EduSpots Creative Writing Magazine 2020

Story
time!
Gather around the fire, let's
talk about our culture
BringingtogetherthevoicesofyoungGhanaians
totellstoriesshowcasingtheirculture.
Issue 1, October 2020
Creative Writing
Magazine

Introduction
Bringing together the voices of young people in Ghana, this
anthology offers a glimpse into a rarely seen world. The
diverse stories capture festivals, rituals, and interconnected
worlds of the Ghanaian people. Acting like a window into a
house, the anthology is a composite of student voices from all
over Ghana.
In its multitude of differing perspectives, the definitions of
Ghanaian culture manifest in the collective stories. The
powerful accounts demonstrate the pride which is held by the
students of Ghana about their culture, finding unity in their
differences. Hopefully this anthology imparts the rich and
bountiful culture of Ghana, showing appreciation of the
talent of Ghana's young writers.
This project is a collaboration between Ghanaian pupils and pupils at Sevenoaks Schools, UK
Appreciation
Special appreciation to individuals who dedicated their time
and energy to see this magazine come to life. We are
particularly gratfeul to project leaders and volunteers in the
network who coordinated the process in their communities,
including Safianu, Dorcas, Cosmos , Abigail, Joel, Alice.
Page 1

Meet the writers
Sayida, SaveluguRashida, Kalpohin Noah, Posmonu
Ayishat, Bimbilla
Abigail, Posmonu Ummu, Tamale
George, TeaseAbdullah, Kalpohin
Grace, Nkwatia
Justina, Tease
Page 2

Table of Content
Introduction.........................................................................1
Meet the authors................................................................2
Table of content..................................................................3
Celebrating Differences (Noah).......................................4
Interview with Nana A. Damoah......................................7
Damba Got Married (Ayishat)...........................................9
The Beautiful Youth of Today (Mum C).........................10
An Interview with Cecilia S. Amoafowaa.....................11
Kwahu Easter Festival (George)....................................12
The Hill and the City (Nana)...........................................14
Interview with Miss Portia Dery.....................................19
Funeral Ceremonies in my Culture...............................21
Naming Ceremony among the Akans..........................23
The Bugum Festival...........................................................25
The Damba Festival...........................................................27
Human's Great Enemy (Adasa Tamfo Kese Bi...........29
Midnight Tales.....................................................................32
Mother's Secret...................................................................35
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Page 3
Page numberContent

The little village of Dempa laid between two great mountains. It was a
village known highly for its clean waters, crops and wonderful people. The
people of Dempa were peace-loving people of good morals and they
behaved as though they knew the Ten Commandments God gave Moses.
Most people in the village were farmers. Stealing, gossiping and human
sacrifice were basically non-existent in the peaceful little town of Dempa.
Every weekend, the chief of Dempa organized an event in an effort to
keep the unity and love among his people. These events were mainly
music and dance competitions, cooking competitions and traditional plays
to remind his people of their culture and how they should cherish it. One
day, a Japanese volunteer named Suzuki paid a visit to the village. Suzuki
was a small man with dancing eyes who easily laughed and clapped his
hands in glee over little things. He was immediately sent to the chief’s
palace.
Celebrating Differences
Noah Adzidah-Gati, Ave-Posmonu
Suzuki was received warmly by the chief and his people. When asked of
his mission in the little village of Dempa, Suzuki replies: “I have travelled
and seen many things. But the moment I heard about the village of
Dempa, I knew I had to see the village. I have heard crime is non-existent
here, how true is it?” The chief looked at his elders for a moment and
started a story even infants in Dempa knew.
“A long time ago, my people were led by the great stone. Before, we were
small people who didn’t know how to farm, grow crops or protect ourselves
from our enemies. Our people were always attacked by our enemies from
Koku who are stronger than us. They oppressed us greatly and we
suffered a lot. One night, one very old woman, Marku Avi went deep into
the night forest and cried out loudly for help. She was the chief priestess in
our village and for a long time, she felt the gods were not answering her
prayers.
But that night, something happened. Marku Avi’s prayers were laced with
pain, terror and anguish and the gods who had had enough of the
sufferings of our people heard her prayers.
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Noah Adzidah-Gati, Ave-Posmonu
Celebrating differences
They sent the great stone that crushed all our enemies that very night. In
terror and hopefulness, we watched the great stone bury all our enemies
under the earth. Before our trembling bodies, we saw the stone grow into
two tall mountains. It paved way for this valley we now find ourselves on.
The stone became fertile land where we could farm and grow crops and
feed our families.”
The elders nodded as the chief told the story of Dempa “The great stone
covered all the water-logged areas on this land. We were able to build our
homes and cater for our families. In honour of the great stone, we vowed to
live peaceful lives, minding our business and helping anyone we could
help. Because of the great stone, we do not use clay ovens as it will be a
sign of tremendous disrespect to the gods who helped us to fight our
enemies and saved us.”
The Japanese Suzuki nodded his head in agreement as he knew very well
how people honoured their gods. After a long talk with the chief and his
elders, Suzuki was offered a place to stay with the people of Dempa.
Within weeks, he had learned how to eat their local food and speak their
language. Suzuki grew to love the people of Dempa very much and they in
return loved him.
One day, Suzuki met the beautiful Miza near the stream. She was so
beautiful Suzuki had to ask for her hand in marriage since he had fallen in
love with her. They married and had a beautiful child.
During the outdoor ceremony, the citizens of Dempa dressed lavishly in
their rich kente clothes and sandals. They offered thanks to the gods for
protecting them and for bringing Suzuki to them. They ceremony was
climaxed with lots of drumming, dancing and singing. The people laughed,
ate and talked with each other till the night grew and everyone returned
back to their homes.
Page 5

Fufu, banku and tuozaafi are three of the most popular foods in Ghana
Source: Constative
Source: Suntaa Abudu Ibrahim
Source: Samuel-Clement Enoku
Pictures from
marriage
ceremonies in
Ghana.
Page 6

Stephen: Nana, at what age did you start writing and what did you start writing
about?
Nana: My very first article, published in “Through the Gates of Thought”, was written in
1993, so I trace my writing life to that year. But my appreciation of the literary and my
involvement in things literary actually started much earlier, in the Preparatory school in
the early ‘80s when each class had to perform a play a day before the vacation day.
Small beginnings, appreciation of the arts, learning the rudiments of prose and poetry. I
remember being taught, in preparation for the Common Entrance in preparatory school,
to answer the question: write a story ending with ‘…and the boy learnt a lesson for life,
that obedience is better than sacrifice.’ Small beginnings of creative writing.
Then in Form one, in 1986, I wrote what I consider my first creative work, in (you won’t
believe this) my history class: “A day in Carthage”. It was purely fictional, and I loved it! In
the sixth form, we wanted to form a Literary Club and that was what led me to write that
first article. Before then, I wrote my first poem, which I also published later in one of my
books.
My first break as a writer came in 1995 when I submitted a short story, ‘The showdown’, to
the popular weekly newspaper The Mirror, and it was published! Seeing my name in print,
knowing that this newspaper was the best selling paper in Ghana and circulated all over
the country, gave me immense confidence and encouragement.
Stephen: Did any teacher or event encourage you to write beyond school work?
Nana: I would say my two English teachers in Ghana National College – Mrs Ayiah and Mr
Thompson – inspired me a lot, as they expressed some faith in my essays and
compositions. I was also inspired by a strong desire to share what I learnt – in my bible
studies, in my reading, what I learnt through observation and experience – with my
friends. It must have started via letters I wrote to new converts made during crusades of
Joyful Way Incorporated. I am motivated by my desire to make my impact on my society,
with my thoughts.
Interview with Nana Awere Damoah
Nana Awere Damoah is a Ghanaian author and chemical engineer with about
seven books to his credit. He attended Ghana National College in Cape Coast, the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasity and the
University of Nottingham and University of Liverpool in the UK. Nana Awere
Damoah is also a Co-founder and Publisher at DAkpabli and Associates. He is also
the Co-Founder of Booknook Store, an online bookshop for a wide range of books.
His writings include Nsempiisms (2016), Sebitically Speaking (2015), I Speak of Ghana (2013),
Through the Gates of Thought (2010), Excursions in my Mind (2008). Nana is a key supporter of
EduSpots, and has donated some of his books, offered advice and been a guest speaker in our
annual conferences among others.
Page 7

Stephen: What can be done to encourage a culture of reading and writing among
young people.
Nana: Simple answer: Adults must be caught reading even as they encourage the younger
ones to read. Let's promote and support literary events. Get more local books and books
by Africans/people of African descent writing about us and about what concerns us. I don't
support the view that Africans don't like reading; my view is that if we get them materials
that speak both to their minds and theirs souls, they will lap up the information therein.
Finally, let's make reading and books hip again.
Stephen: Can you mention some challenges you have faced as a writer?
Nana: Nothing much in terms of the actual writing, except the occasional writer’s block
which I suffer from time to time, when the mind is just tired and does not respond to
stimulus. I don’t force myself to write when this happens. I rather let my mind relax and I
write funny things online or read. There are times also when I struggle with how to fully
capture on paper what I have written in my mind. I reflect on my writing a lot in my mind,
sometimes for years before actually writing them finally.
Main challenges are instead post-publishing; lack of outlets for our books and the
dearth of publishing options, coupled with the absence of structured means of book
distribution and remuneration. In recent years, we have seen a great improvement in
outlets, with new ways of selling even hardcopy books. Outlets such as
Booknook.store (which I run and is an answer to some of the challenges I saw in the
industry), Walking Books, Ehanom and Torchbearers in Ho have come to support
forward-looking physical outlets such as Vidya and EPP Legon.
Stephen: How did you manage these challenges and what lessons can you share
from these experiences.
Nana: Well, I touched on the lessons and how I have managed or continue to manage
them in the response to the previous question. But, basically, writers need to plod on in the
midst of the challenges. We are experiencing some good progress and we can only get
better.
Page 8

A long time ago, there lived a man named Damba and his family in Adubiliya
village. Damba was very busy with his farming activities and never had time for
intimate relations with ladies. He did his best to get enough harvest to feed his
family. Everybody was happy with him. One day, Damba heard a loud call from
his mother in a room which he quickly responded too. There and then Damba’s
mother, Nma said “I called you for a good reason. I am very tired of you not
getting married by now. I need to bath my grandkids before I pass on.” Damba
reluctantly agreed to Nma’s request. The whole community pointed fingers at
him for not getting married especially the women in Adubiliya.
Damba was very free living a single life but also wanted to make Nma happy
too. Damba went and informed his uncle about it to look for a woman for him to
marry. Damba’s uncle made some choices on five women and checked their
family backgrounds to see if they are okay. Damba together with his uncle went
to a Soothsayer to make the final choice. The Soothsayer picked five different
stones representing the women and put them in a calabash and made some
incantations and poured them on to the cow skin which he was sitting on. He
choose on Amina who lived in the nearby village.
Damba Got Married
Abdulai Ayishat
Damba quickly informed his family elders. The family elders sent some people
to Amina’s house to meet her parent. They met Amina’s parents and informed
them about their mission and quickly Amina’s parents called her to seek her
view on the proposal of which Amina agreed. They thanked Amina’s parents
and went back home. Damba’s family head set a day for the knocking
ceremony where cola-nuts and some money was sent to Amina’s house again
to inform of their intention to come and pay the bride price. Damba quickly
harvested and sold some yams from his farm in order to raise some money for
the bride price, cola-nuts and some coins for the payment.
After the payment was done a day was set to bring Amina to Damba’s house.
The “sandi” was done in the evening, where the best meal was prepared and
lots of friends were invited to come and eat and drink to signify the marriage.
Damba’s favourite “Chacoin” guinea fowl meat was not left out. It was a great
moment for Nma and the entire village. Four months later, Amina conceived
and 9 months after that, she gave birth to twins; a boy and a girl and they
remained happy in their whole life-time
Page 9

You millennials are like flowers planted
...in a most fertile soil
Technology acts as your secretaries
Bringing the world to your homes
But remember
It also delivers you to the doorsteps of opportunities
...and or harm
So live like owls in the dark
...through vigilance
II
You live in times which make you warriors
...of a major pandemic
Your courage in these confinement times
Your smiles even in the face of panic
Your strength in the face of years to be lost
Make you perfections in this self made detentions
...we've built for protection
Ayekoo you bright bright stars!
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © August 26, 2020
III
Know in your hearts
The world will conquer all else to triumph
With your dreams being pushed to you
...by hard work
Understand that cheating is a sin to self
Transparency is an opening to growth
So live your best in the strengths you've found
Many a hard days have been cut loose
By blood which loved you even before your births
So persevere to honour them
And live to lead our parts
...to join the best on this globe
The Beautiful Youth of Today
Page 10

Stephen: What made you start writing?
Cecelia: I had a very rough childhood. Writing was my medicine, a way to vent, and be able
to keep moving. When I started, I didn't show them to anyone, and threw them away, but I
remember feeling so relieved when I put my emotions on paper.
Stephen: Do you think your writing has improved, and how has this happened?
Cecelia: This is a question my readers will best answer. You read some of my works. What
do you think? I know I write what comes to me. Their form, the lengths, their moral lessons,
etc are bonuses. I can say I've gained a lot of following both home and abroad. If it
accounts for anything. I might sound evasive on this but where students are concerned, I
believe practice makes perfect.
Stephen: I am finding it difficult to judge this because each piece I've read is unique and
enthralling. To my next question, do you think African culture is well represented in
books pupils read at school and home?
Cecelia: Now many people are writing. I believe there is a good representation of African
books in literary studies now. Still we can do better. I dream of an Africa where our
curriculum is all about us, especially in the Arts and all others are subsidiaries. I believe we
will get there with time.
Stephen: What can be done to get more pupils writing outside school work?
Cecelia: Children emulate what they see at home. If parents take to reading, share some
exciting discussions on what they read to their children, it definitely will get them curious
and subsequently inculcate the habit of reading in them. Good writing competitions with
good and worthy prizes and opportunities will be an added advantage. If we also celebrate
our writers a bit more, it can also encourage children with the craft to develop them.
Stephen: What will be your advice to pupils who aspire to be writers?
Cecelia: Do not be afraid to live through anything. They should embrace their fears, accept
their failures and defeats, they should open their hearts to love, and be open to taste hate,
they must be prepared to live through the worst versions of themselves to be the best they
can ever be. They should not be afraid to be called crazy because that is one tag of a great
writer. Above all, they must always think about all sides of issues, to arrive at objectivity.
Based on how you wield your pen, a writer can kill and as well give life. So persevere in the
field you choose, read wide and utilize your personal style.
Interview with Cecelia Sefa Amoafowaa
Cecelia Sefa Amoafowaa is a professional English Language teacher, Founder of the
Autism Help Foundation, a prolific blogger, author and CEO of Cee's Foods. She
attended the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technoloy where she earned
a degree in English Language
Her writings include Poetry Excursion On An African Mind (2016), Secondary Rhythms
(2016), Ashawo Diaries (2020)
Page 11

Kwahu Easter festival
Adoboe George, Tease St. James Academy
The Kwahu east district is in the Eastern region of Ghana .The districts
is located at Abetifi. Some other communities in the district include
Akwasiho, Aduamoah, Bokuruwa, Hweehwee and Nkwantanan.
Kwahu Easter is the annual Easter celebration at the Kwahu South
district of the Eastern Region of Ghana. People from all walks of life and
of all nationalities throng to Kwahu hills every Easter to celebrate the
three- day long holiday. The festival is celebrated in all the Kwahu
communities, it is a festival of the chiefs and people which comes off
every year. Though traditionally Christians celebrate the death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, it serves as a homecoming for the
Kwahus. It was instituted to renew their commitment to the Christian
faith.
Activities include para-gliding, hiking, carnival and street jams. For the
indigenes, that is the Kwahu people, it is an annual homecoming but for
holiday revellers it is an occasion for celebration. There are also
performances by various artists.
Paragliding which is a recreational and adventurous sport has numerous
health benefits that visitors going to Kwahu will be blessed with after
their visit. It helps create confidence and enable you to overcome fear of
heights. When paragliding, you focus on the task and nothing else. You
forget all your worries and the usual destruction of life. The intense
focus coupled with adrenaline rush makes you feel cleansed mentally
and physically. The Kwahu Easter holidays is an event which brings
Kwahu south prominence every year.
The journey to the caves area itself is a unique experience through a
typical forest .At a certain stage in the journey tourist have to take on
challenge of climbing up the hill as part of the excitement.A hike through
the Nkofi echoe caves of life is an adventure that everyone must
experience on their visit to Kwahu .Don’t miss this once in a lifetime
opportunity to take an adventure in Kwahu when you visit there this
Easter.
Page 12

Kwahi Easter festival in pictures
NB: We do not owe any right to the images displayed in this magazine, and have made efforts to reference sources if they are
not already indicated on the pciture.
Paragliding is a popular part of the celebrations in Kwahu. This
attracts scores of people from and outside Ghana
www.kasapafmonline.com
In 2019, about 264 people flew during the paragliding activity,
according to the Ghana Tourism Authority
The festival includes a night of music and dance, where
the most popular artisit in Ghana are invited to perform
A street carnial in progress during festivities
Traditional leaders gathered during Kwahu festivities
Page 13

The Hill and the City – Creating
Ghanaian Readers
Speech delivered by Nana Awere Damoah at the 2018 EduSpots Conference in Techiman on 10 August 2018
The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever
lasts. Monuments fall, nations perish, civilizations grow old and die out, and after an era of
darkness new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this
happen again and again and yet live on, still young, still fresh as the day they were written, still
telling men’s hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead. ~ Clarence Day
In this era of information explosion, it is a real tragedy if the Scripture ‘…my people perish for
lack of knowledge’ should apply to anyone. My friend Geoff Anno asserts that ‘If six months from
now, you do not know twice what you know now, you will be left behind.’ And I agree with him.
There are a great many people today who stopped learning the moment they finished ‘school’:
university, polytechnic, secondary school, vocational school, et cetera. They just stopped
learning. Learning is acquiring knowledge or developing the ability to perform new behaviours. It
is common to think of learning as something that takes place in school, but much of human
learning occurs outside the classroom, and people continue to learn throughout their lives. The
best and longest lasting school is the school of life, the Self-Tuition school.
Continuous learning, sadly, has ceased to be a national character. Knowledge is power, it is said,
and this power must be searched for daily, a truly continuous process. There are four common
methods of learning continuously, as follows: by experience, by observation, by listening and by
reading.
Today, we want to talk about reading. How do we build citizens who learn continuously, through
reading? How do we ensure that the wisdom in the hills of knowledge around us trickles to the
city? How do we create a reading nation, knowing that a reading nation is a thinking nation and
a thinking nation will evolve into one with citizens who are forward-looking, not mediocre,
anchored to the rock yet geared to the times, not gullible?
The great men of our world have been readers; they have been learners. Jesus read, and it
showed in His sermons. Paul was well read. Nkrumah read. Martin Luther King Jnr read.
Abraham Lincoln didn’t have what you would call a formal education, but he taught himself
through reading. He actually studied law books he found at the base of items he
had bought at an auction, and he became a great and effective lawyer and President of the
United States of America. Lincoln talked of his love of books: ‘The things I want to know are in
books; my best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read.’ One of the all-time great
Presidents of America, Theodore Roosevelt, read. He was reported to have died with a book
under his pillow.
In February 2016, my business partner and friend Kofi Akpabli and I treated an audience to a
book reading event at the SyTris Bookshop near the A&C Mall. The event was organised by
Writers’ Project of Ghana. As I entered the venue with my family, my children exclaimed, “Wow!
So many books to choose from, we don’t know which one to choose!” Each of them picked books,
with Nana Kwame picking a condensed edition of a book series he had been borrowing from his
friend next door.
Page 14

The Hill and the City – Creating Ghanaian Readers
They set me back by some good Ghana cedis when we left after the event, but my heart was
warm, knowing that my wife and I had succeeded in making our children excited about books
and reading. So how did we get onto this path of making readers out of my children? I said ‘path’,
because I don’t consider that my wife and I have reached yet – it is a journey.
The answer to that question, for me, goes way back to my upbringing, to Kotobabi. Maybe, even
before that. Even before I was born. My father was educated only to Middle School Leaving
Certificate Level. My mum just about the same. But both of them were great believers in the
power of education. In my mum’s tribute at my dad’s funeral in 2006, she recalled that my father
always insisted that his kids were his houses.
On many occasions, he told us that education is everything, and sought to encourage us to go the
farthest in our pursuit of knowledge. He said that if he had used the money he spent on our
education on houses, he would have had many houses!! My dad taught himself further after
school, in the Army and through books. He read a lot and passed on his love of books to me as
well. Anytime I went to visit him in the village, I was certain to send magazines (Time magazine,
BBC Focus on Africa) to him.
At the time of his funeral, I still had the order form I had filled to subscribe BBC Focus on Africa
magazine for him. In the village, he subscribed to the Daily Graphic, Mirror and Graphic Sports.
And he had lots of books that I devoured. My parents read. My father nurtured in me the love of
magazines, newspapers and books. I got from him the practice of walking to buy The Mirror every
weekend and we would spend time reading it together. I caught him reading and caught the bug
while at that.
Today, you complain that Ghanaians don’t read. Are you reading yourself? Do your children catch
you reading? When was the last time you read any book apart from the Bible you read weekly in
church or daily during your devotion?
Today, how many children see their parents reading anything apart from their text messages,
WhatsApp and Facebook messages? How do we expect to raise reading children when parents
don’t read? The question before us is simply this: What are some of the ways and means we can
use to get Ghana reading again? I formed a Whatsapp group of parents who want to get their kids
reading and we share ideas on there on this topic. Solely that, with strict rules about what to post
and what not to post. Not your regular GH Whatsapp group where recycling is the rule. And we
borrow books amongst ourselves, mostly for the children.
First of all, let me state it unequivocally. As a parent – Get caught reading! Children do what we
do and not necessarily what we say. What legacy of knowledge acquisition are we leaving our
children? Cicero noted that ‘To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul.’ I read
somewhere that you can gauge how much a man loves knowledge by comparing the size of his
library to the size of his television!
Page 15

Page 16
Over ten years ago, I saw a documentary on North Korea, which emphasised the life and role of
the former Korean President, referred to as the ‘Great Leader’. One instruction the Great Leader
gave to his country struck me, to wit: “A child should always have a book in his hands. He must
read always. He should never be without a book, not even for a single day.” I agree with him.
We must get books into the hands of children. Start them early. Don’t be agree if they play with
them and destroy them in the process – I have lots of books at home without their covers! With
my children, I always had books around them. Of course, they saw us reading.
Fortunately, they saw me writing too. And lately, as a bookseller, they see me selling books and
they have greater choice! Downside being that they eat into my profits! During marriage
counselling before marriage, our counsellors told us that we should always speak to them as
adults, even when they were babies and not to use baby language, because children are smarter
than we think. We took that to heart as parents. I took them to book launches and book readings.
I took them to bookshops.

Page 17
Each time I travelled, I brought them books instead of sweets and candy and chocolate. These
days, when I travel, they actually call me to remind me to bring them books. Airport bookshops
always see me, and that is where I spend my per diem. We have enrolled them in a community
library.
That has been my experience so far. Permit me to share with you now the thoughts of my friends
on Facebook as they contributed to the question I posed. You will find that a number of them
touched on what ReadingSpots [EduSpots] is doing already – you are already contributing to the
mission to get Ghana reading again!
Korklu Laryea, my big sister and friend, a librarian in Tarkwa actually called me and said: “Nana,
tell them to start them early. Parents should read. They should read to the kids. They should not
fight the technology (or challenge) that mobile phones and tablets bring. I download word games
on my tablets and my nephews and nieces play with them, and learn more words. Parents
should start reading to the children early.”
Efua: Charity begins at home. Parents investing in books…School libraries stocking relevant
books. Local libraries…NGOs…local government involvement (Hello, ReadingSpots!)
Emmanuel: For the teens who are yet to develop the habit, start with short colourful stories
written in simple, not-too-literary language. We run a project in the Kassena-Nankana West
District in the Upper East Region. We make available copies of the Junior Graphic and
encourage them to read the short stories…We have seen considerable improvement in reading
habits.
John: Nana, I would love to discuss this further with you. Research suggests that one of the
biggest factors that gets kids reading is choice. More books, more choice, more kids reading. Of
course, great books that kids love make it easier, too. I also agree with Emmanuel above. Short,
colorful, simple–engaging. As the saying goes, there are no reluctant readers, just kids that
haven’t yet found the right books.
James: We must establish community reading clubs in as many communities as possible
(hello, ReadingSpots!), involve parents in these activities, encourage the production of more
localized content to stock our libraries, schools and homes and make reading an activity and
fun-based thing. If they enjoy the fun that comes with it, they will want to read more. If children
have access to reading materials at home, in school and the library, we are assured that that
generation will kickstart a reading revolution.
Prince : When I was kid my father used to punish me to go to my room and read and come out
the next day. I was thinking he was punishing but by the I reached PRESEC form 1, I could
read about three story books a day in addition to my learning. We must develop and motivate
the children with different rewarding systems and they would catch up and they would never
forget. We were having bed time story books.

Page 18
Nana Awere Damoah speaking with volunteers at the 2018 EduSpots Conference in Techiman on 10 August 2018
Akosua : We can do so by encouraging reading
among the kids in preschools, by creating reading
clubs (not those clubs that call themselves reading
clubs but do everything else apart from reading)
give the kids reading assignments which will in turn
force the parents to help their kids to read(by so
doing get themselves reading) and then give the
deserving kids appropriate rewards so it becomes
exciting. Starting with the kids can help.
Archibald : It all down to parents to encourage their kids to develop the habit of reading. Read
bedtime stories to your kids from birth and they will love story telling which will encourage them
to read more. My son at age 10 read two books per week. Regulate the use of smart phones
and tablets for playing games by kids and encourage them to read hard copies of story books.
Pearl : Organising periodic reading sessions at public spaces. Allowing young people share their
stories and helping them refine their art. I would gladly be a volunteer.
Korklu : Parents reading to their children even before they start school makes a huge difference.
A reading parent raises a reading family, I believe.
Allow me to end with this quote from Sir John Herschel: “Were I to pray for a taste which
should stand me in good stead under every variety of circumstances and be a source of
happiness and a cheerfulness to me during life and a shield against its ills, however things
might go amiss and the world frown upon me, it would be a taste for reading.”
May we all be committed to building a Reading Ghana. Ghana must read again. And here, I
salute what you are doing in Reading Spots and I wish you greater success! A special salute
to the co-founders Cat Davison and Francis Yeboah – you guys have inspired me so much!
Let’s get caught reading and get our children reading. Ghana must read again. Ghana will
read again. And we shall have the city coming to the wisdom hill, each with his or her
container. For knowledge is free at the hill. Just bring your container.
Nana Awere Damoah
Booknook.store

Stephen: At what age or class and how did you start writing and who or what
was your biggest influence?
Portia: I wanted to write , it didn't matter what, I just wanted to write. I was fascinated
with words ; for me they were a perfect art of beauty. In Ghana, kids started using pens
when they were in upper primary but not me, I just loved to see ink on paper. So I
would say my love for reading lured me to write. My dad filled our home with books (
all kinds, all sizes , all grades) so naturally I was reading books above my grade. so for
instance in primary 5 I had already got through all the texts books for junior high,
which I think helped in stimulating my mind to imagine and create stories .
I am greatly inspired and influenced by Ghanaian writer Meshack Asare, one day my
dad brought home a book 'brass man secret' it was my first book written by an African
with illustrations depicting an African child , I was excited and was pleasantly
astonished to read that the book had won the 1982 Noma award for publishing in
Africa. Meshack's book was a sharp contrast to the European story books I had been
reading ( the snow white, the ugly duckling, the wizard of Oz....) Hence it greatly inspired
me because I think representation of black lives in books is very vital especially for
young kids.
Stephen: What are the major things one need to think about before writing?
Portia: first- read, read, read and research! Yet, there is no formula for this, there are
no rules expect yours! I will say find , observe and fall in love with what works for you
as a writer. Find your own miracle rhythm. But of course, it helps if you think deeply
about you want to write, like mapping out themes, characters
...In my case , as a writer, I usually weave my stories around ' phrases' that pop up in
conversations, daily life activities like ' and she wept' , ' hard bones' and i allow it to
lead me on, which means almost 90% of the time I have no idea how my stories will
end or the angle and shape they would transform into.
Interview with Miss Portia Dery
Portia Dery is a writer, a community development worker and a social
entrepreneur. Portia became the first Ghanaian to win the Golden
Baobab Prize in 2014 for her story 'Grandma List' and won the
Children's Africana Book Award in 2018.
Page 19

Stephen: Will you advice anyone to take up writing as a full time occupation?
Portia: if you're brave enough, why not? But remember writing isn't a 'get rich quick'
proffesion especially in Africa, where book sales , and literacy rates are low. So I will
strongly advice to take it step by step. Yet this should not discourage you if you want
to do writing full time! Anything is possible!
Stephen: What can be done to get more pupils writing outside school work?
Portia: Perhaps more reading clubs!? More strong networks in schools to share the
love of writing. libraries are are great way to start.
Stephen: What will be your advice to pupils who aspire to be writers?
Portia: You can be the next 'anything' on your own terms. But hard work is needed,
use the internet wisely, research and read about everything you need to know about
writing. Keep writing and get feedback from others on your work. and try to join or
take part in many writing competitions , even if you don't win you get lots of
experience. And remember to enjoy it all!
Page 20

Funeral celebrations in my culture
Justina Nkansah Delali, Tease
Every society in Ghana has its unique way of celebrating every stage
of life and Tease is no exception. We celebrate the birth of young
ones, we celebrate when an adult reaches puberty, and we also
celebrate when people get married, but the most prominent among
these is the celebration when people pass on from the land of the
living to the land of the unknown. For this reason, I would like to write
about how funeral rites are performed in my society Tease, the district
capital of Kwahu Afram Plains South in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
When a person dies, the corpse is sent to the morgue to preserve the
body. This also gives the family time to inform relatives and friends
faraway about the death.This also gives the family adequate time to
prepare well towards the funeral-print obituary and invitation cards.
Depending on the age and status of the deceased person, funerals
are given importance and attention accordingly. For children below
fifteen years old, no special attention and importance is given to their
funerals. Simple rites are performed and they are buried with no need
to spend lots of money. For adults and people of status, funeral rites
are performed in stages with lots of spending even for people who
struggled to feed themselves when they were alive.
Sometimes huge losses incurred on funerals force families to sell a
family property in order to pay such debts. Funerals, a time of sorrow
and reflection, have now become a moment of spending huge sums
of money and competition among families in my society. Whenever I
see such spending and celebrations, I become sad and ask
questions: if such money is spent on our children’s education, will the
outcome be different from what we see today?
Page 21

Copyright: Samantha
Reinders
Copyright: Jasmine Nears
NB: We do not owe any right to the images displayed in this magazine, and have made efforts to reference sources as much
as possible.
Page 22

In Akan, when a women gives birth to a child, a special ceremony is
performed to name the child. The ceremony brings together the
child, its mother, father, uncle and other relatives. The Father
places the child on his lap and announces ‘when you say it is black,
it must be black; when you say it is white, it must be white.’
The children present ask what the meaning of this is and the
grandfather replies; The child should always speak the truth and
should distinguish between good and evil. Among some Akans, a
reason that a cutlass is placed in the hand of a male child and a
broom in the hands of a female child or a basket placed over her for
a few seconds, the purpose of this rite is to introduce the child to
hard work.
The child and the mother are presented with gifts by the husband’s
relatives and friends. The husband’s gifts to the child are usually a
bucket, a towel, soap, clothes and pomade. The mother is given a
cloth, a handkerchief, jewellery and sandals, etc. by the husband.
This presentation is known as ‘Tonfi’ (Akon).
Abdul-Rashid Rashida, Kalpohin
Naming ceremony among the Akans
The uncle whom the child is named after also presents a gift to him;
sometimes a gold ring and/or money. The Akans have various
ways of giving a name to a child. Before the eighth day, the child is
given a name according to the day it was born, this becomes his
first name.
Page 23

Image by Viator
An elder pouring
libation as prayers
for a child during a
naming ceremony
Source: LandTours Ghana
Popular Ghanaian journalist Gifty Anti and her husband
Nana Ansah Kwao at their naming ceremony.
An officiating
minister prays for
blessings for a child
during a naming
ceremony
Page 24

The Bugum festival
The Bugum festival is the first Dagomba festival of the year. It is celebrated in
the first month of the Dagomba lunar year. The festival takes the name of first
month of the Dagomba year-Bugum Goli and it is celebrated on the ninth day
of the month.
The origin of the Bugum festival goes back to when the Prophet Noah (Nnabi
Nuhu) landed his ark on the mount Judiyyi. According to the Dagomba
traditions, when the ark of Noah landed at the end of the floods, the
passengers lighted their torches first to find their way around and secondly to
find the son of the prophet Noah who failed to enter the ark when it set out with
the true believers. To buttress their claim of the origin of the bugum festival.
The Dagombas further claim that they are descendants of the Aad, a
prehistoric Arab tribe that succeeded Noah and his people.
On the ninth day of Bugum Goli the celebration of Bugum starts. Normally,
except essential services such as the fetching of water, the grinding of flour,
the sale of meat and the taking care of the sick, no work is allowed on any
Dagomba festival day. So on this day, everyone, men and women stay at
home. The men start the day by moving round each other’s homes saying
good morning and happy New Year.
Everyone is heard saying Ni ti youm palli (Literally and our new year). After a
brief exchange of the New Year’s greetings, the people sit at home and
engage in normal conversations. The young boys look for dry grass to prepare
long torches for distribution to their grandparents, grand uncles, grand aunts
and uncles. After preparations, the boys take them to the recipients of the
torches.
Many of the chants of those holding torches include the following; Bugum di
ma muru ni ka n zo nkuli n ya yoo yoo yoo ya yoo. Nira dum diem tin aa, la
yee, o diem saa nnyinyaru
Which translates as 'Whosoever jokes with our king, He is joking with the
claws of thunder.
Dasambila nyu daam nkuli, Dun to npooi dun labi doli, Dasambila nyu daam
nkuli, Dun to npooi dun labi doli
Which translates as Young Dasambila got drunk, Whosoever shot and missed
the target should throw a cudgel Young Dasambila got drunk. Whosoever shot
and missed the target should throw a cudgel
Page 25

Bugum celebration: ©Treyz capture
Copyright: ©2018, William Haun
Some scenes from the fire festival from parts of the Northern region
Page 26

The Damba festival
My father and I lived in a village called Kumbun. Kumbun is found in the
northern part of Ghana.
Today, because of the influence Islam has on the people of northern Ghana,
Damba is celebrated as both an Islamic and traditional festival. It is celebrated
to remember the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. It is celebrated every year on
the 12th day, usually falling in April. It starts when the moon appears.
The moon is called ‘The Damba Moon’, when the moon appears the people
welcome it with traditional dancing and drumming. The Damba is celebrated in
two parts. The first part is called Soma Damba and the second is called naa
Damba. The Soma Damba marks the birth of Prophet Mohammed. The Naa
Damba marks his naming ceremony. The people prepare for the tenth day of
the Damba moon.
In the evening of the ninth day, they drum and dance throughout the town. The
drumming and the dancing starts at the Chief’s palace. The people meet the
Chief and his wives with great joy. The linguist and the elders lead the Chief to
his seat.
As soon as the chief sits down, the drummers start the Damba beats and the
people will sing “damba kulya o ku lahi labna nagala yuuni” “ziemnaa no yeei bi
nun zien naa no yeei yaa ziem saaniu biesu”.
The people will sing it many times. The Damba beats mark the beginning of the
celebration. The chief usually takes the floor and dances to the Damba beats,
and people present him with gifts. The drumming and dancing continues till
5:30pm when the Chief goes back to his palace, at this stage the celebration
stops for people to rest. About two to three hours later, the drumming and
dancing starts again and continues till the early hours of the next day.
Page 27

Scene from a Damba festival
Credit: Creative connections Artisit: Akosua, Accra
A former president of Ghana attending a Damba festival
Page 28

ADASA TAMFO KESE BI
(Mankind’s great enemy)
The story is centred on the theme of death as mankind’s greatest enemy. The
writer uses an example of the well-behaved, generous, patience, and lovely
protagonist, Opanyin Kwasi Maanu’s death to throw light on how death denies
mankind of solutions and goodness by seizing some of the best people whose
existence brought so much life to their communities. The writer uses the
opportunity to detail how the Akans (the most popular tribe in Ghana) observe
funeral rites.
Owuo yε nnipa nyinaa tamfo kεse. Adεn na yεtaa ka saa? Owuo yε onipa anaa?
Dabi! Owuo yε bere a onipa teasefoᴐ kra afi ne mu, na nneyεe ne nneεma
ahorow a nnipa yε no, ᴐntumi nyε bio. Ebi ne ᴐhome, kasa, adidi, atenka ne nea
εkeka ho. ba saa a, εde awerεhow kεse ba ankasa. Akanfo gyidi mu no,
wosusuw sε, sε obi wu a, ᴐkᴐtoa n’abrabᴐ so wᴐ asamando nti wᴐyε amammere
a yεfrε no ayi de pε no korabew.
Yei ho adwennwene na εmaa mekaee sεnea wᴐsi yεε panin Kwasi Maanu ayie
wᴐ me kurom.
Mεyε mfe kakra a atwam no, panin Kwasi Maanu tenaa ase wᴐ kurow
ketewa bi mu. siane ᴐkᴐm kεse a εsii wᴐ n’ankasa kurom nti εmaa ᴐne
n’abusa tu bεtenaa me kurom bᴐᴐ wᴐn bra. Papa yi, na ᴐyε mmᴐdenmᴐfo sε.
Ne su atitiriw a wᴐde kae no pa ara ne ayamye, ᴐdᴐ, abodwokyεre ne
afutupa. Obiara a
ᴐwᴐ kuro no mu pε n’asεm ankasa.
Mmom, owuo dεεfo de, εnam sε ᴐnsa mu nti, ᴐde nsa too ne so.
Asεm yi de, yεkᴐka no dεn? Mpanyimfo kae a wᴐmmoa. Owuo tirim yε den
yiye. Anya aba saa nti na εsε sε abusua hwε yε amammere ne amanne a
εsε na εfata pεpεεpε ma no.
Papa Kwasi a na dodoᴐ no ara bᴐ no mmran sε “Killer Joe” no dii mfe ᴐha
ne akyi. Akanfo gyidi mu no, sε obi nyi na ᴐto ne kᴐn wu a, wᴐfrε saa owu no
owupa.
Mmom, sε obi nya akwanhyia anaasε ᴐno ara hyε da kum ne ho a, wᴐfrε εno
nso atᴐfowu. Eyi de, wᴐnsosᴐ so koraa. Nea εte ne sε wᴐmpε sε
wᴐbεgyegye ho ama ebi asan asi bio.
Page 29

ADASA TAMFO KESE BI
(Mankind’s great enemy)
Esian ᴐpanin yi mfe kᴐ a εkᴐᴐ akyi na ᴐno ara nso too ne kᴐn wui no nti,
wᴐyεε no adehyeyie kyenkyinenkye bi pa ara. Nokwasεm biako ne sε, sε
obi wu wᴐ Akanman mu a, ne mma anaasε n’abusua na wᴐhwε yε
biribiara. Wᴐdi kan kᴐbᴐ kurow no mu hene amanneε.
Tete hᴐ no, na wᴐnni mfiri ahorow a wᴐde amu no bεto mu na sε wᴐkᴐyi
no a wahyεn ho mmεn sεnea yi εte a abεyε afεfεde ama nnipa pii no. Eyi
nti na wᴐde nnuhuam, twentea, wisa ne nnuru a εbεma amu no akyε sεe
siesie no. Saa ara na wᴐyεε ᴐpanin no.
Amanne biako nso a εwᴐ ayiyᴐ mu no ne dᴐteyi. Eyi yε nea εkᴐ so nti firi
bere a obi bewu kᴐpem bere a wobesie no.
Akanfo amammere mu no, sewaa anaa mma na woguare amu no. panin
Kwasi ba pinyin pa ara
na oguaree no siesiee ne ho kama. Afei, wᴐde nneεma ahorow te sε
nhenepa,ntade hyehyεε no fεfεεfε. Wᴐwiei no, wᴐde no too adiwo hᴐ sii
ne ho pε maa ade kyee wεε.
Akanfo ntoto wᴐn amammere ase nti wᴐgyinaa wᴐn gyidi a wᴐwᴐ sε
owufo retu kwan no so de
nneεma pii siee papa no de gyaa no kwan.
Afei de,wᴐbaa fie bεnomm sikasa. Wᴐbᴐᴐ apata maa adᴐfo de wᴐn
nsawa bae. Wᴐwiei no, abusuapanyin yii mpae daa nananom ase. Owu
de, obi bεseε εnyε deε nanso sε εba a, εde nkabom ba.
Yεtumi nya nsawa kakra de boa mma ne okunafo nso. Ateasefo nso de
tu wᴐn ho fo. panin Kwasi wuo no yεε amafo yaw de nanso na wanyin nti
yεbεka a na wakᴐyε nananom no mu biako wᴐ asamando.
Page 30

Blossoming in ‘Midnight Tales’, the dynamic between father and
son are intimately explored with grit. Through the tale of two
mischievous brothers, the power of family and affection are woven
into the garden of Ghana’s culture. With arresting suspense, the
family unit in rural Ghana is displayed in the idiosyncratic
narrative voice of a young boy. Defying the stereotype of a
tyrannical father, Ofori-Amoah illustrates the layers of a Father’s
love, staying true to the perspective of childhood. Going from the
intricates relationship of father and son, our journey takes us to the
compelling story of a mother’s sacrifice.
A ‘Mother’s Secret’ encompasses a multivalence of meaning and
depth, narrated by the innocence of a young girl the reader is
reckoned with the dichotomy between the visceral, traumatic events
and the childlike interpretation of them. Set within a royal family,
the grasp for power lies on the outskirt of this story of survival, with
the hazy hue of childhood descending on the fatal consequence of
power and betrayal. Through these native stories, Ghana’s
complex culture and beauty is bought in to literary sunlight,
illuminating both the rich talent and strength of Ghana. A garden
of stories about the people of Ghana is sowed, telling the stories of
family and childhood.
Advanced Level
A walk through the stories...
Page 31

Abigail Ofori-Amoah, Posmonu
“Agyarko, Agyarko, wake up! The rains have subsided” I felt a hand
shake me vigorously. I opened one eye and peered into the frantic
eyes of my brother Ayisi. I yawned and opened both eyes,
understanding dawning in them. We had planned the day before
to go to the forest to pick snails for our mother. We however didn’t
want to get caught by our father since it was midnight. Oh, the
lashes we would receive when we got caught! I was sure he would
kill us. Our father was not a man to mess around with. We feared
him with every possible fiber in our being. He was always
threatening us and we knew he would and could make good use
of his threats. As kids as we were, we were very determined to test
and push all his buttons with our might to see how far he would
go.
“Alright, alright. Is the Lion asleep?” I asked my brother. He laughed
softly as I mentioned the nickname we had for our father.
“He is- he slept about an hour and half ago. The coast is clear.
C’mon, let’s go” Ayisi stretched his hand out to me to help me get
up from the bed.
“Father will kill us if he ever finds out” I whispered vehemently to
my brother
“So we have to make sure he doesn’t find out. Let’s go and stop
talking. You know what a light sleeper he is”
We crept outside quietly into the dark night. It was a full moon so
we didn’t have difficulty navigating our way into the thick forest
that laid behind our big house. We carried with us torch lights and
a sack we had packed during the day and hidden in the kitchen
because we didn’t want our father to find out about our hunt for
snails. It was a norm in our small town to go snail hunting when it
rained heavily. Being Akuapems, we enjoyed snails in palm soups
prepared by our mothers very much and so we took advantage of
any opportunity that involved snail hunting.
MIDNIGHT TALES
Page 32

The path into the forest was narrow and the leaves along the path
were kissed by the sharp blades of our cutlasses. We kept walking
into the forest, occasionally stopping and looking around us to find if
the snails were hiding from us. The evening before, we had cut fresh
“kontomire” leaves into our sacks so the snails could feed on them
when we caught them. About two hours later, we had caught about
15 snails.
Ayisi laughed “Agyarko, I told you we will get enough snails today”
I nodded my head in agreement “I know, you were right and they are
big too. Maame will make the most delicious palm soup ever”
“Eeei, you and food! Anyway, I hope father doesn’t ask her where
she got the snails from because we both know Maame cannot keep
a secret”
We both laughed as we tried to retrace our steps back home. After
an hour, we realised with dismay that we were lost.
Ayisi, I think we are lost” I whispered desperately
My brother looked at me angrily “Yes, I know that. You don’t have to
tell me. We have to find the path before day breaks. Father is going
to kill us.” He muttered to himself more than to me
“Okay, let’s calm down and think. We can find our way back.” I said
encouragingly
Ayisi nodded his head. He took the left path whiles I took the right
path trying to figure out which way was ours. Suddenly, he shouted
“Hooh! Hooh! I found the way, Agyarko. Let’s go”. I quickly ran over to
where he was and true to his word he had found the way. We
walked as fast as we could to get home before our father woke up
since he was an early riser.
When we got home, we were too tired to clean our feet. We just
crept quietly into our rooms and got into our beds…waiting for day
to break so we could surprise our mother and watch her prepare
our favorite food.
MIDNIGHT TALES
Abigail Ofori-Amoah, Posmonu Page 33

MIDNIGHT TALES
Abigail Ofori-Amoah, Posmonu
Akuapems: a group of people part of the Akan ethnic group
mostly found in the Eastern region of Ghana
Kontomire: the green leaves gotten from a cocoyam plant
Fufu: a Ghanaian dish made of ponded cassava and plantain
or cocoyam or yam
Asanka: a local earthen ware pot used for eating and for
grinding vegetables
“I love you both and I really want to watch you grow into the
men you are meant to be. I love how you always want to make
your mother happy but do it the right way” he continued “Now,
let’s go and eat”
We looked at him in wonder. Father always punished us when
we did wrong. Why wasn’t he doing it this time round? Ayisi and
I smiled at each other.
“Oh, don’t be too happy. Wipe those smiles off your faces. Your
punishment will come later” Father said vehemently.
We looked at him pleadingly but we knew from the look on his
face that he meant what he had said. We walked to our mother
who handed a big “asanka” to us filled with fufu, hot palm soup,
dry fish and snails. Punishment forgotten, we washed our hands
in a rush and ate every morsel of fufu, drank the soup and even
licked the “asanka”. Mother smiled at us with love. We were her
boys and all that mattered was that to us was that we had made
her happy. We certainly had to keep tradition alive! We smiled
back at mother.
THE END
GLOSSARY
Page 34

Ummu, Tamale
The sun is always shining brightly out here. I am wondering
what it seeks to prove. The Sun is really hot here. We cannot
dispute that fact but as if it is in doubt, it tries to prove that
by beating down hard on us. I think we deserve it because
our forefathers were too lazy to move south but rather
chose to settle up here in Northern Ghana.
There is some commotion outside. I hear the small talks, the
laughter and the giggles. I quickly run to peek through the
small window in the room to see what the fuss is about. The
children are in their under garments and running about
without a footwear. They are oblivious to what is happening
around them and have no worries. The older boys are
playing a game where they throw rubber bands into a circle.
The girls are braiding each other's hair with the one who
seems to be the leader of the gang doing most of the talking.
As I watch, they start to laugh at something.
‘Neina’, my mother calls in a whisper so she is not heard,
thrusting me back to reality. I respond with a ‘naam Mma’. I
immediately regret giving that response when the words are
out of my mouth. I quickly apologize and address her by her
title ‘Queen’. “You have to stop addressing me as ‘Mma’. “I
know it is hard but someday you will understand”, she says. “I
am your mother alright but nobody should know because I
will be executed. You would not want that, would you?” I look
into her sad eyes and she draws me closer and hugs me
tightly.
MOTHER’S SECRET
Page 35

Ummu, Tamale
My name is Neina Mohammed. My father is a ‘Ya Na’,
meaning King and my mother is the Queen. Ya Na does not
know about my existence. He has fourteen wives and my
mother is the tenth wife. He has lost count of his children. It
is believed his children are about twenty-one counting from
the number of outdoorings he has organized over the years.
He believes that a child is a gift from God and he will
continue to bring forth until his demise.
My mother is Tasneem Puumaya Yusif. She is of royal blood
and a Princess by birth. She grew up South of Ghana.
The combination of diastema and dimple make her smile
radiant just like the morning sun. She is endowed with thick
eyebrows, long eye lashes and thick black hair. She is a true
beauty.
A lot had changed over the years. She arrived in time for the
fire (Bugum) festival. She joined her friends to keep vigil. As a
tradition, the King took part in the ceremony. Adults and
children alike chant war songs whilst raising their straws
high in the air. Festive drumming and dancing continue until
the early hours of the morning. The boys and girls dance
their hearts out. There is no shyness this night, everyone is
actively involved. She had to catch up on the lost years. She
laughed, danced and sang with her friends. The King saw my
mother and asked his guards to ‘fetch’ her. My mother was
taken to the palace. That was how she got married. She
didn’t have a say and neither did her parents. That is what
the Kings mostly do whenever they perceive a woman they
desire. A girl and her family had little to no choice in the
matter.
MOTHER’S SECRET
Page 36

Ummu, Tamale
MOTHER’S SECRET
My mother tells me that at the time of my birth, there were
two women pregnant, the queen and her maid. While
trying to help her deliver her baby, the queen’s maid also
had her baby. They both gave birth to girls but one died a
day later and that was the maid’s baby. My mother, the
queen, pleaded with her maid to take her baby. She felt
that was the best way to protect me as she could not
watch for me to be married to an old drunkard with a ‘pot’
belly in exchange for cows. Wealth and power were
determined by the number of cattle one owned.
My father, the King, was known to give out his daughters
for early marriages to old rich men, in exchange for cows
and farmlands .Children of maids on the other hand, were
born poor and could marry other poor people for love,
most of the time by their own arrangement.
After getting her maid to agree to this, she had the maid
pinch the baby often to make her cry a lot. It was therefore
assumed that I was a special child and had to stay indoors.
No one wanted to get close to a special or an abnormal
child. Because of this, I was treated quite differently from
the other children in the household and did not play much
with the other children.
Page 37

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EduSpots Creative Writing Magazine 2020

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EduSpots Creative Writing Magazine 2020