My Mpotompoto Mind

Accra’s traffic is musk from a skunk on normal days, but the pre-Christmas traffic should make us all get a sanity exam. We have kept Ghanablogging meetings going for 2 years. We are not bored yet, but can you – if you’re not a blogger – suggest what you’d like to see bloggers in Ghana blog about with one voice? Are public hospitals in Ghana as high on professionalism as Lister Hospital? A-holes with ‘big’ cars in Accra avoid the traffic jams by driving in the oncoming lane and waving vehicles to get out of their way. How much will the clergy make in private gifts this Christmas? If they were taxed, wouldn’t it give Ghana enough money to improve education or health or roads?

Monkeys Dancing in T-Shirts

I rarely lose my way – or deliberately foray – into politics, but, sometimes, you cannot ignore visions of monkeys dancing on your nose.

In one of his earliest presidential speeches, the very-English-named president – John Evans Mills – tripped every step and said “ecomini” for “economy”. He was taunted for a while, and then it went away – or, did it?

There have always been rumours – there is an upsurge lately – that the leading opposition politician has dabbled in narcs and psychedelic substances. He ignored these for a long time until he felt compelled to deny it recently. One thought it had gone away – but had it?

This week, monkeys have come out dancing on every Ghanaian’s nose. T-shirts have appeared in town with “ecomini” printed on them. If it was a great commercial idea by some business man monkey, then other business men monkeys have come out with “1960s Funky Weed Days” T-shirts.

What can I say? Sooooooscket!

Laurent Gbagbo – Bush, Crazy Child

Musical chairs. Enfant terrible wriggles his way to the final. When the music suddenly stops, Enfant Terrible is still standing; stunned second. He bawls out to his family, who come to karate-kick the poor winning child off the champion’s chair. Now, Enfant Terrible is perched on the seat. He feels supremely stupid in his skin, but pretends to have retained a speck of self-dignity. Urchin. Vermin. Bush crazy child. Why did not his mother terminate the pregnancy?

Ghana’s 2010 Memorials

2010 has wickedly whizzed by, before our best-laid plans have got grip. If you were quizzed about Ghana’s most memorable moments in this low-yield year, what would you venture? To make matters murkier, let’s exclude football’s fascinating World Cup.

The 5 Which = Me

Well, I was asked this question with the line (a little harmless self-promotion)


Cute


Funny


Creative


Articulate


Kind



What are your 5 best qualities?

Little Litterer Learns

A little girl stood at the edge of the road, holding her father’s hand. Her brother sat on a high bench behind them. It was 7 am, and she was eating from a polythene bag. When she was done, she sneaked her hand behind her. I imagined what she was about to do. As it turned out, her father guessed too. She dropped the bag on the ground. Quick as lightning, her father rapped her on the head. It was a healthy, disciplinary clobbering delivered through her ‘fro. He scolded her and asked her to ‘pick it up’. That was a happy morning for me.

Medofo Pa

Oh Kojo Antwi, you made me cry this morning. In the thick traffic panic, I was seized by your poetry; emotions got clogged, eyes let go, as I sang along with a quivering voice.

Se ofiri adwuma eeba’a, mede amirika n’ebeko akohyia no, na ma ye no awawa tuu. Odo yewu w’aba aa tenase, na me nhwe w’aniwamamu, eno n’ema me awerekyekyere, me hu wo aa na me no ete me, ah odo yewu ee.

Dayum, I’m smitten.

Odo ni ho aa, medaa enda ... Odo ni ho aa, eni nsuo nkoaa ...