One Banku, One Stomach – The Plight of Kayayee

“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 ....

A Sexual War Against Boy #HearMeToo

A Male Raped or Defiled By Female

Slowly, her hands dribbled and cleanly removed the cloths of the six-year-old boy. Standing innocently his soothsaying prowess couldn't predict the event which will follow. Smooching and cuddling continued as he wondered what he had done to be punished unduly for a female's sexual desires.

Since childhood, have you ever seen or read news of a boy raped by a woman? I'm still flipping through Daily Graphic's newspaper to find a story on a boy raped by a female. Kindly share with me if you find one.

What would you have done if a boy reports an issue of sexual abuse?

As I inquired and combed for a man who has ever been raped, each person gives a funny answer. Some claimed that it is a privilege to be sexually abused as a boy at a younger age. This notion has been amplified by Rene Guyon's society which advocated for sexual relationships between adults and children. It had its slogan as, "sex before eight or too late". Labeling culprits as pedophiles might be judgmental however the focus of this piece is on the reality of sexually abused men and boys.

In a sexually reproductive health (SRH) program, an instructor compared sexual intercourse to a one-kilometer race at a constant speed. If that is how it is, then why should raped boys be silenced? Perhaps, due to a stereotype, where male raped victims are claimed to have played an active role, the male becomes ashamed of revealing such abuse. This violates their right to human dignity hence the need to address it.

Let me put on the cloak of a prophet and make some claims, a raped boy might hate and sexually exploit women. This is in relation to the history of Bodil Joensen, Denmark pornographer who acted in "Animal Farm" and "A Summer Day", who had been brutally raped at the age of 12 but her fanatically religious mother blamed her for the rape. Bodil fulfilled her vowed that is to have sexual intercourse with bulls in her adulthood. 

Boys suffer sexual violence at various levels however with the perception of penetration by men or boys, they are perceived to have enjoyed the act. Society is failing to capture the sexual abuse of boys and men. The psychological effects of rape on boys and men cannot be underestimated.

I'm not raising a false alarm on raped men and boys but amplifying their voices and educating you.

Since the boy has an erected manhood during sexual abuse, does that mean he enjoyed it?

Humans respond to stimuli hence there is no need to claim that boys/men are content with sexual abuse.

Nobody seems to care about the boy who is raped by a woman or girl. Men have dignity just as women hence we must ditch the misguided thoughts of raped boys/men. 

Male 'Raped or Defiled' by Male

Ironically, society will react quickly to a news story or situation which highlights sexual violence committed by a man against a boy. This will be seen as a cankerworm hence an immediate demand for the arrest and the medical care for the victim.

This should be the same reaction towards males raped by women

Now, let us be objective with the issue of rape (men and boys), and channel our effort towards providing solutions to help relieve the burden of guilt and shame among men and boys. Below are some ways that this issue can be solved.

a. Exploring new ways of reporting issues, hence U-Report can be an effective tool.

U Report is an initiative by the UN to serve as a tool for gathering information to influence policy and developmental projects. It is a free SMS/messenger tool.

b. Public sensitization on sexual violence against boys and men.

Posterity, let me continue with my final exam but ponder on these things. Grandma made a great sale of her dawadawa at the market, such an exciting week to begin.