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Palaver of the Spanish fly
THE Spanish fly liquid can be described as the female version of Viagra or its local counterpart, the popular AK 47 bitters. Spanish fly can induce sexual feeling in the most frigid of women, sending them on a wild romantic trip, so long and lasting, invariably intense and unforgettable.
The use of Spanish fly in Sikaman is not a recent phenomenon. In the early 1970s, foreign seamen brought the substance from the whiteman’s land to seduce girls who visited the cargo vessels that docked at the Tema port. The girls were fascinated by the foreign vessels and went aboard to sight-see.
They were invited into the cabins by the crew for coffee and biscuits, canned minerals and beer. Whatever some of the girls took was laced with a little something.
In twenty minutes time, they were transformed from innocent sight-seeing dames into hot sex-pots. They simply melted under the influence of the drug and begged for sex. Needless to say, they stripped themselves naked before they were asked to.
They were abused in all sorts of ways, offered a few gifts like watches and told to come back, next time, for more coffee and biscuits. When they came to their senses, they felt bruised and ravaged and could never fathom what made them behave the way they did.
The little something that was often introduced into each cup of coffee was the legendary SPANISH FLY. Sikaman port workers later got wind of the female Viagra stuff and solicited for some from foreign seamen. They brought the liquid into town and employed it in the seduction of girls who would normally not condescend to having sex no matter how persuasive you were.
SOLUTION
A friend once told me how he used Spanish fly on a girl he had been courting for ages without success. He said it was Spanish fly which solved the problem for him in a very definitive way, more than he could ever bargain for.
He said he obtained the liquid from a French sailor but had no intention of using it on any girl. But there was this girl next-door who always taunted him, teased him and refused his proposals for love. She was a provocatively shaped madonna who perpetually excited his libido.
According to him, he was taking his breakfast of tea and bread when the girl came to his home and said she was washing her clothes but was tired. She had come to relax a bit, but could do with a cup of tea with or without bread.
My friend said presence of mind made him realise that he could try the Spanish fly idea. If it worked, all the better. If it didn’t, there was nothing to lose. He obliged and went into his room to the girl the cup of tea, but not before he poured a small quantity of Spanish fly into cup.
The girl drank it and was satisfied. She wanted to leave to complete her washing but my friend asked her to relax a bit, hoping she would elicit a response to the drug. She refused and left. He was disillusioned. What a waste, he said to himself.
Upon second thoughts, he decided to stroll to the girl’s home next-door and when he got there he was awed by the sight. The girl washing alright, but he realised that she was not only washing, but also dancing in the process
She was twisting and wriggling her body while washing, a scene he had never encountered. He had never seen anyone washing and dancing at the same time.
The girl, upon seeing him, promptly left what she was doing and walked over and kissed him. He was surprised. Luckily or unluckily, she was alone the home, and without much ado he mounted her.
After satisfying himself, he wanted to go home but the girl was not done yet. She grabbed him and forced him to go three more ’rounds’. After the fourth ‘rounder’ he said he was completely exhausted panted like a tired dog.
The girl wanted a fifth round and he had to run away after disentangling himself from her grip. If he hadn’t shown a clean pair of heels, he would have died on the job.
Recently, someone also told me he used Spanish fly on his girlfriend who had left him. He put it into her cola drink. After a while she started grabbing at his huge phallus, whereupon he told her not to misbehave. But she wouldn’t listen. She was bent on unzipping his trousers and drawing out his organ right there at the beer bar.
Bewildered, he started protesting vehemently. He virtually had to drag her to a hotel to work on her to save the situation.
So Spanish fly really is in town and I hear it is being sold in certain selected drug and chemical stores off the counter.
A little Palava research has revealed that the drug used to be made from the dried bodies of beetles which have aphrodisiac properties, hence the name Spanish Fly. The beetle is a fly. The substance is used medicinally and on pigs to make them go on heat so that they can mate enthusiastically and increase production.
Now the Federation of African Women Education (FAWE) has urged the authorities to investigate how a substance (Spanish Fly Liquid) found its way into the country.
They say the substance is being used to stimulate women and girls sexually without their consent to make them demand sex. They add that research has also revealed that the substance is used in tertiary institutions and is well known and widely used at the JSS and SSS levels. I don’t doubt it.
Well, the drug is actually in use and I guess rapists are using it subtly so they can’t be accused of rape. In other words, the substance induces the girls to ask the men to rape them, which seemingly cannot be interpreted as rape. At best it could be described as ‘chemical rape’.
I guess, the way out is public education on the issue. If the population at large is made adequately aware that Spanish fly is being used, women and girls would be careful about what they imbibe or accept to drink from men.
This article was first published on Saturday November 28, 1988
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Public awareness campaigns have successfully cast breast cancer into the global spotlight, typically framed through a uniform lens of pink ribbons, early detection drives and triumphant stories of survival. While these initiatives have driven vital mammography compliance and research funding, they often perpetuate a sanitised narrative. Beneath the polished public messaging lie complex, less-discussed clinical realities and emotional burdens that patients, families and healthcare providers must navigate long after the initial medical milestones have passed.
Moving towards an honest discourse
Acknowledging these untold truths does not diminish the incredible advancements achieved in modern oncology; rather, it humanises the patient experience. Expanding our cultural understanding beyond the simplistic “warrior” trope allows for deeper institutional support, better long-term medical management and genuine empathy for the lifelong journey of survivorship.
When people see breast cancer in movies or awareness campaigns, they usually see a neat story: someone gets diagnosed, goes through treatment, rings a celebration bell and goes right back to normal.
In real life, the journey is much more complicated. Let us break down five “hidden truths” about breast cancer using everyday examples.
Truth 1: The “Post-Treatment Cliff” (Life after treatment)
What it means: Everyone thinks that once medical treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy, are over, the patient instantly returns to their old self. In reality, that is when a whole new set of challenges begins.
The example: Imagine finishing a gruelling uphill marathon. You cross the finish line, but your legs are still shaking, you are exhausted, and everyone else goes home while you are left trying to recover. Many survivors deal with long-term side effects, such as constant tiredness, numbness in their fingers or swelling, called lymphoedema, for years.
Truth 2: Catching it early is great, but not a magic shield
What it means: Early detection saves lives, but some types of cancer are so aggressive that even a small tumour can behave like a runaway train.
The example: Think of weeds in a garden. If you spot a weed early, you can usually pull it right out. But certain aggressive “weeds” spread seeds everywhere or grow roots so fast that even finding them early does not stop them from trying to pop up somewhere else later.
Truth 3: The long, hard marathon of daily pills
What it means: For many survivors whose cancer is hormone-receptor-positive, treatment does not stop when surgery ends. They may have to take hormone-blocking pills every day for five to ten years.
The example: These daily pills act like security guards keeping the enemy away, but they can also bring troublesome side effects, such as joint stiffness, sudden hot flashes or weakened bones. Because of this, taking the medication can feel like a daily chore that reminds patients of the cancer for a decade.
Truth 4: People we forget about (Men and young adults)
What it means: Public campaigns often focus on older women. Because of this, other groups affected by breast cancer may be caught off guard.
The example: Men can develop breast cancer, too, because they are born with a small amount of breast tissue. However, because some men think it is a “women’s disease”, they may ignore an unusual lump in their chest for months, resulting in a later diagnosis. Young adults under 40 face a different shock, having to worry about fertility, having children and career interruptions right in the middle of building their lives.
Truth 5: The hidden price tag (Financial stress)
What it means: A medical diagnosis brings a heavy second burden: financial strain.
The example: Even with good health insurance, additional costs can pile up quickly, including specialised scans, genetic testing, expensive prescription drugs and taking weeks or months off work to recover. It can feel like dealing with two crises at the same time: trying to heal the body while worrying about bills.
Talking about these harder truths does not mean we should not celebrate survivors. It simply means we need to understand the real, full picture of what people go through.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
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As soon as a married man becomes infected with the he-goat mentality, he is bound to forget that he has a wife.
It is often a tragedy because he can completely lose focus and generally start misbehaving. He considers his wife a headache, at best a pain in the neck.
The man has got a new girlfriend and is excited. And when he sees his wife, he wonders what she is doing in his home. Maybe she is only a stray dog in need of shelter. And Jesus Christ, won’t she just keep out of the way?
The married man who has gone into extramarital affairs is half the time engaged in mindless fantasy. He is engrossed in devising many ways to please his newfound lover. And if the girl is explosive in bed, the fantasy could spiral into the fourth dimension.
It could be that his wife is basically an “old layer” who can no longer take him to the heavens and back. The girlfriend, however, can take him on a trip into space, meandering through the galaxy of stars, down the Milky Way. It can be an experience of a lifetime.
Normally, after such a trip, the married man will forget that he even has a home and children. He becomes a fugitive.
What he needs is deliverance. So his wife will go to the pastor and tell him that her husband has developed very strange symptoms.
First, the man is behaving practically like a he-goat, sniffing desperately after young women. Secondly, he cannot find his way back home.
The pastor is likely to diagnose the ailment on the spot. He does not need to conduct a blood test to offer a prognosis. “It is the spirit of lust,” the man of God will say. “The Lord is in control.”
Sometimes prayers are effective, and the man heads back home. For very curious reasons, he remembers that he had lost his way. So he returns to his family, wondering what might have been happening to him. So long!
Other times, prayer worsens the case. It is not that the prayers are not being answered. God has only given the lecherous bloke a long rope on his own balls. It is as if the prayers drive him further and further away from the world of reason. For as long as three years, his soul is restless. It is in bondage!
The man forgets that the young girl he has been riding will one day marry and leave him in the cold. That day will surely come.
Now, when a married man is jilted by his girlfriend, he remembers that he has a wife. He had almost forgotten that he went and wedded a woman and called her his wife.
The jilted man will lick his wounds and trace his way back home. His wife would wonder whether he had lost his way. Anyhow, she will welcome him back home.
He becomes the loving husband he once was, and his wife is amazed. What might have happened to her man? Was he struck on the way to Damascus? Or on his way back?
When the man is sober, he will decide to calculate how much he has spent on that useless girl who said she was going to get married to some equally useless cockroach.
He realises that, in the short span of sexual enjoyment and extramarital bliss, he has lost all his lifetime savings, enough to build two-storey buildings.
Last Saturday, some youths who distinguished themselves in various endeavours were awarded at an excellence awards ceremony.
The males should always have it at the back of their minds that chasing women is what brings down both the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich, the lettered and the unlettered.
This article was first published on Saturday, August 26, 2006.
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