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The Days: A Review
Esi Arhin • June 3, 2023
Ama Ata Aidoo's The Days, a picture book for children is a delight to read. Illustrated by Albert Buete Puplumpu, the book offers relatable descriptions of days of the week and their unique characters in a fun way.
The theme of differences and similarities resonates clearly. The author employs the use of rhythm, rhyme, repetition and imagery to deploy the story.
In comparison to how days behave, it plays on the characteristics of animals and things to enforce its message while encouraging children in an unsuspecting way to apply their mathematical skills.
The simplicity of style and subject makes it an easy read for young children. At the same time, it holds a certain appeal for adults because of the subliminal meaning portrayed for those who understand the battles fought in daily existence.
This book explores the possibilities in each day, painting a picture of life and its unpredictability in general. It assures the young that differences are normal and in fact to be expected. For adult readers it reinforces our knowledge and understanding of daily life challenges, leaving a sense of balance.
The performance potential it holds is most exciting. Each day's character stares the imagination and evokes an actor in the reader.
The colourful illustrations depict familiar images in ethereal bliss, typically that of the old village wall. The front cover captures the theme beautifully. It shows the different characters of days by seamlessly fusing together colours symbolizing the differences in days. The illustrations are very effective in enhancing the story.
Although "Each day has hours
of ten, ten and four..."
"All the days are not equal" indeed.
Children are sure to be entertained and learn about diversity.
I'm enamored! The Days is far more than a good read. Children, gather round!
Esi's Blog
Navrongo, the capital town of the Kassena-Nankani district lies south of Paga, the main border crossing between Ghana and Burkina Faso. It sits at the tropical Savannah belt, Upper East of Ghana. I first made my way there sometime in September 2002 through a friend who couldn’t believe I had lived all 27 years of my life in southern Ghana, never having traveled up north. He insisted I needed the exposure and so he dragged me with him. He said I had not lived If I had not seen the sun rise on the Tono dam. So, one fine morning at 5:00 am, I jumped into his pick-up truck, and we headed up north where he had made a home away from fanteland. It was the longest road trip I had ever embarked on at the time, 15 hours on the road to be precise. Takeaway the breaks we took at Kumasi, Kintapo and Tamale. I barely noticed the hours pass as we chatted all the way with the company of Fela Kuti and Bob Marley playing in the background on repeat. To this day, the ride to Navrongo remains one of the fondest memories I have of traveling Ghana for work or leisure. This part of the country is home to two ethnic groups, the Kassims and the Nakanas. Historically, it is said that these two ethnic groups have had relative independence because the Ashantis didn't invade them. However certain treaties established by the British in 1898 an Anglo-French convention came up with an agreement to divide the lands. The Kassims and Nankanas were subsequently separated from their relatives who today live across the border, Burkina Faso. Older indigens of Navrongo know it as Navoro, which means (to put your foot down on soft ground). Today, the town is indeed soft ground to live and explore what new opportunities it has to offer, including access to tertiary education locally. The siting of Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences campus to the township has brought much warmth to the once laid back and very quiet town. Yet, it still remains relatively calm in comparison to Bolgatanga which is 30 kilometers away by road, about 40 minutes’ drive. It is an important market town in the area. The people are mainly subsistence farmers and rearers of cattle and goat. Navrongo is known for its famous mud-built cathedral and grotto, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. Although it doesn't haven many formally designated places of tourist attraction, it is by its character a great attraction. The warmth of the people, the native architecture, fabrics, the market, the guinea fowl joints, the easy connection between humans and cattle in full glare, make up a total unique culture for experiencing. Marked places of interests in addition to the mud-built cathedral are the Tono dam, which is one of the largest agricultural dams in West Africa, also the first ever solar plantation and the health research centre. It is awesome to watch the sun rise ever so gracefully on the Tono dam.The rising of the sun is said to symbolise the journey of the sun in the sky. At about 5:00 am one morning my host and I set off on a drive to see the famous sunrise on Tono dam. The joy of watching the sunrise on the dam is next to none, with nature at its best early morning. The sun’s golden rays added a burnt orange colour to the smoky clouds. A small ball of light emerged from the sky at first. It then slowly starts to get bigger and illuminate. As if on cue birds began to chirp in glorification of the glow of the orange goddess. Its beauty is beyond description, I cannot do it justice. Suddenly, out of the blue it bursts out into a gleaming ball expanding at a moment's look. The first rays are gentle and soft on the eyes. It is a rare joy, eternally etched in memory. I have seen many a sunrise over the years but this one was magnificent, just as my host promised. It was worth every bit of the journey. One thing I found most fascinating is the hand production of ethnic fabrics by the women of Navorongo. They grow and eat their own food. They make their own beer(pito), their own beauty products from largely local materials. They build their homes with their bare hands also with local materials. They made ordinary what appeared phenomenal to me. There are some fairly decent guest houses and lodges to stay in, especially for low budget travelers. Moving around is not difficult, there are taxies and motor cars available for hire as well as collective rides. For a fun night, there are lots of drinking spots and bars to hang out and dig into some well spiced charcoal grilled guinea fowl or beef kebabs. You may sample grilled guinea fowl in as many grilling spots as you like. That is a sport in itself. I've had several opportunities to return to Navrongo after my first visit. With each visit the land and it’s people grow on me. Memories of Navrongo call. Nearly two decades after my first trip there, my heart still misses a beat at the mention of her name. Could it also be that the face of that handsome Kassim man still smiles on me?
I know of a magician called Professor De-Ago. I first heard of him at about age eleven. There was talk at school of a magician who came to perform at Workshop in Burma Camp and did wonders. It was purported he killed a woman and brought her back to life. Who does that? I needed to confirm the viability of this information. I went to my go to information centre, my mother. This was when she enlightened me about magic arts and the fact that she knew Professor De-Ago in person. He comes from our hometown, Gomoa Pinanko. Wow! I was excited. My mother told me how my late Auntie Yaa Baawah's father shot Professor De-Ago during one of his performances and the magician disappeared and appeared unscathed. I vividly recall this conversation. I next heard of Professor De-Ago again in 1988/89 when my family lived in London. He had come to perform, and my father said we may possibly host him at home. It did not happen, much to my disappointment. In conversation with my father recently, he mentioned casually they had gone to bury De-Ago. I asked which De-Ago , of course it was the Professor De-Ago the magician. Do magicians die? Sad to hear of his passing, I decided to find out more about it, so I went online to learn of details of his death. There was nothing. Not just of his death but of him and his work. How come there's next to no documentation on such a man? I needed to know more. So, I got my father to link me to some of his family members and others from Pinanko. I’m in the process of finding out more of this famous magician who disappeared into thin air never to be heard of again until his demise. In a conversation with his grandson, Mr Collins Kessehen Obeng had this to say, "He won best West African award in London, according to my grandpa, at the performance in London every magician has to perform on stage and the time given to my grandpa was a scheduled time in London, but he got there hours after his scheduled time, this meant he couldn’t go on stage at the allotted time. The organisers were annoyed so they decided to disqualify him. You know those people work with time; an argument started over his disqualification. My grandpa said to them, please check your time, when they checked, it was the exact time allotted him. He had reversed the time! There was massive applause." Mr Obeng shares a moral lesson his grandfather taught him. "Nana taught me not to challenge what I don't understand. He said in one town he went to perform; a fetish priest challenged his magical powers. Nana chopped off his head. He later put it back on, but it was crooked. Nana said, he didn’t achieve perfect results because the oracles were angry. One of the fondest memories I have of him when I was a little boy is whenever we were with him in Accra, anytime we got to Teshie, 1 st Junction he would conjure toffees and share them to us. That was awesome!" he said. Magic art as a stagecraft is no longer a thing in Ghana’s entertainment space, not for many years. In my late 40's I've never had an experience of it except for watching Paul Daniels and David Copperfield on Tv decades ago in the United Kingdom. From the accounts my mother gave of Professor De-Ago , it would have been interesting to have gone to one of his magic shows. Would you like to see the revival of magic art shows in Ghana? Click on the link below for more details https://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/popular-ghanaian-magician-professor-diego-passes-on.html Updated 2nd Septermber 2022
