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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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On Sunday, October 11, 2026, it was the turn of Ghanaian Catholics in Finland to lead the singing in the church service of the African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland (ACCF).
It was indeed a spirit-filled feeling for worshippers present. And for the Ghanaian migrants, the occasion also brought back to them memories of church services in their home country, Ghana.
The ACCF has a roster for each country/community to sing from time to time. Next Sunday will be the turn of the Nigerian community. Other communities that usually sing are the Kenyan/Tanzanian community, the Cameroonian, the Ugandan, group, etc.
A powerful religious experience
The mass services of the Chaplaincy usually give a powerful religious experience and a display of cultural diversity, especially in occasions such as when the Bishop of Helsinki, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, celebrated mass with the Chaplaincy on Pentecost Day, May 24, 2026.
There was a similar time of spiritual joy last month (September 27, 2026) when Emeritus Bishop Teemu Sippo, former Bishop of Helsinki, visited the Chaplaincy. Bishop Teemu was the main celebrant, assisted by the Chaplain, Reverend Father Thomas Otieno.
Last Sunday, Reverend Father Bernard Sor, a Ghanaian Catholic priest based in Austria, was the main celebrant in the mass service where he performed a rite of baptism. Fr Bernard had celebrated mass a few months ago when he visited his sister and her husband in Helsinki. 
All these well-attended religious occasions indeed leave lasting memories. The homilies (peaching) by the priests usually emphasize religious tenets such as the importance of loving and serving God in truth, existing in peace with our fellow humans to promote unity in diversity, etc.
Unity in diversity and a colourful display of cultures
The African Chaplaincy church services usually produce impressive displays of diverse cultures from different parts of Africa and elsewhere. The events are often spiced by rich cultural displays of dances and colourful attires which are a delight to watch.
On special occasions, members of the Ghanaian Catholic community, in their gay and colourful kente attire and with adowa dance and music, usually lead the procession into the church. Other communities such as the Cameroonian, Nigerian, Kenyan and Tanzanian as well as Sudanese/South Sudanese groups also put up well-choreographed performances from their cultures.
The African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland
The African Chaplaincy was founded on June 4, 2017, which was a Pentecost Sunday, in a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Monsignor Emeritus Sippo S.C.I., the then Bishop of Helsinki, at the St. Mary’s Catholic Parish Church in Helsinki.
The Chaplaincy was created by Bishop Teemu in collaboration with the Diocesan body when they detected a great flocking of African immigrants to Finland, the majority of whom were Catholics. This was to give the immigrants a possibility to integrate into the Finnish society by worshiping as Catholics and in their African cultural identity.
The responsibility of the Chaplaincy was given by Bishop Teemu to Father Dr Leonard Wobilla Shwei, who is thus the first Chaplain and ably led the Chaplaincy. He was succeeded a few years ago by Father Thomas Otieno, who continues to move the Chaplaincy forward. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
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She did not find out he was cheating. She found out he was drowning.
It was two weeks after their beautiful wedding. The jollof was still in the fridge. A loan officer called her number-not his-and politely asked, “Madam, please tell your husband to pay his overdue loan. We have been calling him.”
That was how she discovered her new husband had entered their marriage with a hidden debt of over GH¢ 40,000. No cheating. No other woman. Just a financial secret.
And that is how many Ghanaian marriages begin to die. Not with a shout, but with a secret alert on a phone.
We prepare for the wedding. We do not prepare for the wallet.
What is money honesty?
Let me define it simply. Money honesty is not that you both earn the same. It is that you both know the same. It is the ability to sit down and say without fear:
“This is how much I earn.”
“This is how much I owe.”
“This is how I was raised to see money.”
“This is what scares me about money.”
Financial transparency is not about control. It is about clarity. You cannot build trust on top of secrets.
Many couples tell me, “Counsellor, we love each other, love will handle money.” I always answer, “Love is the car, but money honesty is the fuel. Love without honesty cannot move.”
How To Buy Your Marriage Insurance Today – My 5-Step Protocol
If you are engaged, newly married, or even 20 years in marriage, you can still fix this. At Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult—CPAC, this is what I give couples:
Step 1: The 90-Minute Money Naked Session.
No phones, no blame. Each partner writes down on paper: Monthly income, monthly debts, monthly family obligations, savings, and your biggest money fear. Then you exchange papers. Read it. Don’t react for 24 hours. Just absorb.
Step 2: Create OUR Money, YOUR Money, My Money.
You need three pots. OUR money for rent, food, school fees, utilities, properties, and the like— joint contribution. YOUR money and MY money—a small agreed allowance no one questions. This stops the feeling of being controlled.
Step 3: The No-Secret Debt Rule.
Agree from today: No new loan, no new hire purchase, no new family financial commitment above GHS 500 without telling each other first. Not permission, but information.
Step 4: Talk About Your Money Personality.
Are you a Spender or a Saver? Are you Risky or Safe? Most Ghanaian marriages are a Spender married to a Saver. Neither is wrong. But if you don’t understand your partner’s personality, you will call his saving “stinginess” and her spending “wastefulness.”
Step 5: Do a Monthly 30-Minute Money Date
Not an argument date. Light, with tea. “How did we do this month? What worried you? What should we plan for next month?” Couples who do this divorce far less.
My Final Word
Before you say “I Do” at the altar, have pre-marital counselling and also have the money talk on the sofa.
Ask your partner:
“If I lost my job today, how long can we survive?”
“What debt are you bringing into this marriage?”
“How much do you send to your family monthly and will that continue?”
If he or she gets angry that you asked, don’t get married yet. A person who is angry about accountability will be abusive about money.
Marriage insurance is not bought at Star Assurance or Enterprise. It is bought in honest conversations when no one is watching.
The wedding costs one day. The marriage costs a lifetime. Don’t enter a lifetime contract and covenant with hidden costs.
You can still insure your marriage today.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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