Memoirs & Reality

Ghana is a great nation. Like many other African countries, we have been endowed with vast vegetation, beautiful rivers and natural resources; gold, coffee, cocoa, oil and diamonds. Yet we are still poor. After 61 years of Independence, we still 'beg' for funds and our systems are been controlled by the very people we sought freedom from. As W.H. Auden stated thousands have lived without love, not one without water yet some parts of the county still lack portable and clean water. Accra is still faced with rationing of water. Our children, the future leaders have their heads buried in books with no access to recreational facilities for relief and relaxation. Of which the malls have now turned into a playground for them on vacation for those in Accra and Kumasi. Forgetting those outside the cities. A breakdown of the family system due to poverty and unemployment had steered streetism, arm robbery, beggars on the streets and prostitution. Filthy Capital, Indiscipline,Cor...

If you live in Ghana you wouldn't be oblivion to the sight of beggars taking up our cities. They are seen in traffic basically every morning on principal streets in the Accra, sitting on pavements, loitering the markets, siting under and on foot bridges with their treasure bowls and cans asking for alms. They could be children, the aged but most often they are disabled in one part of their bodies and what even surprises me is that fact that, a blind or a cripple person in his/her wheelchair is been pushed/led by an able person. Whenever I see them carrying on vigorously with their day’s work I wonder what form of laziness is this. While most of them are Ghanaians we have had our fair share of Fulanis. (Whom you would be humbly graced by their children who pester you and ask for money with their load of cuteness)  Why would one subject such a vulnerable person to the scorching sun of our country especially children. I believe that you as the ‘assistant’ could work and support ...

Childhood is considered the best part of one’s life. It is during such a period where we learn and stick to certain good and bad habits. The memories of such moments that flash in our minds always bring smiles on our faces. One of such bad habit which I never outgrew out of was milk sipping. Show me a millennial who never loved milk and I would show you my 101 year old granny who is a social media addict. The act of milk sipping was a timely process. Usually in the mornings when mother made breakfast which needed milk, I would dream of how to get a raw taste of the remaining contents on my tongue. How I would yearn to take a trip to the refrigerator and take a sip. As I grew up I loathed all milk based breakfast and put a break on that habit. As I somewhat realize breakfast shouldn't always be beverage or cereal based but the more Ghanaian type especially Waakye. Fast forward to 16th February, 2018 after returning home from work and decided to get some cold water to quench ...

Growing up, it was the norm to keep your Afro textured hair (commonly known as natural hair) growing to a volume so you add hair relaxers to make it easy to comb and style. Keeping your hair natural wasn't really accepted until recently when the ‘am a natural girl’ wave blew over and young girls began to embrace their hair type. I for one never wanted to add chemicals or even do braids or add hair extensions. Though I would admire ladies rocking their hair styles my wish was to keep a low cut hair.  But the words of my big sister stuck with me on that day; right after completing high school about five years ago, I asked her if it was really necessary to keep my hair, she told me that soon I would be entering the University and with my low cut, my colleagues would regard me as a child and might not respect me or will risk not getting a boyfriend. Well that reason was a big deal to me so I discarded my  idea of keeping a low cut hair and jumped onto the wagon of ‘pe...

4 th January, 2018 This is the fourth day in the New Year and it’s a Thursday and am at work sitting behind my laptop and typing just to talk about my expectations. It has always been a culture or maybe a tradition to go to church on new year’s eve in Ghana, I wonder if it so across the world because all I see in movies is people partying the night away and lighting fireworks when the new-year arrives. As a child I never had any concerns about New Year’s Eve but then as am an adult now  I think we over-emphasize and over prioritize it. I recall one time our parents had to leave my two siblings; one older and one younger than I to Kumasi in the care of our older cousin.On New Year’s Eve I expected her to take us to church but hey she said we were staying at home. I couldn't believe my ears because this had become the tradition every year and here she was saying we couldn't go. Well I was a teenage then so i  had to no option than to sleep. After spending the night on my ...