A tree is better
Almighty God knows that I never dreamt that I will ever become a “Head of Family” In fact, January 2020 I was on hospital bed at 37 Military Hospital when I had a bizarre phone call:
“Captain, our Head of Family has resigned. Your mother is next in line in seniority, so the family has unanimously settled on you as the next Head of family…………………
Reader, that was it. For the past two years, it has been family land disputes, marriages, funerals upon funerals- we are 10 female line divisions, and at the last count my mother’s line alone we are over 300 – so, reader Nana Yaw Woro Royal Family of Biadan, we run into several thousands.
I am sure the good people of Berekum are really getting bored with every week end radio announcement. The Head of Family of Nana Yaw Woro Royal Family of Biadan Nana Honourable Captain (Retired) Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey…………a bah!!!!!
Thus it was that on Friday 24th June 2022 at about 10pm I left Accra
for yet another funeral in Berekum. I was even asleep in the car when at KNUST Police Check Point the Police stopped us.
“Driver, we have received a radio message from Ejisu Police that the cover of your spare tyre has fallen off ” then we made u-turn and drove to Ejisu where we saw the police with the huge black metal cover for the spare tyre.
The Bible says “for everything give thanks – who knows, maybe God was preventing us from an accident ahead at some particular time. We drove on arriving in Berekum at 0400 hrs.
After my favourite quacker oats breakfast at 0600hrs, I left my house and got to the funeral home at about 6:30hrs and sat down as Head of family and traditional “father” of the deceased 82 year old chap who I never met in life.
At about 9am the casket was closed after I had finally paid my respect to the corpse, and we all trooped to the Methodist church, Fetentaa for the funeral service.
Even though I am a Presbyterian, thanks to Achimota School and Accra Ridge Church I am very familiar with the Methodist Hymn Book, so I was perfectly at home
as my cousin, Boampong, three times running NPP Constituency Chairman was at the organ and directed the choir.
Time for sermon.
King Solomon says the best place to go for wisdom is funeral home and I will add that the best sermons are always delivered at funeral services.
Here at Fetentaa Methodist Church I was about to doze off when I heard the Pastor say “the lawyer is here……. my lord!!!! Then, reader, to my complete surprise, the Pastor said: the floor tiles in the church vestry was donated by Captain – Choir, sing his song for us – “matwen Awurade anim……..”
Oh my God – 10 years ago while on the political campaign trail I had promised and later paid for the tiles – I have long forgotten…………..
The Pastor asked us: “what legacy are you leaving behind? The dead man was a stunch Methodist. He cut down cocoa trees in his village to donate the land for the building of a Methodist church in the Sefwi farming village.
When a tree is cut down, its roots may germinate again. But a human being when you are buried in the cemetery – that is it. If you don’t leave a legacy, then even a tree is better…….
Just before offertory, the Pastor said when you go to Hotels and Restaurants, you see 200, 100 and 50 cedis notes but when you take the offertory bowl, it is coins, coins, one cedi and 2 cedi notes, occasionally some 5 cedi note…… ..”we are not serious……….”
We left the chapel at about 11:30am and because of travelers we went to the NPP constructed imposing durbar ground, straight from the cemetery.
Sympathisers started coming, slowly and by 3pm, there was no standing space at the funeral ground.
There is this well known NDC controversial politician in Berekum, AGYA HINNEH, son of the deceased, so, reader, the NDC stormed the funeral grounds in majesic style led by the Regional Chairman Nkyamekye Marfo Farmer B/A Regional Minister.
Reader, we of NPP should not deceive ourselves – NDC is solid on the ground, with talent for
propaganda. They donated one thousand Ghana cedis but their spokesman – made it look like they were giving 100 million cedis!!!
The NDC dancing women included a woman with her baby tied to her back, and as the woman jumped up and down onlookers like me became anxious for the satisfy of the innocent child…….
There was this extremely impressive shadowy group – “WOYE ME NUA” (you are my brother/sister) made up of typical makola women physique – each of them well built broad shoulders fat women, but looking very smart, wearing red cover cloth over black under – reader, they stole the show, with the Announcer repeating ad infinitum…..woye me nua, woye me nua……………….
It was now 5:30pm. The quacker oats I took at 6am had long been used up. I had set at one place for five long hours – then, happily surprised, the radio announcer D J played my song “m’atwen Awudade Anim” to end proceedings for the day. My car pulled up (you don’t need to know whether it was a hiring car or my personal car) and I got up, as Head of family, Nana Yaw Woro Royal Family of Biadan, sat in it and left, waving at those who will respond………………..oh, this life……………..To God be the Glory.
