Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Heavy Load, Heavy Pants in the city of Accra

A young porter-boy on the Spintex Road conveys a bulky barrel full of something weighty on his clean-shaven head. The barrel, it’s the size of a compact car, and I’m wondering what’s in there when my eyes catch the droop of something. He’s trudging along with 2 other boys – one in front and the other behind. Whether it is pitiable penury or purloined prison or pop culture, I don’t know, but the purpose of the boy behind is to hoist up his sagging jumbo trousers which flop below his knees with every few steps.

7 comments:

  1. You understand now man! I would go for pop culture. The more it falls the better the sway and the more the swagger in the step.

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  2. hahahhaha... at first i was amused, then not so much... what if it's "pitiable penury?" But even then, there are more creative ways of keeping one's pants on than having a personal hoister!
    Ok, talking about strange sightings in Accra, what's with the random overgrown fingernail?!

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  3. LOL...yeh has said my mind. Why not tie the pants up?

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  4. It is innovation and ingenuity at its best.
    The story is that they are apprentice porters and as part of their learning experience, they have to deal with that indignity, as a new learning curve they have to overcome, in order to brace themselves for all the greater indignities they have to grapple with, later as chief porters

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  5. Is this a new youth employment scheme? Maybe I can hire someone to pull up my socks?

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  6. Jumbo Pants---- classic!

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