News
Ladies reject our proposal, disrespect us… Coconut sellers at K’dua lament
Michael peeling coconut to sell
Coconut sellers in Koforidua are frustrated over the disdain and disrespectful manner customers, particularly young women, deal with them.
Despite playing a vital role in Ghana’s informal sector by providing fresh, nutritious, and affordable drinks, these vendors feel marginalised and belittled by virtue of their occupation.
The worst and painful of all was the blatant manner their proposals to female partners were rejected.
As a result, most of them are single although they are ready to settle down as family men.
In separate interviews with The Spectator, the coconut ‘business moguls’ called for a change in attitude and urged the public to treat them with the decorum and respect accorded to those in the formal jobs.
Michael Adansi, a coconut vendor, highlighted the importance of their service and noted that coconuts, known for their health benefits, offered a refreshing and energy-boosting option for many Ghanaians.
However, he lamented that customers often fail to appreciate the value of their work.
“Young ladies especially look down on us. We can’t even approach them for friendship or relationships because they disrespect us due to the nature of our work and our appearance,” he lamented.
Michael added that even when coconut sellers are fortunate enough to have relationships, they face judgment from their partner’s family once their profession was revealed.
“We endure long hours in difficult conditions, often travelling far to source the coconuts,” Michael revealed, but said despite these efforts, they get insults, dismissive behaviour, and aggressive haggling from customers, even though the coconuts are sold at reasonable prices.
Michael emphasised that they were just trying to earn an honest living and deserve to be respected as legitimate professionals.
Yaw Poku, another vendor, expressed similar frustrations, noting that many customers assume coconut sellers are uneducated or incapable of getting better jobs.
He explained that the stigmatisation was unfair, as many coconut sellers have degrees, diplomas, or are Senior High School graduates.
“They engage in this trade to provide for their families and should be respected for their efforts,” he said and added that, “what people don’t know is that coconut selling requires skills like entrepreneurship, marketing, and customer service,” Yaw added.
In addition to customer disrespect, coconut sellers also face harassment from authorities and market officials, he noted but stated they remained hopeful that by sharing their experiences, the public would come to appreciate their hard work and understand that the dignity of work should not be determined by the type of job, but by the effort and value one brings to the community.
When The Spectator interviewed customers on the issue, responses were varied.
Efua Ansah, a student from Koforidua Technical Institute, pointed out that some coconut sellers do not dress well or package their products properly, a situation she said may contribute to the lack of respect.
She emphasised the importance of hygiene and cleanliness in building customer trust.
However, another customer, Ernest Larbi, defended the sellers, noting that they work under harsh conditions.
“They’re selling in the hot sun in their working gear. It’s not easy, so why disrespect them?” he questioned.
The Eastern Regional Environmental and Health Officer, Mr Prince Kissi, acknowledged the issue and stated that his office was working on strategies to improve the situation.
They have recently designated areas for coconut sellers and are planning a stakeholders’ meeting to train them on better hygiene practices and product presentation, he revealed.
“We have advised them to put on aprons and ensure they dispose of coconut shells properly to enhance their public image,” he explained.
With these initiatives, he hoped that coconut sellers would gain the respect they were demanding and be recognised for their contributions to the community.
News
Nkonya descendants coming home from Diaspora
From the ancestral hills of Nkonya, a global call to remembrance is rising.
This October, the quiet village of Kromo (now Tepo) will become the epicenter of a transcontinental memorial as Ghana and the United States jointly launch African Holocaust Month-a solemn tribute to the millions of African lives lost to the transatlantic slave trade.
Held annually on the second Saturday of October, the ceremony this time will unfold simultaneously in Kromo, Ghana, and Kentucky, USA, with commemorative benches placed facing each other across the Atlantic.
At exactly 4pm Ghana time, libations will be poured, wreaths laid, and names of the departed read aloud—restoring dignity to those whose stories were silenced by history.
But this is more than ritual. It is prophecy fulfilled. Kromo, once a thriving community along the slave route from Salaga, bears the scars of betrayal.
Oral history recounts a tragic moment when slave traders raided the village during a hunting absence, capturing youth aged 16 to 20—including a revered Queen mother and her attendants.
The grief-stricken community relocated, giving birth to present-day Tepo.
For generations, the people of Nkonya prayed that the Queen mother’s descendants would return—not just in body, but in royalty.
That prayer was answered in 2007, when Ur Aua Hehimetu Ra Enkamit, Paramount King of the Ausar Auset Society in Washington, D.C, USA, returned to Nkonya following a DNA test.
He was formerly known as Dr Lee Cook Jr.
A direct descendant of David Cook (e) of Kentucky, his lineage traces back through five generations to Edmon Cooke, whose roots are believed to pass through Kromo.
“This is not just a memorial— it’s a restoration of ancestral ties,” said Ur Aua Enkamit in a chat with The Spectator.
“Kromo is both literal and symbolic. Even if your ancestors didn’t pass through here, it represents every nameless place Africans were captured and marched toward the coast,” he emphasised.
The initiative invites all people of African descent—whether from Ghana, Jamaica, the U.S., or beyond—to participate.
He encouraged families to identify ancestral land for bench placement, submit names of deceased relatives for the reading, coordinate with diaspora kin for simultaneous ceremonies, and arrive in Nkonya before the event.
Benches, he stressed, would be provided in Kromo, with wreaths available upon request. Once placed, families need only return each year with names and offerings.
African Holocaust Month draws inspiration from Ida B. Wells, the pioneering journalist who in 1909 used the term “holocaust” to describe atrocities against African people—decades before its association with World War II.
This October, her words echo across oceans, as descendants reclaim memory, identity, and sacred ground.
From Kingsley E. Hope Kumasi
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News
Assembly man shot dead in Aboabo
A wave of grief has swept through the Amansie West District over the fatal shooting of the Assembly Member for Aboabo, Samuel Danquah, during a violent clash between residents and armed military personnel at a mining site in Mpatuam on Tuesday.
Samuel Danquah was killed when military men opened fire on angry residents in Mpatuam. Two other people were also shot and are in hospital.
The trouble started on Monday, September 8, when local people said security guards from Asanko Mines killed a miner.
On Tuesday, hundreds of young people blocked the roads to the mining site, demanding justice for the dead man.
Danquah went to the scene to talk to the protesters and calm them down. But when soldiers arrived, they started shooting. Danquah was hit by a bullet and died at the hospital.
“Danquah came to help calm the situation,” said Kwame Sakyi, an Assembly Member for Mpatuam, who saw what happened. “He believed in talking through problems.”
After the shooting, the angry crowd set fire to vehicles and equipment belonging to the mining company. The whole area is now very tensed.
“The situation is out of hand,” Sakyi told reporters. “The youth are devastated. They feel unheard, unsafe, and betrayed. We’ve lost a respected leader and the people are demanding answers,” he added.
This is not the first time such troubles between mining companies and local communities in Ghana has been recorded. Many people living near mines say the companies make money from their land but give nothing back to them.
They complained that the mining is destroying their farms and water sources while they remain poor. When they protest, security forces often use force against them.
Sakyi is asking the government to investigate what happened and find out why soldiers shot at unarmed people. He wants to know why a respected community leader was killed while trying to make peace.
“While mining brings economic opportunities, communities continue to feel left out,” he explained, adding that, “We need better ways for people to talk about their problems without violence.”
Community leaders and civil society groups are also calling on the government to step in and prevent more violence in mining areas.
People who knew Danquah said he was always trying to help solve problems peacefully. His family and friends are shocked that he was killed while trying to prevent a commotion.
The funeral arrangements are being made while the community mourns a leader who died trying to serve his people.
Many opinion leaders believe the incident shows how dangerous the situation has become in Ghana’s mining areas, where conflicts between companies and communities are getting worse instead of better.
From Kingsley Hope, Kumasi
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