Oration of chastity
Parading of nudity
Inculcation of sincerity
Akweley passed the test of “Sonimouni”
No rice or corn ingestion
She was bathed in a river with admonition
Of family ties and connection
By the gathering of all hands to eat “Ho fufui”
Her hands were trained on the culinary
Her skills, she was told, must not be ordinary
And her asepsis apt; personally and at her future granary
Her matured thoughts were installed over the “Ka Pam Yami”
Substantiation of chastity, clay pots of anonymity
Sat on her chest in the gods’ loyalty
Her strongest brother waited in to carry her home in anxiety
After her buttocks had conquered the “Teko Mi” marking complete the “Bua sia mi”
Inculcation of respect
Teachings on many life aspects
And refraining from being horrible suspects
Were pushed into her head the whole of the “Blemi ke fo mi”
Her rich family adornments showcased her beauty
She danced well as all eyes found her pretty
Like a beautiful flower as she swore to do her duty
Of no shame to her family in the “Mahe ya mi”
“I will never forget
The “Mahe ya mi” even in a bet
Your father chose me among the set
And so I am who I am now because of purity”
How then can her seed take seed
Before her adornment of many a bead?
Not being able to step into her hometown is a creed
Her daughter of shame and abomination!
She waited until her menarche
And went through what her daughter calls anarchy
To get the womanhood key
Nature and change has dealt her a blow.
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © 2014
In times past, when girls have their menarches, they go through puberty rites in order to become women ready for marriage. The Ga Adambge’s of Ghana call this “dipo”. This poem is the story of Akweley, who went through the dipo rites and brought honour to her family. It seems her daughter is pregnant even before her time for the rites. Akweley tells her modern child what she went through before becoming a woman and how she can never step foot in their home town because she broke that custom. (The alien words are names of days for the festival, except the Teko Mi which is the final rites of substation of chastity)
Mum Cee 