Half Assini (Jomoro District, Western Region, Ghana) is quite an idyllic town. It is where Old Man lives. The landscape is dotted by many coconut trees interspersed with plantain/banana trees and indian almond trees. The main roads are paved and mostly used by people and goats with just the occasional car driving along. There’s electricity and running water and you can walk to the beautiful beach in ten minutes. What else can you ask for? People strolling, hawks circling overhead, guinea fowls rummaging in the sand, butterflies of different colours and shapes fluttering around and goats sauntering by the roadside.
Aaaaaaaah! Considering the hassles of the day before this is heavenly.
We went to Bonyere to visit Daddy’s mother. A dirt road led us to what is definitely a village. Within the village, the “roads” – I should call them widened foot paths – were sandy. Soon our taxi got stuck prompting nearby kids to run and come to push it out to safety. From grandma’s house, you can see the ocean! Beautiful!
Visiting family in the village is no small matter, especially when you have been gone for years. You have in mind that you are going visit this person or the other, but before you realize you’ve been welcomed by half the village, some of whom are not even relatives but are just hoping for “dashings” i.e. handouts i.e. monetary gifts. Even if you come prepared, you will go broke. It’s amazing! Worse, in addition to the money you have allotted to give to a particular person, they will look at you and ask for more for hospital bills, a new supposedly cash-generating enterprise, school fees and the like. You are a walking ATM as far as they are concerned.
Also, the giving of amanee (ah-man-ni-eh) can be quite lengthy. I’m not too sure if all Ghanaians do this or if it is just Akans or even just Nzema people. Amanee is like story-time. It follows the welcome ah-toos. Usually the traveller starts. Basically, you go back to the last time you saw each other, and recount all that has taken place since and what has led you to return today. Then everyone goes around shaking hands and saying welcome again. Now it is the turn of the people who are being visited to give their part of the story also. This is followed by another round of welcomes and handshakes. If there’s a third-party around, they too have to give their amanee. So if you’ve been gone for years, there’s much to say – all the new births, deaths, graduations, weddings, sicknesses, etcetera etcetera!
We returned to Half Assini for dinner and to rest for our planned trip to the Ivory Coast the next day. Old Man gave us his blessings and we left for the night. On the way to the hotel, our speeding taxi hit a couple kid goats sleeping on the roads in the darkness. We realized this a couple of minutes later when we started hearing a crying animal. It was stuck underneath the car! As we fell asleep, we could still hear the goat crying outside. The poor thing!
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
how is daddy’s mother doing? do you have a picture of her. it’s funny but i don’t remember what she looks like. when i think of grandmothers i just remember the two on mama’s side. how sad that the only family members on daddy’s side i know are his brothers and a few nieces and nephews. omg they all look alike. akuba would blend right in with them. i’m told that apparently i look just like daddy’s older sister. i’ve never met her so i can’t dis/agree.
When the villagers welcome you, i’m wondering if they’re just doing it to get money out of the process. word must have spread like wildfire that you guys were coming to visit. where are the pics of old man and the village? see, i’m currently living vicariously through you and need the visual stimulation as well so i’m gonna keep asking for pics.
I remember the amanee procedure. it’s funny that when daddy comes to visit he has to do this amanee thing. i mean we talk to him all the time so to me it’s kinda pointless and (sad to say) embarrassing when we have to do this.
The saddest thing i’ve read in your blog so far is the part about the baby goat getting stuck under the car. the poor thing, did it die? i hope not
pictures are in the album.
I don’t know if the goat died, if it did someone had a meal that day!
I would have had a meal that day! Goat meat? mmmhh mmhh mmhhh, tasty! K…funniest thing, “As we fell asleep, we could still hear the goat crying outside” You still managed to fall asleep while that thing was suffering. HILARIOUS!
that wasn’t funny…that was sad. I would have been crying while enjoying light soup with goat meat, hhhmmmmmmm….drool…
I have been reading your blog for few weeks now and have been intrigued about the posts in Nzema, Grand Bassam,Ivory coast , Ghana etc and note that you have family there…I commented on your Grand bassam post stating that My father’s family and mothers mother hail from there.
As it happens my Dad also has family in Half Assini and Bonyere and was born there.Our surname is Ussher and his dad was Christopher Ussher.This is just a shot in the dark but do you or your family know of any Usshers from the Half Asinni Bonyere area?
I have tried to get some info from dad, but he doesn’t say much and I am really keen to know ….
my email is dussher@yahoo.com if you have any info you are happy to share that would be great!