Musings

The time I have spent in Ghana over the past year have raised so many random thoughts in my mind and there are a lot more so here is your first dose:

There are 3 things Ghanaians seem to fear and neither are the government or police. They fear God. In case they don’t fear the Almighty enough, there is always a church or a roadside pastor to scream them into submission. And if that submission is not achieved, you may just be possessed and should repeat the previous step.

They fear Juju/ Obia/ Black magic. Even with all the devout Christianity and Islamic followers in the country, they are all aware of Juju and the various forms it takes. Be it, a jilted lover, a cheated business partner, an abused housekeeper or a jealous friend or family member- Juju is a means to an end or justice. Because of this, you are often advised not to eat at the homes of strangers, dip your finger into a glass of water before drinking or spit into your own puddle of urine if you pee outside. The deterrents to Juju are as many as the ways you can inflict Juju on someone. Nonetheless, they are always interesting reminders of our history and folklore.

I think the most important fear is embarrassment. God forbid you embarrass a Ghanaian, you will incur the scorn of a 1000 camel flies, a billion locusts and then some. Embarrassment is such a deterrent that the government ministries often use it to force businesses or individuals to pay their outstanding bills. Individuals would rather pay than let their families and friends find out their indiscretions. I guess it is easier to embarrass than to drag you through the court system.

Everyone is a potential sponsor and there is an unspoken system of sponsorship here. If you are a person of means and by means- you may own a business, your own home or whatever makes the next person deem you in a more advantaged position than they are in, you are expected to “support” them when they need it. This support could be in the form of food, Chop money, dashing, school fees, rent, wedding donations and funeral donations. Yes, I know you could just say no, but be prepared to face the saddest face you have ever seen, receive some Juju or even worse the scorn of those camel flies and locusts and perhaps a thousand legs or two.

Now this sponsorship gets really interesting when you get to the Sugar Daddies. The Sugar daddies here get their choice when picking through the barely legal girls and more mature women. They fund their educations, wardrobes, vacations, weaves and aspirations all for their attention and their willingness to part their legs. Now in this exchange, no woman is immune. The men will try irregardless of if you are single or married. I often think they try because at some point someone does say yes. It’s quite common to find married men with whole families who sponsor younger women on the side outside the knowledge of their wives. The sugar babies in return are fully aware of their place in the hierarchy but at times you get the ones who want a legal position so they make sure that they become wifey a the cost to the initial family just to get their hands on more funds, lands etc… But if a Sugar Baby is well versed in the art of Sugaring (okay I just made that up) they can achieve well respected positions in power and perhaps a foreign passport.

So word to the wannabe Sugar Daddies, or the ones in training, make sure you can afford to sponsor your side chick(s) because I bet they get expensive and if you dare to keep more than one, hire a personal assistant to keep them scheduled well…. just saying!

***Photo credit- Nicole De Khors- Burst