Abiola reaches home at exactly half past four in the evening. The busy street in front on his house is filled with cars, bicycles and few motorcycles. Some pedestrians are busy going about their business but in Abiola’s room, quietude greets as silence hugs him. He knows Dansoa is on duty and will close around […]
When a problem arises Acceptance is a catching Facing it squarely is a cutthroat Looking for solutions is a defeathering Getting the solution is a butchering Forgiving self is a steaming And forgetting is a frying II When you leave the problem to walk It will crow Others will know Your hurts will grow And […]
Mothers are moving miracles mirroring men to be …the sea which never dries Ib Mothers are the trees which shower life fruits Replanting generations and sustaining earth So help me sound their goodness with your flutes To show the gratefulness of your solo birth II Our bloom with doom in their body rooms Their love […]
Ashawo Diaries raises queries on why young girls should experience sexual abuse in a cultural context like Ghana where children are valued, moral standards are held high and sexual discussions silenced. – Dr. Georgina Yaa Oduro, Director, Centre for Gender Research, Advocacy and Documentation (CEGRAD), University of Cape Coast. Ashawo Diaries is a D’Akpabli Publication. […]
The titillating intrigues of a good bad girl … delightful reading: sometimes light, sometimes dark; always with ponderous insights! – Koku Dotse, Artist. Ashawo Diaries is a D’Akpabli Publication. Cover Credit: Nene Buer Boyetey II. Book due in June 2020. For pre-orders (which start on 25th May 2020) contact via WhatsApp or call: +233 24 […]
They shine in whines and dine in ignorance Tying others to their risks in annoyance By throwing caution to the wind II A woman claims Jesus Christ is her protection So she’ll get no infection As she’s a soldier following in His direction But she forgets Jesus had no funeral this year And the doors […]
Goddess Thandiwe knocks on Abiola’s door. He asks her in. Surprisingly, she respectfully asks if she can sit. “I’m sorry about our meeting today. You didn’t tell me you were taken and there was not ring or veil to show that.” Abiola nods and she goes on. “I need you to print this file for […]
Sɛ yɛka sɛ obi yɛ adwaman a Na ebinom de wɔn som adane wɔn tɛkrɛma sekan nufanu …ɛɛkɔ dwedwa wɔn Nanso adwaman, wɔ m’ani so no, nkyerɛ obi a w’asi n’ayaase waduro …anaa wɔma Ɛdi ɛɛwɔ ɔdɔgorɔ bankye a …ɛwɔ obiara ayaase asaase so Adwaman nso kyerɛ wɔn a wɔde kɛtɛasehyɛ ne prɔyɛ dwedwa wɔn […]
Our last point of call was the bar Which scrapped many a scar And relieved us from stress Borne out of work duress Through jokes and stories Listening to ladies’ sorries …as they tripped and balanced their heels Now the bars are closed and so have our socialization …planting depression told by even our expressions […]
Agbogboloshie has always been well known in contemporary mainstream Ghanaian circles, but not much of the vibrant market and wetland was heard outside of Ghana. The place however attained global notoriety at the turn of the millennium when it became known as a “digital dumping ground.” In addition to receiving e-waste from mainly western sources, […]
They make all women live in secured walls with ears …a shut door with eyes …firmly locked windows with noses …and a confined ceiling with a mouth, thanks to societal police The whole body of their buildings have a feeling easily felt by outsiders So secrecy is ineffective in their dictionaries No matter how hard […]
Akorkor always fantasized about her wedding Wanting it exciting Wanting it romantic Wishing it big with a cake gigantic But now Corono pushes her on her knees with need …to shrink it into a social distance party of twenty five II Coming from a big family Where her mother’s family tree in close proximity …can […]
This book is important to me on many levels. This is because it honours someone who blessed me with her presence; someone I met when I was a teenager struggling to live not just for me, but for my family; someone whose outlook defied everything I was taught but influenced me positively on the haunting […]
You walked in on a Wednesday …like a win And had your body toured thoroughly on a Thursday like a triumph You had many fry on a Friday …to gift their tongues the feelings of your welcome Elders sat on a Saturday …to sift through names of saints The sun sang loudly on a Sunday […]
How does he sleep? Is he like a servant God or in plain terms, like a worshipped and a curse? Why must he satisfy the needs of the rich, the poor, the sick, all faiths, and even animals? How can one find a central point of satisfaction for all these people with multiple identities? Bediatuo […]
A day’s rays …says not its greys 2 A bow’s foe …goes not for one row 3. So here and there Do what is fair Share your best And take a rest 4 Because when you’re caught and bought You’ll mostly see that none fought …for your got 5 Laughter is slaughter for many a […]
The convention of all animals in the biggest jungle of the world is taking place now. Before then, there was a ban on animal to animal hunting. All animals, including carnivores, were instructed to feed on grass. Except carcasses, which must be proven with hard evidence. So freedom has been the order of each day. […]
I shot my mirror for showing a horror …in my corridor today Now I miss the beautiful side of me it reported …and carry the stains on me needing cleaning II I threw my machete deep into a river out of anger After it missed some shrubs and thorns …in a desert I’d found myself […]
Aunt Araba throws the bundle of firewood from her head on the floor while her husband, Mr. Amofa takes his sack and cutlass to the small room, a place where they keep their farm implements. Their four daughters get to work without sitting down. One starts arranging the firewood to light, one starts peeling the […]
Work seems dull in the low heat from the hiding sun. Hot air constantly overtakes the cool breezes, fluctuating the temperatures in fairness for those who might love the hot air and those who might love the cool accordingly. As Abiola goes through the files on his table, someone knocks. A young woman of about […]
In time …the rich will gobble down the poor …and form their paupers who’ll be the most pitiable …of all Because they’ll find no free grass to make hay And they’ll find no free fruits on trees They’ll find no free land to on lay And there’ll be no bad job to take II In […]
Mede kɛntɛn adi ɔbɔmɔfoɔ tintin gramoo bi akyi …agye ngyegyesoɔ ne nsɛmbɔ De anidaso abɔ kahyire De adwenkɛseɛ agye bɔhyɛ adi sɛ …ne tuo tintin keseɛ a ɛbram n’abatiriso no Bɛtumi ato akum mmoadoma bebree b Yɛkɔduru kwaebretuo mu Na abrantikwaa nkɔto ne tuo nkum aboa a Sɛɛ etuo yi mu da mpan …emu nni […]
I clean around the hall of Mr. Patrick Menka, a third generation business tycoon, as he pours out his anger through a telephone conversation. He is in the upper class and frustrated and the non-judgmental me only worked with my senses. My ears sucking in the frustration from a world of riches unknown to mine. […]
May this day Push forward your yay May this day …drown your nay Because it is May Day II The world will not run itself If minds and hands and voices and legs cease …to run it The world cannot be this thrilling If minds and voices and strengths of humans …fail to work it […]
I stand here and look back Thinking of you who in my history are stuck Those of you who couldn’t, with me, this present formula crack And I get a love-loathe feelings about my luck II I remember the mosquitoes who listened in on our dreams I remember the fears which chased us and our […]
This ghetto bar is where I live, where I get the means to take care of my eight children and two wives and where my hope lies. Hey, don’t judge me, my wives love themselves and support each other. I know the many people who curse me, but I also know I employ fifty two […]
When I finally leave Let it be known that I was the leaf which struggled to stay …on the right branches of the tree of life And heeded no intimidating winds II When I finally leave Let it be known that I lived like a sheep …meek, mild, affable, humble But fought like a lioness […]
You always see some in high heels, walking like peacocks on cloud nine, even ten if there is such. Their nails, multi coloured painted like disco light on fake eagle talons, their deep lipsticks and fake long hair going a long way to cat call in addition to their seductive dresses, branding us dirty village […]
Abu sits and spits his chewed kolanut on the ground Wondering where his taste bud, this bitterness in it found He looks around and hears a sound Mba Hassan greets, pulls a stool and sits …watching as Abu chews and spits II Mba Hassan can’t help but ask What is giving a full grown man […]
Yes, we are stars when we feature on the best and popular networks in the country or when we get lucky to have a huge following on the internet, but in reality, we are certified or recognized gossips, nation protectors, corruption whips, among others. We do have our flaws but some of us try. Our […]
Food – Good Clothes – Manners Body – legacy A You care about foods which will fees cease And care not about the good …which will stay in hearts? B You mock the clothes which will fade to rot And mock not the manners …which will overstay your gone? C You mock the body which […]
We’ve been taught, we’ve been taught restraint and patience but we were also taught self care preceded them all. We’ve been taught, we’ve been taught to be smart, but the need for safety was taught before that lesson too. Everybody living through life knows how difficult it is to identify that thin line between restraint […]
A. Ex B. Tickiling C. Kissing D. Caressing E. Fucking F. Smooching G. Body H. Sex Hb. Fuck J. Lovemaking K. Hard L. Gently M. Fast N. Slowly O. Multi-tasking P. Waking Q. Mortar R. Poundings S. Loses his fire T. In two minutes U. Frustration V. Loves W. Cherishes X. Spontaneity Y. Satisfaction Z. […]
I’ve always earned my money transporting people and their things from Togo into Ghana. Paying duty is expensive, so wise traders sought our services to help them transport their goods into Ghana and vice versa. We knew routes to take them and got paid fairly for our services. It is thanks to those services we […]
This is the heaven we want The heaven where fetish angels with Biblical don’ts front …blasphemous revolutions held sacred by sanity won’ts II This is the heaven we seek The heaven where eagles are made weak and meek …to bow to chickens, lending their beaks …to be used as axes to cut their own thoughts’ […]
Abiola’s tears cut through his speech, making him spill some of his tea. Dansoa reflexively reaches for a kitchenette, gently cleans his lips and wipes the table. I’m so sorry. In my whole life, no Free Nation woman has ever bought me anything. In fact, besides work, not many of them speak to me. Abiola […]
Yie! Obo funu ɛnkɔ kwa! My aunt’s favourite Akan idiom! Her explanation: There’s no corpse in Obo whose death is justified Tawiah. If it is not a curse that killed it, then it is witchcraft, if it is not its bad deeds that killed it, then it is its disrespect, if it is not the […]
I was going to buy kako When I heard him shout “PRAKO!” Held by four struggling policemen His strength surpasing the uniformed men Abena nkɔnkɔnsa I get tipsy on nsa and nkɔnkɔnsa So I stood rooted Hoping to see the matter’s roots uprooted And so I watched as he fumed pointing at a boy …who […]
Yɛ wɔ nnipa mu ahorow Nnipa bi yɛ nkraman Wɔn pɔ wo wo wo wo …nso wɔn nka Ebi nso yɛ nkraman a wɔpɔ ka Woaa dwene wɔn a wɔ pɔ ka wɔ bɔne kwan so Wɔn ano borɔ bɛtumi akum asono bebree …n’ankampɛsɛ ɔdasani b Nnipa bi yɛ mponkye pumɛɛ Nkɔ hɔ o, ɔse […]
Nothing hurts like clashing news but it seems that is what my continent is characterized by. I came from Toronto on 18th of March, 2020. I came through Montreal and Brussels through to Ghana. There were no proper measures in all these places to check the virus except the latter. But the outbreak of the […]
If you don’t crest your nest as best And you just vest your best as worst Watch out as the rest shun your nest And their hate grow in their best …making you a worst living in a jest nest Will that be just? II It is the smoothness of your belongings …that crowns Not […]
I know I’m an aspiring politician, but sometimes I need some consideration. I feel people in my constituency are selfish, unfeeling and inconsiderate. This is because they are using the fact that I want to be their Member of Parliament to demand things they need with their hard work and sweat. Do I blame them? […]
Daily dials of discipline Drowsy don’ts of decorum Distance drowns of disrespect Daring draws of darling II I fence myself with my discipline …to protect my conscience which I thrive on One of them- …never touching what can’t be mine …in love So I cross not that fence …let alone jump it To safeguard my […]
I decided to become a nurse after I lost my grandmother many years back. I was at home with her when she suddenly held her chest, told me she could not breathe, fell, shook for a while and became still, her eyes wide open. I was a sophomore in senior high school and naive, so […]
You built a furnace with your deceit …and lighted it hottest with your lies You pushed me hard …into it …with your disrespect And locked it firmly with your abuse Your cheating fanned to fuel its burns …and your cheeky smiles added more coals to keep it flaming If a Samaritan has broken those hot […]
My father started coughing on Sunday. He was an asthmatic patient. Having returned from Belgium three days prior, we rushed him to the nearest hospital, a private hospital. They tried their best but asked us to send him to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as his situation was critical. I had heard about the Corona […]
Her hair hallelujahs, enchanting to be finger combed Her eyes dance, alluring into charms Her mouth mesmerizes, asking to be kissed Her cheeks blush, begging to be touched Her chin swoons, appealing to be played with Her breasts …scream … ‘FILLED’ …attracting fantasies of suckles Her nails …promise scratches of ecstasy Her dress perfectly draws […]
My mother keeps telling me to drink water. My father keeps telling me to sleep, my elder sister shouts on me to go watch television and leave her alone but there is thunder in my stomach. Why are they pretending not hearing? I drank more-koko three days ago, more-Koko without sugar. Father kept saying I […]
A third wheel will have to be steel …not to feel the pain of wheels And the daunting bas of squeals …which horn for their shed II I did invite her Thinking we could with her share a meal Never thinking her a hare …to break me into a run for real III On that […]
Pastor Manu sits like a zombie, calculating his debts. It’s been three weeks since the lock down and he wonders how he is going to feed his family for the next month. He had used all the collection to buy blocks and cement to rush the church building before the government called for a lockdown. […]
