‘Abrokyire’ Palaver: Don’t mess with the ‘tsofi’

Thanksgiving Day is this Thursday and in keeping with their tradition Americans are going to spend the day with their families and loved ones over ‘tsofi’ and lots of food. This is the season for turkeys. They are the prized asset of the week.

Seeing turkeys receive so much ‘attention’ reminds me of Adoagyiri-Nsawam where women sell colored ‘tsofi’ to the delight and eagerness of many hands which reach deep into pockets to get a taste of a part of the whole bird which I am told is mentioned by qualifying one’s language.

This important day has two different versions to it, one being that it commemorates an event in 1619 when the Captain of a group of British settlers knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic.

The second attributes it to an event in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. America ‘Homowo’ is what you may call it.

Apparently the combination of these two versions is what Americans have celebrated every fourth Thursday of November as a thanksgiving feast featuring the good old ‘tsofi’ which is critical to any celebration of the day.

There are some interesting turkey facts posted by the University of Illinois Extension which shows that the average weight of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds and the heaviest ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog. This year turkey growers estimated producing 271 million turkeys. Of this it is estimated that 44 million are eaten each Thanksgiving, 22 million eaten at Christmas and 19 million eaten each Easter.

This is understandable considering the fact that everyone celebrates Thanksgiving but not everyone celebrates Christmas or Easter.

These turkey facts were the reason why I found it difficult to understand why anyone would be daring enough to ‘mess up’ with turkeys in this country. Not so for a West Virginia farm whose workers were caught on video not only taunting turkeys but killing them either by stomping on their heads or killing them by twisting their necks with their bare hands which reminds me of that song “no mercy for the alanta”.

According to the Associated Press the video, posted on the website of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has outraged so many people and the farm supervisor has already lost his job.

PETA as the group is known, campaigns against the practices of turkey growers before Thanksgiving and encourages Americans to find vegetarian substitutes for the bird, such as tofu.

The company which owns the farm has immediately taken steps to address the turkey abuse lest it is saddled with eating its own turkeys now and forever.

It is even worse considering that if convicted in this case someone could go to jail for up to three years or end up paying up to $5,000 in fines so if you are reading this and you have a relative struggling to make it out here working on a farm especially at this time please tell them not to “mess up with that tsofi”.

As I honor an invitation by a classmate to join her family for Thanksgiving and in my own way of making meaning of the day I remain grateful to all those who take time off to commend and insult me for my views in this column. I remain grateful to you especially for reading and for those who go the extra mile to send me e-mails. Even as I take every bite of my ‘tsofi’ on Thursday I say thank you all.

'Abrokyire’ Palaver: Foreign Accent Syndrome by choice?

Can you imagine suffering a stroke or a severe head or brain injury and coming around only to realize suddenly that you now speak with a foreign accent?

This is the bane of a number of people who after suffering a stroke or head injury woke up to realize they were speaking with completely different accent- a condition known as the Foreign Accent Syndrome or FAS. They completely lose their native accent.

Medical wonders! Last week ABC TV showed some of these victims, all women, who suddenly woke up one day speaking with entirely different accents. One speaks with a Russian accent, the other French and the third one pure British accent. The interesting thing though is that they never spoke any language other than American English and one had never even traveled out of her home state.

It was so inexplicable hearing previous voice messages they left and hearing the way they speak now. Although scientists are still working to find out the real cause of FAS, as it is called, it is believed that it is a result of the malfunctioning of the left side of the brain during a medical crisis which affects the linguistic-processing functions of the brain.

It is a rare medical condition that has yet to be explained fully but nonetheless exists.

This reminds me of when I first came to this country. Many were those who thought I had to quickly learn how to ‘twist my tongue’ a little in order to speak American English. I remember my good friend giving me a good tease when we went to borrow a movie and I asked the shop attendant, “where can I find The Last King of Scotland” and was met with a big “aaahhhh do you mean The Last King of Scadland?”.

I really could not be bothered because I knew there was no way I would ever want to speak with any other accent other than my pure Ghanaian accent. I was told how difficult it was going to be for Americans to understand me when I spoke but I did not intend to make it any easier for them as I was not having it easy understanding theirs too. (One-one draw).

I therefore find it interesting speaking with Ghanaians here. Whiles some have maintained their accent in spite of the number of years they have spent here, others are still working their way to make FAS not a medical condition that should inspire more research but rather a matter of choice.

In this respect you find three categories of Ghanaians living in this country:

The first category is made up of those I call Americo-Ghanaians. These no longer sound Ghanaian at all, they sound very American as is the case of a school mate who was introduced by a mutual African friend. After only four years in this country it is difficult to distinguish between him and the Clintons. Although he still has a Ghanaian name it is pronounced ‘americanly’.

My second category is the Ghamericans. These have obviously put in a lot of effort into sounding American and yet there is something weighing so heavily on their tongue that makes them very frustrated at not endearing themselves to their own people by speaking like the American. They sound forced, confused and end up not knowing where they come from because their newly-acquired accent has failed to clearly distinguish them as coming from any of the continents on earth.

Then there is the last category of Ghanaians who will not even attempt it and are very much like Nigerians not born in this country. Trust the Nigerian who stays here even for 40 years. For as long as they were not born in this country it is still “bot Oga I jost arrived from Lagos”. These are my personal favourites. They believe in the power of their language serving as a critical pointer to their identity. That is who they are and nothing will change their line of thought in that respect.

Ultimately one’s choice of any of the above categories is purely a matter of personal preferences and what one believes in. Having worked as a food vendor for a year and now working with students on a daily basis I am convinced that gradually people get used to your accent just as well as you also get used to theirs. It is only a matter of time. Just take time off to listen to Indians and Nigerians who have lived in this country for decades, they still survive perfectly without having to “twist their tongues”.

The interesting thing is that while medical research seeks to find out what causes FAS and how to deal with it, others are so willing to embrace it. That is the irony of life- one man’s meat is another man’s poison- isn’t that what they say?

'Abrokyire' Palaver: The Church of Latter Day Saints

The outcome of the American elections has seen a general celebratory mood nationwide but not for one minority group in states like Florida, Arizona and especially in California.

For all the right and wrong reasons, the GLBT minority is slowly but surely becoming a major force to reckon with and one whose rights must be ensured at all times if you are to progress in any endeavor in this country.

GBLT is the Gay (men who love men sexually), Lesbians (their female version), Bisexuals (those who do both) and the Transsexuals (males or females who have switched their sexes) either due to biological reasons attributed to hormonal ‘unfairness’ or some other reasons.

In education, the work force, health care, the military and the general American life situations, the GLBT group cannot be done away with. My university recently inaugurated its GLBT center with pomp and pageantry. This is one group that cannot be simply wished away with prayer and supplication in America. You only have to respect them as human beings exercising their right of choice, period.

Like Florida and Arizona, California had on its ballot a number of propositions on constitutional amendments and this included the now famous Proposition 8 which gave citizens the opportunity to vote in favour of an amendment that will recognize only marriage contracted between a man and a woman.

This followed a Supreme Court ruling in May this year which overturned the state’s year 2000 law and decided that marriage could be between two women and two men and it was valid in California. As soon as this ruling was passed in May California became the place to be for same-sex lovers who rushed to get married in the state, which also houses most of the famous people and places in this country.
Now thanks to effort and hard work of the Mormons, Californians voted for Proposition 8 which means that only marriage between a man and a woman will be valid and recognized.

The 52.3 per cent yes votes has not come without consequences for the church identified and known as having supported the passage of the proposition. The Mormon Church or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been faced with days of “shame unto you, shame unto you” from the about 2,000 protesters who have been picketing outside the Los Angeles temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.



The supporters blamed the church for fighting against same-sex marriages with the same vigour which the presidential candidates fought for the peoples’ votes. Why are people angry with the Mormons simply because they also exercised their democratic right to speak against something they do not believe?

A Washington newspaper interestingly pointed out that most Blacks voted against same-sex marriage by 70 to 30 so why is the group not even blaming Blacks and simply marching against the Mormons.

Mormons in California are said to number more than 750,000 and have been instrumental in fighting against same-sex marriages with church leaders encouraging their members to sacrifice their means and time to overturn the Supreme Court ruling and they won.

Their leaders ensured that they drummed the message very hard at any given time to protest what for them was a moral rape against the sanctity of marriage and they won.


Now they have to face the brunt of angry would-have-been couples some of who were smart enough to commit to each other by marrying before the elections but too bad, it still will not be recognized in California.

The issue of same-sex rights especially as it regards marriage remains highly contentious in this country but my question is that why should the Mormons be blamed for exercising the same democratic right that the GLBTs also exercised?

Everyone has a voice in a democracy. You are free to fall in love with whoever you choose, others are free to use any legal and appropriate means to express their opinions but in the end who wins – the thumb.

It is the silent participant in all of this and yet ends up as master of all. Can you dispute that?

My only wish though is that the Mormon temple in Los Angeles also has a trumpet like the one on top of the Ghana temple. Who knows maybe one of these days the protests will trigger it to blow and then we will see.

‘Abrokyire’ Palaver: I hate Barack Obama

I have been following this electioneering process as keenly as I follow that of my beloved country. There has been a lot of forward and backward movement in this particular race which either way was going to mark a major paradigm shift- either a black President or a female Vice-President.

As I sat through one of my classes every week I heard arguments of why one has better leadership qualities than the other. Overall there seemed to be a heavy tilt in favor of the Obama-Biden ticket and it just intensified my hate for Obama.

Before you even consign me to the dustbin of mental history cases let me make it clear that I do not hate him enough though to wish him dead. This feeling of hatred keeps irritating me and although I have always played along as a fan of his I cannot keep it anymore.

Barack has fired me up! He has made it more difficult for me and a lot of other people to make excuses in life and to blame other people for our woes. He has overturned the tables to prove that one can become anything in life with determination, perseverance, fair play and truthfulness.

I was once watching an episode of Chuck Norris’ “Texas Ranger” which had something to do with the return of a certain general. As I listened through the lines the general said, “The only limitations we face in life are the limitations that we place on ourselves”. Ever since I heard that statement it has always been hitting back at me any time I feel like giving up and just doing anything to keep me going in life. And as though that has not been strong enough for my conscience to deal with here comes Barack, firing people up all over with a smile, a composure which I still envy very much and a positive attitude spiced with his “Yes we can” slogan.

How can I not hate someone who makes me feel so incapable of pointing a finger in a different direction anytime I have to face life squarely? How can I blame you for being the cause of my problems?

Today Obama makes history but he draws all of us into that history with lessons that we must never forget. I do not however agree with his assertion that it is only in America that you can rise through the ashes to become what nobody ever thought you could become.

I see that very much in my own country. I see people who have and continue to rise through the dark moments to see the sunlight of the day.

What I do not see is a society that supports such people but one where one person’s success is met with constant machinations of the “Pull Him Down” syndrome. I do not see a country that presents equal opportunities for the poor rural boy and the urban. I do not see a country that allows my dear friends at Akyem Ntronang to have the same educational resources as their peers at Achimota preparatory.

That is the American achievement which we can all aspire to and achieve ourselves or through others.

Whiles expressing my hatred for what Barack has disproved in achieving this feat, I cannot help but express my respect and appreciation of John McCain. I am not talking about the campaign he run but his willingness to serve his country at his age.

How many of us do not fold our arms at the least instance and look on. How many of us do not call J.H Mensah and Gladys Asmah names because they are refusing to go and “enjoy their retirement”. Service to one country, as McCain has shown, has nothing to do with age so long as one has the strength and the capability of making a contribution, no matter how small.

I hope that this fire will continue to burn and inspire all of us to go the extra mile to support each other to fight the darkness of the night and rise up to the promise of another day.