“Hey ! You’re fetching so much soup for just one banku”, Alaah’s mum yelled at him. Bingo ! Alaah had a change of plan; before he steps into hall, he decides to add more soup and drinks till it came to a reasonable level with the one banku in the bowl. This is sign of a genius, isn’t it? Whew!
You know your next meal, don’t you? Mine is beans called 'Tε' in Gurune. Shea butter and onions will sweeten my beans. Yummy !! Lemme flow you some filla be.
Some young women walked to the compound of Citi FM/Citi TV to enquire about a group which was providing meals to the poor and vulnerable. Well, the media network decided to provide food and water to quench their hungry souls but they had to plan for their own survival for the rest of the days in the lockdown.
Meanwhile, eating Tuo Zaafi every day in their villages and towns will be better than being on these streets of Accra with the Gender Ministry and other corporations sharing hot meals to them.
Many of them are my countrymen who were stranded because the markets which served homes and source of income were being disinfected and only individuals providing essential services were allowed to operate.
While some decided to move back to the towns and villages, others were stranded in Accra with their babies.
Accra – The Golden City and our dreams
Travelling to Accra and other parts of southern Ghana means a break in the cycle of poverty. It is either we are continuing our education or desperately searching for menial jobs to insulate from poverty. The Kayaye look very strong and tough because that's the only option they have or else they will perish in the cosmopolitan.
My family is displaced for economic reasons as we moved from the borders of Burkina Faso to settle in the heart of the Greater Accra region. Luckily, we are not on the streets but housed somewhere in an international community, thus Zongo estates. Living with so many nationalities and tribes is such a great experience and witnessing how religion and others uniting them is another mystery.
Just like the stranded women on the streets, we started in a similar manner.
Why will one leave his/her fertile arable land and strong mud houses to be in Accra under harsh weather conditions?
In a country with unparalleled developments, families are displaced in their quest to seek greener pastures.
The dry season is such an exasperation period so the women and youth move into the urban areas to render their services in exchange for wages and salaries which are mostly below the minimum wage.
The announcement of the One Village, One Dam initiative was a sign of relief with the hope of an endless supply of water throughout the dry season. Water scarcity cripples agricultural activities and drives people into the cities. It is among the many reasons we migrate.
Unfortunately, the authorities created ‘dugouts’ in some of our communities as revealed by Joshua Asaah in the Upper East. That is the problem, development is a process but some unpatriotic people seem to be myopic. So they nib our prosperity in the bud with their selfishness.
Dams are needed in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern region as we rely on the existing ones for domestic and agricultural purposes. So the government must fast-track these developmental projects to help us.
The Kayayo travels to Accra not because the city offers heaven as she thought but the meagre income she earns each day. Kayakaya isn’t a lucrative job where they gladly recruit young girls. The truth is that they lack life skills so they are left with no alternative. It is surprising that some people perceive that Kayayei goes for juju to carry heavier loads and meet more customers. Mtchwee, you be okay?
There' no pleasure when we sleep on the streets of Accra meanwhile our arable lands are untilled with our houses being empty.
Why we are leaving agriculture in pursuit of education and menial jobs?
Education is the only way we can break the cycle of poverty, so we pursue it with our hearts and soul. We pride in a monthly salary to cater for our needs as we nurture the next badge to live beyond just the salary.
The graph above shows the youth literacy rate which is the percentage of people ages 15 - 24 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.
Agriculture only becomes attractive with improved seeds to match the changing climate and soil. Planting for Foods and Jobs which is among government's flagship program was an answer however the loopholes created and the smuggling of subsidized fertilizers and other materials is a major concern. So we will leave the agriculture sector because of its risk. Even the banks are reluctant to give us loans due to its risks.
The One District, One Factory sounds pleasant in the ear however our farm produce is yet to feel the heat of the machines. Building the factories to process our agricultural produce will be our greatest gain. However, these are either not available or insufficient. The menial jobs help to provide immediate needs and possibly wants so we dump commercial farming because of its a high-risk venture.
With subsistence farming, we focus on education and menial jobs to support the journey in breaking the cycle of poverty.
I'm off to help my grandma prepare some dawadawa for the next market day. I will come with more filla. Until then ....
Education to me is the only way to end poverty. The only reason Ghana isn’t benefiting from it is because, we have failed to understand the tentacles and silhouettes of it. All our educational policies are based in the classrooms. Study books and be successful but it can take a different direction Let’s say, uhm, we strategize well and understand that goodie called education and it will be alright. Educate the peasants and they won’t depend on monthly salaries or one kenkey with no pepper
ReplyDeleteAlso, when we explore indigenous knowledge in our education, that will help too.
DeleteChew pour and forget but the world thrives on impact and ability to produce results rather than examination scores.
Students across the globe are being pumped full with unusable knowledge which is not applicable outside of the classroom. I read a book a few days ago, which spoke of the need for athletes to maintain a good GPA in the classroom and still excel on the playing field ( 18 credit hours in class plus 24 hours on the field per week for 4 years). How applicable is anthropology and statistics spearman rank in sports? And the worst part is, if you fail the classroom work you could be dropped out of the team which would have been your career.
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