Features
Smooth Transfer – Part 3
After a busy morning at the office, I met the boys at Adehye, our usual lunch spot. We started catching up on the latest gossip, but the hottest issue was Abena and I.
The guys were surprised that Abena showed completely indifference when she saw them whilst in the company of another guy. Ebo’s fiancé solved the riddle for us. ‘Guys, let me tell you what’s happening. Jennifer is what I would call a fixer.
She fixes guys with girls. Every now and then guys with money in their pockets would ask her to get them ladies, and she would make friends with the girls and get the job done.
And David, you know your girl Abena has all the features that men like. Big size, ample bosom and booty and thighs topped up with good looks.
‘And Jennifer does this for the fun of it?’ Papa Awotwe asked. ‘She just fixes guys with girls just for fun?’
‘Certainly not. She takes a fee, depending usually on the means of the customer. Some wealthy guys pay well, others struggle’.
‘So does she share this money with the girls? Surely, any girl agreeing to be traded will take some inducements?’
‘Jennifer does not share her fees with them. Awotwe, most of the girls who would allow themselves to be traded think they need money, or its simple greed. They want money to buy dresses and shoes and other fine things, and to be taken to nice restaurants, by people with flashy cars.
And David, let me tell you this. My sister Baaba knows Jennifer quite well, and she tells me that she met her with your Abena at a dress designer’s place, and they were really running you down.
Basically, they were saying that you are a civil servant working at the Ministry of Agriculture, and your job regularly takes you to the north.
You are just a struggling young man, they say, and Abena was much better off with this guy called Ampadu, whose family is quite wealthy. According to them, your car is quite ordinary compared to Ampadu’s BMW, and he takes her to places you just cannot afford’.
‘Amen’, Ebo said. ‘David, I think we have to celebrate the fact that you have found this out early in the day.
I’m so glad that you have also started hitting the right buttons in business. I know Abena will be in for a big surprise quite soon. This Ampadu guy and his two brothers are very loud.
They hold parties quite regularly, at which a lot of wines and good food are served. But if the supermarkets are their source of funds, then they have to be careful’.
‘I’ve heard that their dad took a chieftaincy title a couple of years ago’ George said, ‘and he has acquired some lands which his kids are selling. I hope they are using part of those resources wisely’.
‘How can you use resources wisely when you are organizing flashy parties?’ Ebo said. ‘Hey, let’s order our food’.
It was a Friday evening, so I got into some light evening wear and drove out to meet the boys, but I decided to stop by Abena’s place.
Her mother and sister and another young lady were relaxing in the yard, together with her cousin, so I sat beside them and joined their chat.
‘Abena is getting ready’, Mama said. ‘Are you guys going out’?
‘Actually, I haven’t made any such arrangements with her. I got back into town just this morning, so I just stopped by to greet you all and see how you are doing. And by the way, who is this gorgeous young lady?’
‘Ah, David’, Esaaba said. ‘Kwakyewaa is our cousin. She’s a postgraduate student in France. She’s here for a holiday. Abena is dressing up, so I assumed she was going out with you’. Abena came out, looking nice.
‘Good evening’, she asked. ‘You are back in town’. I nodded.
‘Abena, I thought you were going out with David’, Esaaba said.
‘No. I didn’t know he was in town. Jennifer and I are going out with some friends. They are picking me up anytime from now’.
‘Actually its quite fine’, I said. ‘I’m meeting my friends at the new seaside joint to catch up on what’s happening’. Just then, the horn of a car sounded, and Abena walked majestically to the gate.
‘So David’ Esaaba said, ‘when will you fulfil your promise of taking me out? I haven’t enjoyed an evening out for some time’.
‘Actually, we can do that now. Kwakyewaa and Mom can join us. In fact, you will enjoy the view of the sea and the live band, and they serve some wicked food. So why don’t you go and get ready?’
‘No way!’ the elderly lady said’. I will fall asleep in your car. Go with the girls. Next time give me enough notice’.
‘What do you think, Kwakyewaa”? ‘
Try stopping me! Let’s go and find something to wear’.
By Ekow de Heer
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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