Before gaining independence in 1957, Ghana had been the British colony of the Gold Coast. Many Ghanaians had received education and craft training in Britain and after independence the flow northwards expanded. The pursuit of a better life led to expatriate communities becoming established in all major British cities. Newly arrived visitors to Britain naturally sought out their countrymen for companionship in a strange land. In his novel The Colonial Gentleman's Son, John Powell describes how Kwame Mainu at the age of 27, came to Britain on his first visit in 1984, and set out to find some compatriots in the city of Coventry.
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Kwame took a bus to the centre of the city. He was heading for the bright lights and he found them. What a contrast with Tamale, he thought, but I doubt if there is any roast Guinea fowl to be had. The nearest that he could see was Kentucky Fried Chicken. McDonalds and Burger King offered hamburgers and Pizza Hut offered pizzas, but having already eaten Kwame was not looking for more food. Neither was he ready for a drink so he decided to look around the city centre. There were plenty of people about and a number of them appeared to be from Africa. He mingled with the crowds drifting along the pedestrian precinct and listened out for words in his mother tongue, Twi.
Kwesi had told Kwame that in England a city was defined by the presence of a cathedral. So Kwame was not surprised to find a cathedral near the city centre. He had thought from what his father had told him that all cathedrals in England were old. He was surprised to find that this one was new. He also remembered his father saying that all cathedrals were beautiful. This one was not. Was his father wrong about all this? Then Kwame caught sight of the floodlit ruins of an old cathedral standing behind the new structure, and his faith in his father was restored. He read from a plaque that the original cathedral, built in the 14th century, had been destroyed by German bombs in the Second World War. It had been replaced by the new one in 1962. Kwame wondered why the old building had not been restored to its former glory.
Knowing how interested Ghanaians were in religion Kwame loitered near the cathedral hoping to run into some of his compatriots. Sure enough, a few moments later, Kwame saw a black couple with two children. The young boy was complaining in English "Oh Mother! you like church too much. Let's go and eat. I'm hungry." Then he heard the mother remark to the father in Twi, "They are always hungry and trouble our minds." The parents were staring up at the floodlit ruins of the old cathedral, bracing themselves against the pull of their offspring intent on answering the call of their stomachs. The children prevailed in the tug-of-war and the two adults turned reluctantly away and allowed themselves to be towed towards the scent of hamburgers.
Having found his compatriots Kwame was uncertain how best to approach them. So he followed them towards the commercial area until they became separated from the general throng. "Are you from Ghana?" he asked in his vernacular. The family turned round in some surprise. Kwame continued in Twi "I beg you, there is nothing bad, I heard you speak Twi and wanted to greet you."
"We are happy to meet you," replied the father in English, "It is always good to meet someone from Ghana. Come and join us at McDonalds and we'll have a chat. The kids can't wait to get to grips with double cheeseburgers."
"You must have been in England a long time if the children like cheese," said Kwame when they were all seated in the restaurant, "They say it takes a Ghanaian as long to like cheese as it takes a European to like kenke!"
"That is probably true," replied Isaac, "but the kids were born here and they developed the taste from an early age. "Amma", he added, indicating his wife, "is still not very keen on cheese, especially the more potent varieties."
"I can appreciate that," said Kwame, "The smell puts me off. I haven't been able to give it a serious try."
"Your mention of kenke," interjected Amma, "makes me feel quite homesick. Can't we go home for a visit this year, Isaac?"
"It's the cost," replied her husband, "Not the airfares, but the presents you are expected to carry home. It will wipe out all our savings."
"I should leave it for a year or two before going home," said Kwame. Isaac looked relieved, but Amma wanted to know what he meant. So Kwame explained the difficult conditions he had left behind in Ghana only a few days before. "When were you last in Ghana?" he asked. "We left soon after the Acheampong coup in 72," said Isaac, "That's twelve years since we sat in the shade of a mango tree."
"What's a mango tree?" asked Kofi, aged 11.
"You know mangoes" chided Amma, "We get them at the supermarket."
"Yes, but we didn't know they grew on a tree," complained Little Amma, aged 9.
Akwesi Berko
To learn more about the intriguing story of the grassroots industrial revolution in the turbulent Ghana of the second half of the twentieth century, read John Powell's novel The Colonial Gentleman's Son or his non-fictional account The Survival of the Fitter. More details of these books and photographs of the informal sector artisans of Suame Magazine in Kumasi will be found on the following websites. http://www.ghanabooksjwp.com.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_28?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son&sprefix=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Akwesi_Berko
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6596392
RV or Motorhome Comprehensive Travel Diary Software
Travel diary specifically for the RVer, motorhomer, caravanner, travel trailer or camper. Includes a trip diary, daily journal, photo album, campsite journal, fuel consumption records, and much more. Can be used in metric, imperial, or a mixture of both.
Click Here!
Kwame took a bus to the centre of the city. He was heading for the bright lights and he found them. What a contrast with Tamale, he thought, but I doubt if there is any roast Guinea fowl to be had. The nearest that he could see was Kentucky Fried Chicken. McDonalds and Burger King offered hamburgers and Pizza Hut offered pizzas, but having already eaten Kwame was not looking for more food. Neither was he ready for a drink so he decided to look around the city centre. There were plenty of people about and a number of them appeared to be from Africa. He mingled with the crowds drifting along the pedestrian precinct and listened out for words in his mother tongue, Twi.
Kwesi had told Kwame that in England a city was defined by the presence of a cathedral. So Kwame was not surprised to find a cathedral near the city centre. He had thought from what his father had told him that all cathedrals in England were old. He was surprised to find that this one was new. He also remembered his father saying that all cathedrals were beautiful. This one was not. Was his father wrong about all this? Then Kwame caught sight of the floodlit ruins of an old cathedral standing behind the new structure, and his faith in his father was restored. He read from a plaque that the original cathedral, built in the 14th century, had been destroyed by German bombs in the Second World War. It had been replaced by the new one in 1962. Kwame wondered why the old building had not been restored to its former glory.
Knowing how interested Ghanaians were in religion Kwame loitered near the cathedral hoping to run into some of his compatriots. Sure enough, a few moments later, Kwame saw a black couple with two children. The young boy was complaining in English "Oh Mother! you like church too much. Let's go and eat. I'm hungry." Then he heard the mother remark to the father in Twi, "They are always hungry and trouble our minds." The parents were staring up at the floodlit ruins of the old cathedral, bracing themselves against the pull of their offspring intent on answering the call of their stomachs. The children prevailed in the tug-of-war and the two adults turned reluctantly away and allowed themselves to be towed towards the scent of hamburgers.
Having found his compatriots Kwame was uncertain how best to approach them. So he followed them towards the commercial area until they became separated from the general throng. "Are you from Ghana?" he asked in his vernacular. The family turned round in some surprise. Kwame continued in Twi "I beg you, there is nothing bad, I heard you speak Twi and wanted to greet you."
"We are happy to meet you," replied the father in English, "It is always good to meet someone from Ghana. Come and join us at McDonalds and we'll have a chat. The kids can't wait to get to grips with double cheeseburgers."
"You must have been in England a long time if the children like cheese," said Kwame when they were all seated in the restaurant, "They say it takes a Ghanaian as long to like cheese as it takes a European to like kenke!"
"That is probably true," replied Isaac, "but the kids were born here and they developed the taste from an early age. "Amma", he added, indicating his wife, "is still not very keen on cheese, especially the more potent varieties."
"I can appreciate that," said Kwame, "The smell puts me off. I haven't been able to give it a serious try."
"Your mention of kenke," interjected Amma, "makes me feel quite homesick. Can't we go home for a visit this year, Isaac?"
"It's the cost," replied her husband, "Not the airfares, but the presents you are expected to carry home. It will wipe out all our savings."
"I should leave it for a year or two before going home," said Kwame. Isaac looked relieved, but Amma wanted to know what he meant. So Kwame explained the difficult conditions he had left behind in Ghana only a few days before. "When were you last in Ghana?" he asked. "We left soon after the Acheampong coup in 72," said Isaac, "That's twelve years since we sat in the shade of a mango tree."
"What's a mango tree?" asked Kofi, aged 11.
"You know mangoes" chided Amma, "We get them at the supermarket."
"Yes, but we didn't know they grew on a tree," complained Little Amma, aged 9.
Akwesi Berko
To learn more about the intriguing story of the grassroots industrial revolution in the turbulent Ghana of the second half of the twentieth century, read John Powell's novel The Colonial Gentleman's Son or his non-fictional account The Survival of the Fitter. More details of these books and photographs of the informal sector artisans of Suame Magazine in Kumasi will be found on the following websites. http://www.ghanabooksjwp.com.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_28?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son&sprefix=the+colonial+gentleman%27s+son
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Akwesi_Berko
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6596392
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