My nephew was gone a long time.
He was gone from the last of Lent to Christmas. Too long for a son who will come back. But he did come back. He came home again in time for the celebration of Christmas, but he did not bring Mansa.
My nephew went to Accra to a place called Mamprobi to find his sister. He tells us he stayed in the house of his friend Duaywaw. He took a long time to tell us this story. My brothers and my sisters and my littlest neice, we waited for him to bring her back and then we waited to hear the reason she was not there.
He told us of the dizzying cars in Accra. I do not understand these cars. Where in our country are there so many people with the money to buy cars? Our money goes to our children, to the growing of yams. But these people, they have cars to drive them to their farms. Perhaps they have no farms. I do not know. I do not know of these people.
My nephew was patient in his telling. Our family had many questions and gave him constant interruption. He allowed our questions but answered only a few. He requested a drink from me to clear his throat. It was then that I knew he was telling a sad story. Only the sad stories are difficult to tell.
My nephew found a bus to take him to Mamprobi. I worried that the driver would decieve a confused young man, but my nephew assured me he met Duayaw safely. Duayaw was asleep, in the afternoon on a Saturday. My nephew says Duayaw has gained much wealth. The Lord has blessed his family.
Duayaw in his youth went to school with Mansa. Duayaw became wealthy. My neice, she refused school after Klase Tri. She caused trouble for her mother until I found her a teacher who would educate Mansa in the ways of a woman. She came back for Christmas and showed us her skill in sewing and keeping the house. But the next Christmas she did not return. For twelve years she has not come back to her home. That is why my nephew went to find her.
Duayaw made my nephew believe Mansa has found a big man. As my nephew told the story, I believed too that perhaps she had found a big man in the city. Ei! That would be well for her. But Mansa was a good girl in her youth. If she had found fortune she would have come to her family to bring them wealth. But she has not. Because of this, even though I hoped, I knew in my heart she had not married a big man.
Duayaw knew much about Mamprobi. He knew that it was too big a city to find a young girl. But Mansa was only young when she left. She was ten when I last saw her. She would be a woman now. Duayaw discouraged my nephew. But all the same he would help.
My nephew told us that Duayaw has a woman. She is not of his tribe. They should not marry. A man should respect his tribe. Duayaw has been blessed by the Lord, but will be out of favor if he continues with this woman. She even eats with the men! I did not believe when my nephew told me this. I shouted, "Ei!" but my nephew says it is true.
It was just before my nephew told us of his night out in Mamprobi that he asked for a drink. This began the sad part of the telling. I knew it was sad because he asked for a drink.
I did not believe him when he said he went to dance in the big city. People in the city do not dance. They do not have the schooling of their elders to teach them. They do not have the cloths to dance in. Ei! But they dance all the same. My nephew tells me, so it is true.
I did not believe either that Duayaw's woman would drink beer. But my nephew says she did drink, and sitting with the men. He says there were many women in the place. The women of the city drink beer. They drink beer even with men who are not their husbands. This city is not blessed by the Lord.
My nephew danced. I am proud that he danced in the ways of his people. He even began to dance with the women there. These women, they are not married and yet they drink beer and go together to a dance with no men. They dance with any man they choose and paint their lips to look the same as their blood. My nephew tells me this is true.
He danced with one of the women. She laughed when he spoke Fante. Then he danced with another woman. She took him to a place with bright light. It was there that she screamed at him. "Any kind of work is work! You villager, you villager, who are you!" he tells us she said. This girl, she had painted her face too. But in the bright light my nephew knew her. He put his hands on her shoulders to calm her but she threw them away. A sister treating her brother so! But she did not know him. When she did recognize him, she only laughed. And she did not come home with him She is a bad woman, a woman who will take a man to a corner of a dance in the city. But it was Mansa. And she is coming home at Christmas.
My nephew asked someone to cut another drink. I asked for one too.
He was gone from the last of Lent to Christmas. Too long for a son who will come back. But he did come back. He came home again in time for the celebration of Christmas, but he did not bring Mansa.
My nephew went to Accra to a place called Mamprobi to find his sister. He tells us he stayed in the house of his friend Duaywaw. He took a long time to tell us this story. My brothers and my sisters and my littlest neice, we waited for him to bring her back and then we waited to hear the reason she was not there.
He told us of the dizzying cars in Accra. I do not understand these cars. Where in our country are there so many people with the money to buy cars? Our money goes to our children, to the growing of yams. But these people, they have cars to drive them to their farms. Perhaps they have no farms. I do not know. I do not know of these people.
My nephew was patient in his telling. Our family had many questions and gave him constant interruption. He allowed our questions but answered only a few. He requested a drink from me to clear his throat. It was then that I knew he was telling a sad story. Only the sad stories are difficult to tell.
My nephew found a bus to take him to Mamprobi. I worried that the driver would decieve a confused young man, but my nephew assured me he met Duayaw safely. Duayaw was asleep, in the afternoon on a Saturday. My nephew says Duayaw has gained much wealth. The Lord has blessed his family.
Duayaw in his youth went to school with Mansa. Duayaw became wealthy. My neice, she refused school after Klase Tri. She caused trouble for her mother until I found her a teacher who would educate Mansa in the ways of a woman. She came back for Christmas and showed us her skill in sewing and keeping the house. But the next Christmas she did not return. For twelve years she has not come back to her home. That is why my nephew went to find her.
Duayaw made my nephew believe Mansa has found a big man. As my nephew told the story, I believed too that perhaps she had found a big man in the city. Ei! That would be well for her. But Mansa was a good girl in her youth. If she had found fortune she would have come to her family to bring them wealth. But she has not. Because of this, even though I hoped, I knew in my heart she had not married a big man.
Duayaw knew much about Mamprobi. He knew that it was too big a city to find a young girl. But Mansa was only young when she left. She was ten when I last saw her. She would be a woman now. Duayaw discouraged my nephew. But all the same he would help.
My nephew told us that Duayaw has a woman. She is not of his tribe. They should not marry. A man should respect his tribe. Duayaw has been blessed by the Lord, but will be out of favor if he continues with this woman. She even eats with the men! I did not believe when my nephew told me this. I shouted, "Ei!" but my nephew says it is true.
It was just before my nephew told us of his night out in Mamprobi that he asked for a drink. This began the sad part of the telling. I knew it was sad because he asked for a drink.
I did not believe him when he said he went to dance in the big city. People in the city do not dance. They do not have the schooling of their elders to teach them. They do not have the cloths to dance in. Ei! But they dance all the same. My nephew tells me, so it is true.
I did not believe either that Duayaw's woman would drink beer. But my nephew says she did drink, and sitting with the men. He says there were many women in the place. The women of the city drink beer. They drink beer even with men who are not their husbands. This city is not blessed by the Lord.
My nephew danced. I am proud that he danced in the ways of his people. He even began to dance with the women there. These women, they are not married and yet they drink beer and go together to a dance with no men. They dance with any man they choose and paint their lips to look the same as their blood. My nephew tells me this is true.
He danced with one of the women. She laughed when he spoke Fante. Then he danced with another woman. She took him to a place with bright light. It was there that she screamed at him. "Any kind of work is work! You villager, you villager, who are you!" he tells us she said. This girl, she had painted her face too. But in the bright light my nephew knew her. He put his hands on her shoulders to calm her but she threw them away. A sister treating her brother so! But she did not know him. When she did recognize him, she only laughed. And she did not come home with him She is a bad woman, a woman who will take a man to a corner of a dance in the city. But it was Mansa. And she is coming home at Christmas.
My nephew asked someone to cut another drink. I asked for one too.
*This story is a retelling of In the Cutting of a Drink, the short story by Ama Ata Aidoo
7 comments:
It’s very interesting how, in addition to retelling this story, you tap into the confusion felt by the aunt over the strange ways of the city: “Where in our country are there so many people with the money to buy cars? Our money goes to our children, to the growing of yams.” Also, you show the aunt’s confusion over the fact that women in the city eat and drink beer with the men. The differences between country dwellers and city dwellers is so different, it is difficult for people from either place to understand each other’s ways.
I would add that this disconnect between people from the country and people from the city is not just specific to Africa. I think city people and country people, even today, in countries all over the world, live very different lives and do not understand each other. Aidoo has addressed a universal issue here in her story. I, for instance, come from a small town in Colorado and every time I talk to my mom about the things I’m doing in Los Angeles, she has a hard time understanding what I’m talking about. She can hardly comprehend, for instance, celebrity sightings or going to movie premieres or auditioning for TV commercials, etc … In her small town, the only thing she knows is working, keeping a home and having children.
I so enjoyed reading your story of the aunt "In the Cutting of a Drink." The voice you gave the aunt follows so closely to Ata Aidoo's that it could easily have been another chapter written by her. Your piece emphasizes Ata Aidoo's idea of disconnect and misunderstandings between traditional and modern, urban and rural.
The significance of 'the drink' that you emphasize in your story as a precusor to a sad story about to be told, elaborates on the connection–or non-connection–to family ties in each of these settings. Through your depiction of the aunt's perspective, we are a bit more privy to the importance of closeness to traditional family. It offers a little more insight as to how urban life has destroyed this family connection that still holds value and importance in village life.
I like how you emphasize the drink and how it is related to a sad story being told. I did not think of it when I read the story but when you mentioned it I went back and it made sense. Why else would he ask for another drink with a heavy heart? Ama Ata Aidoo really shows the reader the confusion and "blindness" of what is going on by the various characters and the narrator had his eyes opened by visiting this city. He starts off by saying it is good to visit the city but as he tells his relatives the experience he had one can see the confusion and dislike of the city by them.
As you wrote that the aunt thinks that the city is not blessed shows that they do not understand what is going on in the world, how it is changing. Their minds are set to their traditions and almost as they do not wish to understand or accept other ways of living. Inspite of her nephew telling her that it is true women drink, eat and dance with men it is as though she does not want to see that. Since it is not the way of her living it is the wrong way. It sounds a lot like when the white man went to Africa to "save the poor, uneducated, confused" black man. Because of the narrow minded thinking many problems occur. The aunts thinking, that their way of living is the right way, shows the problems that we deal with today. There is a lack of want to change or accept change. She does not understand the reason for driving cars because she does not have one or use one. She does not explicitly condemn the city life but she does it implicitly. Her way of thinking is very dogmatic and not accepting other ways of life will never allow her and people of her likes to reach higher grounds. The narrator shows that experience is very good and eduactional. He now knows and understand that way of living because he saw it and he experienced it.
Maybe that is one of the major steps to take to end narrow-minded thinking amongst people. If people agreed, or had the chance to experience something out of the ordinary of their lives, or prejudice, then maybe they will finally understand and accept it. Maybe then the world will come together in understanding of others culutures and traditions.
This story seems to reflect a society divided. As the boy is on his quest to find his lost sister in the city, he is revealed a social enviornment, very different from his own and he is exposed to a different perspective. The city appears to be more liberal as men and women alike drink and share one another's company outside of wedlock. As the boy experiences the city he appears to have an awakening to the worlds diverse populous and it's unpredictability. On his sojourn, he comes across an old companion, whom is wealthy and this is also a culture shock to the boy. Upon finding his sister, the boy discovers that she has become a part of the city culture and will not return, though he is unsuccessful in retrieving his sister, he returns home with a completely different outlook.
Informative content, In bachelor party you can drink all night but between the beer and the strippers, wouldn't it be fun to have a few bachelor party games such as Despedida Soltero.
Point of correction...the white man didn't come to Africa to save anyone...they are not God...they only came to steal...steal and steal
Cut me a drink for I'm even confused to either be a village champion or a spoilt city explorer.😊
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