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Akpeteshie: Ghana’s lively heritage
The dried sugercane used in preparing alcohol
Akpeteshie has been one of Ghana’s local beverages which has been used and passed on from our ancestors to our generations over the years. It is patronised by locals, celebrated by many, and scares some.
This drink traces its roots from the days of colonisation. It is deeply rooted in the Ghanaian culture as a national treasure since it blurs the lines between the upper class and the lower class.
Akpeteshie, popularly known as “Apio” and “Oha” in Ga, Twi, and Ewe respectively, is a home-brewed alcoholic spirit produced in Ghana and some other West African nations by distilling mainly sugar cane juice or palm wine.
Upon the arrival of the colonial masters, indigenous alcoholic brands were consumed. The people of the coast believed that these locally manufactured brands were of more quality than the foreign brands.
This was because these brands were made from fruits and herbs, which were more beneficial to the people, unlike the foreign brands, which some believed were concentrated with chemicals.
The consumption of Akpeteshie threatened the colonial government since their initial means of raising revenue for the state was through imported beverages. As a result of this, the British banned the consumption of Akpeteshie, because it competes strongly with their imported beverages.
The ban led the people to change the name from “Kpotomenui” meaning something hidden in a coconut mat fence to the name Akpeteshie in the Ga language, which is the act of hiding, since most people had to find a discreet way of consuming it without being caught by their colonial masters.
In the preparation of the Akpeteshie, especially when using the sugarcane, the dried-up sugarcane is placed in the crusher machine. The sugarcane juice is then juiced into a bucket. This juice obtained from the sugarcane is allowed to ferment over a period of thirty days in a large barrel, sometimes with the help of yeast.
The fermented liquid is then heated or boiled on fire, and the vapour that comes out of this passes through the copper pipe within the cooling barrels where it condenses and drips into sieved jars or gallons. The end result of this process is the alcohol, that is Akpeteshie. According to most brewers, the sugar content would determine the amount of vapour evaporated.
Akpeteshie is also made from mango fruit, pineapple, and cocoa seeds. Only a few people, according to research and experts, voiced out the main reason some use these fruits rather than the usual raw materials of sugar cane and palm wine for the Akpeteshie.
The cocoa seed when used for the Akpeteshie with the help of different herbs like mahogany, protect the body from heart diseases, asthma, piles, relieves stress and reduces fatigue in the human body. It also helps improve the blood flow and lowers blood pressure. It also aids in easy digestion, and it is useful for healing wounds.
Although Akpeteshie has become very popular in our Ghanaian societies, many do not take into consideration its production process. Most of the producers are smallholder farmers who earn a living from their art.
Furthermore, most people have now become addicted to Akpeteshie and some find happiness and peace in drinking it, despite its effects on their health. It is believed that Akpeteshie contains some minerals and vitamins like magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C, which are very significant to human health.
In addition to reaping the benefits of Akpeteshie, it is best known to enjoy it in moderation, since it helps reduce the risk of certain diseases like measles, and aids digestion through the antioxidants in it. The vitamins boost the immune system and support the overall health of the human body. Akpeteshie in one way or the other helps to reduce stress levels and bring feelings of happiness or relaxation to the body.
Despite Akpeteshie being beneficial to the human body, it is important to know the risks associated with consuming it; and it is important to seek medical advice if any serious medical issues arise because the sellers may add different ingredients that could harm the human system.
According to some of the Akpeteshie sellers, after purchasing from the place of production, mahogany, garlic, ginger and negro pepper are added to make it safer for the human system than consuming it in its raw state.
It is believed that the sugar level in Akpeteshie at the raw state is higher and if consumed in large quantities without any additives could lead to diabetes. An anonymous Akpeteshie trader said they mostly add stainless steel nails to it after buying it in its raw state to enhance its taste and to make it more alcoholic.
The nails are added in their fresh state but the molecules of iron on the surface of the nails react with the oxygen produced in the alcohol which forms a reddish–brown substance n the surface–rust. The rust is infused in the alcohol to give it a stronger smell and taste. The rationale behind this act is to increase the alcoholic content in the raw Akpeteshie.
Although most consumers prefer the Akpeteshie that has been mixed with nails, there are some who are against these practices because of the health complications associated with them.
Members of the Asomdwe Society in Bawjiase made it a life mission to omit the addition of nails during their production process due to the risks involved. Some medical experts highlighted that the rust from these nails can lead to serious health problems such as stomach cramps, constipation, muscle, or joint pain and in severe cases could lead to gastric cancer or death.
Research has proven that Akpeteshie can contain some trace elements of copper, lead, and iron as a result of the materials used in the production process. Some brewers store the juice in metallic jars since there are no strict regulative bindings on the production of Akpeteshie. This has raised concerns and many questions whether the sale of Akpeteshie should be legalised or banned.
According to a health expert at the Dakal Medical Centre, Dr. Ernest Osei Asiamah, the scientific school of thought has proven that moderate intake of alcohol helps in the prevention of heart attack and aids the body system with good circulation. The potential health risks associated with drinking alcohol is hypertension, heart condition and liver disease.
Some drugs react with alcohol, but the best precaution doctors often give to their patients is to either take it in moderation or to stay away from it.
Despite the reasons for consuming Akpeteshie, consumers are advised to reduce the intake or avoid it completely because the risks associated with its usage far outnumber the benefits.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) and Food and Drug Authority (FDA), through their agencies, should increase public awareness about the risks associated with the consumption of Akpeteshie. It is said that Akpeteshie kills softly and so those addicted to it should consult a medical practitioner to treat or stem any damage to the body.
Regina Inkum
Level 300
Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)
I have often been saddened by the condition of Sikaman musicians. Of course, some are not musicians. They are jokers who think anybody who can sing a hymn is a musician. And why wouldn’t they think so when people think that every man wearing a rasta hair is a reggae musician?
Well, these days, almost everybody is dreaming of becoming a musician, even some ministers and parliamentarians. And it is never too late for them to begin learning the solfas and composing songs like “If You Do Good You Do For Yourself,” after all, life begins at 60 these days. If you die three years later, that’s your luck.
For the jobless, becoming a musical star is an everyday dream. They think when you are a music maker, you automatically break alliance with poverty. They are often mistaken.
I know people who claim they are musicians but are always fasting not because they are devout moslems or are on a hunger strike, but because even one square meal a day is a perpetual wahala. And the only drink they can afford is the poor man’s holy whisky which has a thousand names including ‘Nyame Bekyere’.
Even most of the popular musicians we see in town claiming they are foreign-based stars are more of hustlers than musicians. When they tell you they are going on tour abroad, it is a careful way of saying they are going overseas to scrub the whiteman’s toilet or pick tomato or apples to save their neck from musical poverty.
When they are back to Sikaman, they appear quite flamboyant with chains hanging all over them. They change the few dollars they have scraped, spread it around and promptly get broke. Then they can organise another ‘tour’. In between tours, they struggle to release an album and that levels them up a bit on the financial balance.
It all points to the fact that the life of the average musician isn’t quite organised. He has no calendar, no programme and no concentration on the job. He has to wash plates, become a waiter, janitor and toilet scrubber while finding time to make music. No musician succeeds in life that way.
One musician I’ll always respect, who thinks deeper than the ordinary Sikaman musicians is Carlos Sakyi. He is not like the Kokoase guitar musicians who see the world just in terms of bitters, a willing girlfriend, constant supply of kokonte and jot.
Carlos, often loved for his percussive overtones in gospel music, and once a gospel-rock star, has studied the life of Sikaman musicians and has evolved a blue-print for a great improvement in their lives work, finances and comfort.
In short, he has simulated a Motown-style environment for musicians and his formula is working with accuracy with the five musicians he has started with. The blue-print is what has brought MEGASTAR into being. It was launched on September 15, 1995 at the National Theatre.
When it got launched, many probably thought Carlos was “too know or was dreaming more than he should and won’t think about himself. Anyhow, the MEGASTAR is now an institution musicians can look up to, a big phenomenon with lots of promise for struggling musicians.
Music business in the developed world is not the way we regard it cheaply here. A musician is never distracted by how his finances go; his contracts are entered, his engagements made, his interviews arranged, his personal security guaranteed.
Music is his business and that is where his mind is and his attention focuses. Other aspects of his life are programmed for him by his managers. They hire who has to light his cigarettes, massage him, drive his car and the one who will say “Good Luck” when he sneezes.
A bodyguard whose face is exactly like that of the devil is hired to scare off muggers, psychopaths and criminals in general. Sometimes his girls are organised for him.
So the only thing the musician does apart from sleeping and snoring is to concentrate on making music, and true to it, no one can succeed in any venture when he is distracted.
This is how the Michael Jacksons, Lionel Richies, Dolly Patons and Whitney Houstons have made it with dollars packed and over-flowing. They aren’t any better than Sikaman musicians. The only difference is that they know how to organise their lives.
I managed to corner Carlos Sakyi and asked him to tell me how MEGASTAR was doing. He is the Managing Director of Megastar Limited, a music company that has a board of directors and a chairman. Carlos Sakyi shares the proprietorship with a partner. Carlos himself was one great musician who played for a band that beat Eddy Grant on the charts.
“Megastar is in fact a concept born out of the idea that the future security of the Ghanaian musician which has always been in jeopardy can now be guaranteed. Artistes spend too much of their time doing things on their own, chasing money and not concentrating on music. So their full potential is never realised. Some are in fact producing at quarter-rate. That is why they aren’t making much headway,” he told me.
“Megastar is now giving them the chance of the lives. We handle the interviews of Megastar artiste, their press releases, costume, engagements and everything they hitherto used to do themselves. We get them exposed on M-Net and we have contacted BB to get on their programmes. We handle their finances pay them salaries and bonuses, so they only have to concentrate on music
“Most importantly,” he continued, “we do not make all the decisions. Management always meet with the musicians to take the decisions that affect them.”
But who are the Megastar musicians? One is the great Amakye Dede, a star from birth delivered onto the earth with music on his lips; he is the man who feeds hungry ears with musical salad and harmonic sausages. He is the recipient of many national awards.
Next is Naana Frimpong, a latter-day Carlos-groomed songbird with the voice of an angel. She sings to kill. Her beauty has charmed her audience and they stare and stare at her.
The sensational and fantalising Tagoe Sisters are the next. The twin music machine is one that has produced the cream, arguably the very best, of gospel music all these years. I hear they are inseparable; not even their better-halves can keep them apart. Are they Siamese? They dance, and when on stage, they move the crowd.
Then comes Reverend Yawson who is a known songwriter. He is imbued with the Holy Spirit, speaks in tongues and of course sings in tongues. He is God’s representative on the group.
What about my good friend and super-heavyweight, Jewel Ackah? He is a star figure. His appearance is awe-inspiring, his voice golden. A great delight to be-hold when at his best in stage-craftsmanship, he has beaten his contemporaries to it both on land and on sea.
They are the pioneers of the Motown idea. They are all releasing new albums this year. Let’s see how it all goes.
In recent years, the term “female rage” has gained significant traction, symbolising a collective shift in how women’s emotions are perceived and addressed.
This phenomenon is not merely a fleeting trend but a profound movement rooted in centuries of systemic injustices, personal betrayals, and societal expectations.
As women increasingly reclaim their anger, it is imperative to understand the multifaceted nature of female rage, its causes, and its implications for individuals and society at large.
The historical context of female anger
Historically, women’s emotions have been subject to dismissal, ridicule, and pathologisation. The term “hysteria,” originating from the Greek word for uterus, was used to describe women’s emotional states as irrational and uncontrollable.
This legacy of silencing and shaming has contributed to a culture where women’s anger is often suppressed or stigmatised.
However, with the rise of feminist movements, women are challenging these narratives, asserting their right to express anger and demand change.
The anatomy of female rage
Female rage is not a monolith; it is a complex and multifaceted emotion driven by various factors, including:
1. Societal expectations: The pressure to conform to traditional roles of passivity, politeness, and emotional labour.
2. Gender inequality and pay gaps: Frustration stemming from systemic discrimination in the workplace and beyond.
3. Sexual harassment and abuse: Trauma and anger resulting from pervasive violence and objectification.
4. Emotional labour and burnout: The unsustainable burden of managing emotions and responsibilities in personal and professional spheres.
5. Hormonal fluctuations: The impact of hormonal changes on emotional states, often overlooked or dismissed.
The power of anger: Reclaiming female rage
Far from being a destructive force, female rage can be a catalyst for change. When acknowledged and channelled constructively, anger can drive advocacy, policy reform, and resistance against inequality.
The #MeToo movement, women’s marches, and increased representation in politics are testaments to the power of collective female anger.
Addressing the Stigma: Towards a more inclusive dialogue
To fully harness the potential of female rage, society must address the stigma surrounding women’s anger. This involves:
1. Validation and recognition: Acknowledging women’s emotions as legitimate and worthy of attention.
2. Creating safe spaces: Providing platforms for women to express anger without fear of backlash.
3. Education and awareness: Challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding of women’s experiences.
4. Support systems: Offering resources and support for women dealing with trauma and systemic injustices.
Conclusion
The age of female rage is a moment of profound transformation, where women’s anger is no longer silenced but celebrated as a force for justice.
By understanding the roots of female rage and addressing the societal structures that fuel it, we can move towards a more equitable and compassionate world.
The journey is complex, but the destination-a society where women’s emotions are respected and their voices are heard is worth the struggle.
References:
[1] Chemudupati, P. (2022). _The Rage of Women: A Historical Perspective_.
[2] Traister, R. (2018). _Good and Mad:
By Robert Ekow Grimond-Thompson
