Features
The Saga of being Ewe… (Final Part)
• The Akuapem Guan and Ewe claim Okomfo Anokye was one of their own
First, it must be pointed out that the Asante have never claimed to own Komfo Anokye as theirs, but they treasure him for having ‘conjured ‘ the Golden Stool from the sky. It is rather the Akuapem Guan and Ewe who claim the great spiritualist as one of their own.
I read about Komfo Anokye and the Asante kingdom in Primary School. In Upper Primary I started hearing the story of one Atsu Tsala who was said to become known as Komfo Anokye. This was almost six decades ago. The wife of Tsala’s twin brother, Etse Tsali, was said to have lived in a thicket called Kleve, west-south-west of Anyako. People feared to go to Kleve because of the spirituality the place evokes even till today.
At age 12, I was asked by my maternal grandmother one day to accompany her to Kleve. We called her Daaɖi, and in her company I had no reason to fear anything. It turned out that twins could go to Kleve without any inhibition. Daaɖi was a twin. She was going to Kleve to look for her twin sister who died when they were still toddlers.
My grandmother chartered a canoe to ferry us to the thicket just about three knots from our home. She led me into the thicket, leaving the boatsman waiting at the landing. In the thicket was a clearing, a dirt floor that looked like having being swept seconds before our arrival. There was no one in sight. It was rather cool in there as opposed to the warmth outside. I took in the foliage that gave ambience to the dreaded Kleve.
Daaɖi said something I could not quite comprehend and a voice that filled the whole place responded and I heard the voice say her twin she inquired about had already returned to the physical plane and was a young girl in some village whose name I cannot recollect and that her grief must be over. The voice told her that the grandson she came with would one day give her twins. I gave this prediction little thought.
It was on our way back that Ɖaaɖi confirmed the story of Tsali and Tsala, who were psychic twins from birth. Their Dad, Akplɔmada (the spear that cannot be thrown), was himself a very powerful spiritualist. As young adults Tsali was notorious for showing off his powers to the chagrin of their father and their village folks.
Tsali would mock people on their way to their farms. He would put a cassava stick in the ground and by the time the people returned from their farms, the cassava he put in the soil hours earlier was ready for harvesting. That was the misuse of powers that got Tsala to go back to Notsie in Togo because he was uncomfortable with the brother’s behaviour.
Tsala returned by way of the Kabakaba hills near Koedze and journeyed to Akwamu. It was said he teleported himself to the west bank of the Volta river. Another narrative was that he commanded a crocodile to ferry him across. Then he went on through Krobo land and settled at Awukugua, then later met an Asante royal at Brekusu and went to Kumasi with him.
Meanwhile, extremely fed up with Tsali and his shenanigans the people grabbed him, tied him up, put him in a sack with a huge rock tied to the sack to add weight and dumped him in the Volta river. They saw him go under. Next day Tsali was spotted on the back of a crocodile with the sack slung over his shoulder with the boulder inside it.
Realising his status with the people, Tsala left, settled at Kleve and married a woman. The boulder is still at Konu, the eastern tip of Anyako today. It’s called Tsali Kpe (Tsali’s Rock).
Now, the Awukugua narrative is that a baby was born with unusual characteristics to one Annor. As a result people would say, “Annor, kye wo bia,” to wit, Annor, look at your child, hence the child being called Anokye. One old friend I had when I was in College at Akropong, Opanyin Akuffo, debunked this narrative. He asserted that there are traditional and customary ways of even giving strange names, but Annor kye is not one. According to him, the name Anokye predated Komfo Anokye.
Opanyin averred that it could have been none of anyone else’s business to ask or tell Annor to look at his own child. To him, this did not add up to make any sense.
“The folks referred to him as Komfo Nokye because they could not pronounce Notsie correctly. They then decided since Anokye was part of their names, they could as well call him thus. Tsala saw their challenge with how to pronounce Notsie and let them call him Anokye instead, “he told me.
He said people were easily called by their places of origin. Maame Fante, Maame Nkran, Egya Lome etc. He added that Akans could not pronounce Notsie and, indeed, names of non-Akan names correctly. After he took me to see the place Komfo Anokye stayed, Opanyin Akuffo narrated in almost same detail as my grandmother did. I was in awe of this octogenarian who was not Ewe yet knew what he was talking about. He was the one who confirmed my long held knowledge that there was cocoa in Ghana before Tetteh Quarshie brought the Fernando Po variety.
The old man confirmed that no one knew how Komfo Anokye died. He simply ‘went away’ as did Tsali. The woman Tsali married did not know how her husband ‘went away’. The mystery accounts for the fear of Kleve. Tsali’s wife was only called Kleve Teshie. She lived alone by herself in the thicket because people feared to go near her.
Nothing planted in the clearing at Kleve will sprout or geminate. No one knows why.
It is said that those who befriended Tsali were told by Tsali himself that his twin brother had gone with some royals to Coomasi (Kumasi) after being in Notsie and Akuapem mountains. He was said to have told people that he and his brother would one day ‘travel together.’
It is up to the reader to decide which narrative makes more sense and closer to the truth. Truth, however, is that the deaths of Komfo Anokye and Tsali were never known or recorded.
Just before my grandmother died in February of 1983 she told her daughter, my aunt, to tell me to take good care of her sisters (my twin daughters) who were toddlers at the time.
There is also the issue of whether kente originated from Bonwire in Ashanti or Kpetoe in the Volta Region. Much as I would personally advocate historical facts to be established and documented, what is rather very important is for our leaders to get kente patented as a Ghanaian product for the economic benefits to the country.
How China comes to produce fabric in kente and adinkra designs beats my mind. It is as if this country is rudderless and has no sense of direction. The Philippines have a white apparel made from sisal that has become a national costume, which in turn rakes in revenue to that country.
An Asante friend who has expertise in Asante linguistics tells me kente is one of many words borrowed into Akan lingo. The Ewe call it kete, which has a convoluted but relevant meaning to the woven fabric.
As a nation we care very little about how to make our indigenous resources attractive enough to take in revenue. Politicking seems to be a more accepted discourse than our economic survival as a people. The direction we are heading does not give hope for the future. Sad, if you asked me.
Writer’s email address: akofa45@yahoo.com
By Dr Akofa K. Segbefia
Features
The Prophet part 4
Antobam woke up with a terrible headache. He checked the time on his mobile phone, 2:30 am. “What! Where is the money?” He asked aloud. “Where are those girls? Why did I drink so much of that whisky? What were those two girls up to?” He sat up on the bed and noticed a bulge close to the pillow.
He lifted the mattress and picked up the newspaper wrappers with the neatly arranged notes. He saw the neatly written record of the value of the notes. No, those girls are not thieves.
“It was my mistake. If I hadn’t drank myself to sleep they would be here in bed with me, giving me the time of my life. Pretty girls, those two. And so loyal and honest. Tomorrow will be different.”
“I will not drink any whisky, and I will show them that I am a real man. Just then he heard the whispers. Very soon it will be time, they seemed to be saying. This is an important day.”
The gold dealer will bring lots of money. Give him some of the liquid to drink, and we will prepare him. He will do very big business, and he will give you anything you ask for. There will be more miracles and testimonies today.
Antobam smiled to himself. “I am going to be a very rich man in only a few days man. Money, power, and women. Wow! Antobam got to the grounds at 5, but there were quite a number of people waiting.
Mr Kwame Dofu was among them. He greeted them all, and they came around to shake his hand. “My brothers and sisters, I assure you that whatever your problem is, you will not go home without a solution.” Shouts of “Amen” “thank” you Osofo and “you are a true man of God” responded.
“Please take your seats, and start talking to the great one about whatever bothers you. Before the service is over, there will be a solution.” He waved Mr Dofu over, and went with him to the wooden structure that serves as a temporary office.
“My brother, I have done quite a lot of work on the issue you came to see me about. I have prepared a special, powerful package for you. Take this, drink it, and go back to your business. I want to see you in two weeks.”
Beaming with smiles, Mr Dofu drank the foul smelling liquid in two gulps, said a big thank you to Antobam and took his leave. “I believe you, Papa Osofo. And I assure you that I will reward you, big time.”
Just when Osofo Antubam finished with Mr Dofu, Mary and Suzzie went over to him. “Good Morning ladies. I am very sorry about yesterday. I drank too much of the stuff you gave me. Today will be different, I assure you.”
“Don’t worry, Osofo. Since you are now setting things up, our main concern now is to help you to put things in place, and to make you comfortable. We are always there to serve you. This morning, Osofo, we want to go and clean up your place, and prepare something nice for you when you close.
And before coming to church, we will pass by the bank and collect the forms. After you have signed them, the account will be open. You can check the payments anytime and, of course, issue cheques whenever you need money.”
“Suzzie and Mary, I am happy I picked the two of you from the very start. Listen, I will take good care of you, okay? Here is some money. Buy whatever you need for the errands you have mentioned.
And here is the key. Please come back as early as you can. You know I need you here.” The service was very lively. The lively singing of praise songs was followed by one and a half hours of testimonies.
Most of them related to money – big sales, new jobs and overdue debts paid. But there were also testimonies about healing. Barren women had taken seed, and, of course, several men who had lost their bedroom authority had regained them, to the delight of their partners.
As he had promised, Antobam preached for only 30 minutes, exhorting the congregation to attend church regularly, pay their tithes and offerings, and strictly follow his ‘directions’ for securing solutions to their problems.
After another round of praises during which the congregation danced to the floor to drop their offering, he closed the service, grabbed the big bowl which was full to the brim with money, and moved to his desk. A long queue was quickly formed at the desk.
Meanwhile, Mary and Suzzie had gone to give Antobam’s place quite a decent look. A new bedsheet and pillows, a secondhand carpet and four plastic chairs placed in the verandah had done the trick.
They also prepared two fish and chicken stews. After all these, they rushed to the National Savings Bank and collected application forms for opening current and savings accounts.
They joined the service a few minutes before the main session closed. Antobam looked round and saw, to his relief, Mary and Suzzie moving towards him. “Hello ladies. What have you been up to?” “Quite a bit, Osofo. We’ve just collected your drink. Here you are. We’ve made a few changes at your place. I think you will like it. You will also have something nice to eat. Now, here are the forms for the savings and current accounts.
If you will sign them, the bank will open the account. From today, we can pay all monies direct into the account.” ‘How can I thank you, ladies?” “You don’t need to thank us,” Suzzie said. “It is our duty to help a man of God succeed.” “Okay, my ladies, please take the offerings and count them as you did yesterday.
You can add the payments made after the consultations. Will it be possible to pay them into the account today?” “Yes,” Mary said. “The bank closes at four. If we leave here at three, we would be there just in time.”
The two friends started counting, as Osofo Antobam gave his clients his directions for solving their problems. On quite a few occasions he closed his eyes as if he was receiving direction from above on what to do.
But as the fetish priest at the Nana Kofi Broni shrine and the dwarfs had assured him, the solutions would certainly be provided. Having heard the huge testimonies earlier in the day, the clients parted with substantial sums of money in expectation.
By Ekow de Heer
Features
The issue of spiritual father in our churches
A student was supposed to go to school as the natural cause of events should be when universities or schools in general opens but this was not the case in a certain young man’s life.
He decided to postpone his trip because apparently he could not get to meet his pastor, his spiritual father. The question is, should this spiritual father die, will the young man’s life come to an end?
Does it mean in such an instance, he is going to curtail his education? This is a worrying trend in a lot of churches where the pastors use this notion of spiritual father to manipulate members especially the youth.
Some unscrupulous pastors utilise this spiritual father concept to have affairs with gullible young ladies in their churches.
Now with homosexuality gradually making inroads into some of the churches, young men are becoming vulnerable to pastors who have hidden homosexual inclinations.
This spiritual father concept is a Biblical concept that runs through both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. We see it in 2 Kings 4:12 where Gehazi is serving Elisha and also in the New Testament we see Paul relating to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2 as a Spiritual Father.
In fact, the concept of spiritual father is a good thing if executed according to the word of God since it helps in guiding the younger ones. However, it becomes problematic when it is being executed by unscrupulous wolves in sheepskins as described by Jesus in Mathew 7:15.
I see it as a way that these unscrupulous so-called men of God maintain their hold on the congregants so they do not question their unchristian actions.
One of the things I have observed since I got born again many years ago is that, any pastor who often insists that members recognise that he is their spiritual father is a warning sign that he is doing some wrong things or is about to indulge in some wrong things.
A parent complained about how his daughter was being influenced by a pastor of the church she attends and how worried he was. I am sure there are many parents out there with stories to tell about how their wards are being made to see their pastors almost like their Jesus.
These pastors have managed to make their congregants so loyal to them and to believe in them so much that it is terrifying, as a parent.
The way things are going, an immediate intervention is required otherwise I am not a prophet of doom but I forsee unfortunate instances where parents burst into church auditoriums and star shooting some Pastors out of frustration and anger.
We cannot look on unconcerned as a society and allow unscrupulous fraudsters using the name of God to create problems for families. My recommendation is for a certain amount of regulation in order to bring some sanity in religious practices.
I agree that ordinarily regulating religious practices makes it a bit restrictive in terms of freedom of worship as enshrined in our constitution but given the way things are going, a bit of regulation will not be out of place.
Disgusting stuff are being attributed to some men of God. There are cases of manipulation of young ladies and sometimes married women by so called men of God and it is bringing Christianity and therefore the name of the Lord into disrepute.
Christianity is gradually losing its attractiveness as a result of the negative reportage resulting from disgusting stuff happening in Christian circles. The way some pastors have been manipulating congregants to take money from them leaves much to be desired to the point where they are convincing some of the youth to give out their phones. May God help us.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
