ABOUT TWO months ago, some friends and I pooled our resources together and launched a weekly newspaper in Berekum, Bono Region, called “Our Records”. Our Editor is a hardworking enterprising young man, Adams.
All of a sudden on Monday 12th December, 2022, I saw him in my office at Accra – I was surprised. Adams, what are you doing in Accra. You are supposed to be in Berekum, editing my paper?
“Captain, I have come to Accra to marry this girl after chasing her for over 20 years!! She is from Anfoega in the Volta Region.
Anfoega!! The chief there, Lawyer Charles Haybor, is my classmate at Legon with a strange traditional title – is it the Okpekpewookpe???
And so it was that on Saturday, 17th December, 2022 at about 1pm. I left my cubicle at Kasoa for the wedding of Adams and Nora at Lartebiokorshie, in Accra. Venue – Europool.
Saturday mid afternoon, traffic was light, and thanks to Google, direction was easy. Pretty soon, we were on the Europool Street – but hang on, reader – what is this? Funeral!! The road was blocked, so many street canopies, so many women in black slit and kaba, music blaring – am I lost?
I asked a local resident who said “Oh, Europool is just two houses away – over there, but you have to do a circuitous route!!!
So, we got to Europool – myself, my son Hyebre, his wife and my two grandchildren – Mayah and Zaryah.
Europool – a privately run very neat swimming pool, nicely decorated for a wedding ceremony. Time check – just about 2pm.
Reader, what an unbelievable contrast – two blocks away was a busy funeral in place, and here, all white, ladies in tall long dresses, some in summer hats, seeing old faces from the past – famous actress Dinah Gbartey, National Theatre actress Mabel and so many friends.
Presently the MC, Tikenenkenen, announced the arrival of the couple – Adams and Nora escorted by the bridal party – reader, I have never in my three score and more years on earth seem a parade like this before.
About six nicely dressed in all-white Zongo youth dress lean and hungry looking young men, escorting about six heavy duty ladies – round faces, huge biceps and voluptuous behinds, almost like Moeshe Boduong, reloaded!! And very smart, very sharp contrast to what I am used to – seeing bridesmaids, very slim almost South Sudan look alike girls, lanky, tall…..
A certain Reverend Doctor from the Anglican Church, officiating, led the programme, exchange of vows, rings, blessings – within thirty minutes everything was over. I remember in 1984, I attended a wedding in Accra Girls Secondary School Assembly Hall – the pastor peached the sermon for two hours!!!
Offertory. Signing of Marriage Register. Reception. Music. Dancing. Food. Reader, I was shocked to realise that the time was 7:00pm; darkness had long fallen, but nobody had left, all of us were still seated, eating, drinking, dancing – with some Divisional Chiefs from Berekum, in cloth amulets and all, dancing!!!
………………And reader, as for the heavy duty bridesmaids – don’t go there. They took the wedding by storm, dancing, shaking their heavy duty torso with reckless abandon…………
BY Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey