loud". Granted that language is dynamic and that each generation contributes a new word or terminology to the general vocabulary, i shudder to think about what "lingua" our students produce their answers at exams in. Could we be looking at another reason why students perform badly at exams lately?

Mobile phones were once a novelty and a status symbol but now, they are all over the place cheaper by the dozen. The descendants of the "bankye phones",  have indeed become a part of our daily lives and the day one leaves the house without his phone, is the day of confusion and great uneasiness. However, as we indulge in the enormous advantages living in a connected world thanks to Smartphones, we must not forget that we live in it with fellow humans who sometimes need a human connection and not an online one.

Ha!! What do you know!! I just noticed i left my Samsung at home!! Gosh i feel so left out!! I can instantly feel beady sweat forming on my neck; i am not concentrating anymore. I need to know what's new on Facebook; I have to return home to pick it up!! Yeah, you guessed right, that's how bad the addiction is.  

 

This is the future they talked about back in the days

As I type this post, the lights in my single room are all off or as we say in Ghana, I am experiencing "lights off". I can barely make out the end of my nose in the semi darkness as my old lantern struggles to keep up. My eyes hurt as my lungs are filled with the fumes from the lantern. The heat is unbearable as beady sweat awash my body and unfriendly mosquitoes run amok and condemn me to eternal torment for the night. As I sit at my creaky table the Ayigbe carpenter made for me some months back, I cannot but wonder how we got here as a nation.

 

I must type fast as the indicator bar on my smartphone turns yellow warning me that I either pour out my thoughts fast or lose the opportunity when the phone finally goes off.

Let me allow my young mind the privilege to wonder some few years back. The year was 1998 and Ghana was experiencing one of the most severe energy crisis in recent history. According to the energy "experts" and overnight social commentators who knew all the panacea to most (if not all) of our national issues, the crises was caused by a fall in the water level at the major (only?) hydroelectric dam the Akosombo Dam. I was a teenager at that time and I was preparing to write my BECE (the same one my father had warned me to pass or consider a career in carpentry).

 

During those times, the lights went off at will as if some disgruntled worker at the electricity company had a bone to pick with management and had decided to vent his grievances on us poor consumers. For several parts of the capital, Accra, people went without electricity for weeks on end and I believe most of them remembered with nostalgia life in the villages which were not connected to the national grid. Stories were told of people carrying their TV sets from one part of town to another to watch popular TV shows. 

 

Cue the politicians; off they went with their criticisms (especially from the opposition parties, who were practically calling for the heads of those in power) and the promises from government about resolving the crises in the soonest possible time and that never again shall we sleep in darkness, read books with lanterns all in the name of an energy crises.

 

Now, the battery of my phone is almost done; I had better finish this quickly before it goes off and my ideas with it. Fast forward time, and it is the year 2014, some 16 years later and yes, you are right, we are facing similar situation all over again!! Before our very eyes, we are seeing history repeat itself if not in a more severe form than before.

 

Whatever happened to the promises the politicians made to us back then?  I have come to understand that it is all what they call political talk, the one politicians make when they mount platforms and shout themselves hoarse like they were possessed by the spirits of a thousand zombies and then they forget when they get down the stage.

 

How have we as a nation planned towards the recurrence of such crises? Can't we see that we are going about in circles like lizards chasing its tails? Is this not the future they talked about back in the days? The same future they said was bright for the nation, where we will have constant supply of such a basic social utility like electricity? Oh, what happened to that bright future our fore fathers dreamt about for this dear nation?

 

I believe a lack of foresight, a comprehensive national developmental agenda and planning have contributed towards  dimming that bright future; in a country where public office holders only think about themselves and their immediate families and party propaganda, should I be any surprised that we are encountering this energy crises all over again? How different are the next 16 years going to be from the past? Are we going to be solving problems of yesteryears all over again and do a complete round of our "one step forward, two steps backwards" dance? What sort of legacy are we going to leave future generations when we are long gone?

 

My phone is almost drained now ....I guess it is time to turn off the lantern and rest my bones on my  raffia mat and muse over this country and hope that when a politician talks of a brighter future, it will at least be one that assures us constant supply of electricity!! Damn, the heat!!! 

Well, here goes nothing...

So, finally, I have been able to get this project started; blogging. I read somewhere that it seems everyone and their mother has a blog these days (except me, that is) and so I guess it is time I put together my thoughts and let you know the ideas which run through my mind in my rare moments of brilliance and inspiration.

I promise to take you through a journey which will address the challenges I face each day as I navigate this path life has laid out for me as a young man in (a growing economy?) Ghana. Together, we will waltz through the social, political, & religion infused stories of the average Ghanaian (whoever that is).

We will jump over filth infested gutters, swear at the authorities for our energy crises, eat "fufu" and "light soup" at the local "chop bar" and wonder where this country is headed, and we will sip palm wine from the ancient gourds of the old seller down the dusty road.

So, you are welcome and I hope you enjoy my company as we sit together and share that rare moment of inspiration.