Aluta
Page 16
I’m thinking of Banahene and wondering if he has looked for me. Would he send me a letter care of my dad at the school? I’m wondering if Jordan has left the country, and if all those who left will return once more.
The radio announcer’s voice becomes nothing more than a rumble scratched with static. Until suddenly I hear a name: “The Edmund Asare Bediako trial continues today.”
I strain to hear what is being said.
“Asare Bediako, a Ghanaian businessman with concerns in petroleum and natural gas, is facing the second day of his trial in an Accra Fast Track court. He is charged with treason for conspiring to overthrow the government, and if found guilty can face execution.”
I’m crying soundlessly. I’m weeping without tears. I’m grieving for Asare. I’m mourning for us all.
The journey is long and the ride bumpy. Sound fades and so do the faces all around me. I know this feeling. There is a fog coming my way. Usually I fight it, but this time I enter willingly.
I’m on a plane climbing high above the clouds. When I look down I see a huge crowd. It is Mary’s wedding. She’s dressed in a flowing white robe with a tiara and a veil. Juaben, Sylvia and Sharon are her bridesmaids and they’re all wearing red. Derek, Jordan and Mensah are the groomsmen, smartly dressed in identical black suits. But I can’t find Banahene or Asare anywhere.
I see Mr. Opoku standing at the back of the crowd. I wonder who Mary is getting married to. There he stands, tall and arrogant in ceremonial military clothes with a sword at his side.
I know then that I must stop the wedding. I must stop Mary before she makes her vows.
“Wait! Stop,” I shout.
But nobody can hear me. My plane keeps climbing and everything fades away except the fog, the melody of the bridal march and faint cries of A luta continua, vitória é certa.
Author’s Note
Ghana was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain its independence from Britain in 1957. Since then there have been several coups d’état staged by groups in the military. These coups have been characterized by social upheaval, loss of life and property. Many have blamed the difficulties in Ghana over the years to the instability caused by coups and poor government.
On June 4, 1979, the third coup d’état brought Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council to power. The life of this government was three and a half months, and its goal was to accomplish a so-called House Cleaning exercise. This led to an unprecedented number of executions, including the killing of three former military heads of state and other senior military officers of the past government without due process. It was also a period of martial law and grave persecution of former members of government, business leaders, petty merchants and ordinary individuals who were accused of corruption.
Rawlings and the AFRC handed over power to a democratically elected government only to have it overthrown by Rawlings in just twenty-seven months. On December 31, 1981, Rawlings came to power for the second time and founded the Provisional National Defence Council — PNDC.
Aluta is a work of fiction set in the early years of PNDC rule, during which Rawlings appeared to favor socialism for a season. During this period there were many human rights abuses against civilians, military officers and even student leaders.
There is a long tradition of student activism in Ghana’s politics. Large protest marches (alutas) have been organized over the years by the National Union of Ghana Students, which includes all students of tertiary institutions, and Student Representative Councils, which are local to each college. Student activism has sometimes brought the change that Ghanaians desire.
J. J. Rawlings was the dictator of Ghana until December 1992 — ten years. Then democratic elections returned him to power as the president of the Fourth Republic for the next eight years. For almost twenty years Ghana was in one way or other Rawlings’ country until 2000, when the New Patriotic Party won the elections with J. A. Kufuor as president.
Since 2000 Ghana has become a more stable democracy, having undergone another change of government without violence. It has also become a place of greater civil freedoms and human rights. Like many other developing countries, Ghana continues to struggle with issues of corruption, poverty and mismanagement. However, Ghanaians take their freedoms seriously and continue to press for better governance.
Glossary
Abrɛ paa: Very tired.
Adinkra: Akan symbols.
Adinkrahene: Adinkra symbol representing the supreme God.
AFRC: Armed Forces Revolutionary Council.
Ahenemma: A style of native sandals first worn by royalty.
Akan: Large language group comprising several tribal nations (48 percent of Ghanaians).
Apɔnkye-kakra: Light soup cooked with goat meat.
Apɔtɔyewa: Clay mortar for crushing vegetables.
Asafo: Militia.
Ashanti: Akan-speaking nation in Ghana.
Awoɔshia: Sleepover.
Bangla (slang): University student’s food allowance.
Banku: Fermented corn and cassava dumpling.
Batakari: Cotton smock.
Cedi: Ghanaian currency.
Dɛn asɛm ni: What kind of trouble is this?
Dɔ-me-a-bra: Come if you love me.
Dwɛɛ: Cocky.
Ɛyɛ anibere ne abrɔ: It is envy and malice.
Fanti: Akan-speaking nation in Ghana.
Fufu: A ball of cooked and pounded plantain, cassava or yam.
Ga: Language group in Ghana.
Gari: Roasted granules of cassava.
Gondar Barracks: Army barracks in Accra.
Highlife: Contemporary West African dance music.
Hwɛ yie: Be careful.
Jheri curl: Curly perm.
Jollof: Pilau.
Kalabule: Illegal hiking of prices.
Kelewele: Spicy fried plantain.
Kenkey: Fermented corn dumpling wrapped in leaves.
Koko: Cornmeal porridge.
Kola: Caffeine-containing nut.
Me mpɛ me ho asɛm: I don’t want trouble.
Mouf-mouf: Mouthy.
Nkɔdaa: Children.
Nkwaseasɛm: Nonsense.
NUGS: National Union of Ghana Students.
Oburoni: Caucasian/fair one.
Okro: Vegetable seed pod used in sauces and soups.
Oyiwa: There it is/I told you so.
PNDC: Provisional National Defence Council.
PNP: People’s National Party.
Political suit: Mao suit with short sleeves, made popular by Ghana’s first president.
Rice-water: Rice porridge.
Shiee: Expression of wonder.
Shitor: Spicy fried pepper sauce.
Sikyi: Recreational Ashanti dance.
SRC: Student Representative Council.
STC: State Transport Corporation.
Tweaa: Expletive for disgust.
Twi: Language of the Akan people.
UST: University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
Waakye: Purplish-brown dish of rice and beans.
WDC: Workers’ Defence Committees.
Wee: Marijuana.
Wɔn hwɛ yie paa: Be warned.
Zomi: Very thick spicy palm oil.
Zongo: Location in a Ghanaian town populated largely by Muslims.
ADWOA BADOE is a Ghanaian-born physician, storyteller, educator, writer and African dance instructor. She is the author of the novel Between Sisters, as well as several picture books, including The Pot of Wisdom (illustrated by Baba Wagué Diakité) and Nana’s Cold Days (illustrated by Bushra Junaid). Adwoa lives in Guelph, Ontario.
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