akuaasabea: 2022

November 20, 2022 No comments

Self-identity is crucial. Who am I? What am I on earth for? Where do I fit in in the grand scheme of things? Where do I come from? Where am I headed? What's my role in the regime of the next generation?

We all must answer at least one of above questions properly, if we are to be useful to our generation. I had the privilege of watching 2 of the 3 parts of Walter Komla Blege's opera titled 'Kristo' on December 19th, 2021, and it was a blessing. I learnt a lot...not only about the history of how missionaries brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Peki, but also about Ewes as a people. Many of us who belong to the Christian faith sometimes 'demonize' everything that looks 'cultural' or 'traditional' (erroneously equating 'ancient rituals' to 'culture' sometimes) but should this be so? Is God not interested in us at the core of who we are and where we come from? What saddens me most is when we shy away from even our languages and local dialects. If God wanted us all to speak the same language and have the same culture, why did He create so much diversity? How is it that on one of the most important days of the Church (i.e. the Day of Pentecost), those gathered heard the Apostles declaring the wonders of God in their own native languages/dialects/tongues?

The Bible makes quite a number of references to what God has in mind for 'all of this' to look like - E.g. The Message translation of Revelation 7:9 puts it this way:

" I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing:

Salvation to our God on his Throne! Salvation to the Lamb!"

The verse above makes it clear that 'everyone' was there. In our world systems today, of course, some languages are 'international' while others are not, but I believe we are stewards of whichever language/dialect we can speak. What we do with that trust matters. Will the language end with us? Are we motivated enough to 'pass down' our dialects to the next generation? How are we handling the challenges we face in this area of our stewardship? If 'everyone' will be there, then we ought to treat people of every race, language, nation, etc. with dignity and respect.

A lot has transpired in the history of Africa at large. We must understand where we are coming from, what has transpired so far, pick up valuable lessons, and then be informed enough to forge a way forward. Until we make peace with who we are, we won't be content with what we have, and we may not fully function as God wants us to - being fully confident that He loves us & that our experiences and stories are for a purpose in His grand scheme of things. We need to keep learning...and growing...and loving. More and more, we should amplify the volume of the things that unite us, and turn down the volume of the distractions and often petty-things that divide us.

Good movies, plays and productions must be watched at least, twice :)....Story-telling is a great way of history-preservation & good stories must be listened to over and over again. :) I look forward to watching this opera again...and you are warmly invited.

PS. Opera is in Eʋe but people from all tribes and nations would benefit from the music, dance and be able to piece out a lot from the scenes. :)

Selah.

25th October 2022. Tema. Ghana.

October 25, 2022 No comments

Author: Emefa Dako (Tema, 5th October, 2022)

"I am glad I got to tell you many times in life.

Your selflessness and thoughtfulness are a sweet aroma and testify to God's spirit in you.

I first experienced it first hand in South Africa in 2010.

Papa and I were scheduled to go for the semifinals of the World Cup in South Africa 2010. Papa dropped off from the trip to work leaving me to go with my sister Mawunyo. It turned out that we would have a squad that had two sets of sisters.

It was an extremely enjoyable and insightful time for me with lessons I never forgot and often referred to in all walks of my life so far.

I don't remember us meeting at the airport or on the flight, the first encounter must have been at the hotel where we got to introduce ourselves to one another. I remembered you from Unilever but had not experienced your super sunshine prior to SA 2010.

Asenath came with Docea and gave up her spot for Docea her Sister on several occasions during the trip. She made sure Obieley had a super time and stepped back anytime only one ticket would qualify them for a function.

I was so fascinated by such selflessness. She stayed back when we went to the stadium where Netherlands played Uruguay for the semi-finals of the World Cup. The Ghana Team that went on the Coke tickets was an interesting and mixed group who became friends very easily but did not pursue the friendships beyond our trip. Be that as it may, we had a fantastic time in South Africa.

I came back from that trip with a sense of awe that never left me due to B'Kor's selflessness. I would mention it and she would shoo it away...

I only discovered later that her Father had always been the lead to all my undergrad internships as he was my Mom's friend!!!

Fast forward to the care of her Parents and lately her Mom. What!!!!

Obiokor planned, arranged, engaged and generally made sure her Parents were supported and loved every single step of the way. It was beautiful to experience.

Did they need a new cook, what dishes would interest them, did the cook need to live in, did her folks need entertaining? Did she need to step out, what arrangements needed to be made so the old people would still receive all the care possibly available? The list goes on... And never once did she let go of the personal touch that oozed of love.

Obiokor, there was never any doubt as to who your Lord and Master is☺️. You wore your faith on your life and as for love, it was your Hallmark.

Because of you and Vera Q, I want to know more about Ga girls and how they can get to be so selflessly selfless...

Obiokor, God bless you onu and keep you. Your smile and laugh lingers on..."

Revelation 14:13 NLT

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

Attachments area

October 07, 2022 No comments

Last Friday, 16th September 2022, I had the fine privilege of watching the freshly released movie, The Woman King' at the Silverbird Cinema at the Accra Mall. I took this first shot near this 'cover' with the inscription 'her reign begins' because it struck me - with the Queen of England's passing on 8th September, 2022...followed by King Charles III's ascension to the British throne, there's an interesting twist of 'her reign begins' to 'his reign begins'....particularly having this movie released and premiered in the same month of Queen Elizabeth II's death and funeral.

"The Woman King is a 2022 American historical epic film about the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries. Set in the 1820s, the film stars Viola Davis as a general who trains the next generation of warriors to fight their enemies." - Wikipedia

I must confess that watching this movie reminded me of the fact that many of us know very little about our history as Africans. This is understandable, as a bulk of our educational curricula was framed along foreign and not local lines. There's a lot to learn about our forefathers and foremothers. Our people were largely courageous and resilient. Earlier on today, a friend put up a post which read, 'Black people have the oldest and the greatest history. Don't let slavery be the only chapter you know'. It set me thinking, especially as a student who hasn't taken up a 'major' history course before :)...how was life before the slave trade era and what good things can we learn from then? Which of the stories from that era are worth keeping and re-telling? Last month, I met a young man at a party and he said he was going to study along the lines of film-making because he believes it would make a great impact if a larger number of Africans join the efforts to tell our stories via movies. We spoke about how it would be interesting to see the story of Yaa Asantewaa told in a similar fashion to the 'Black Panther' movie (Wakanda-forever-poses in some of my pictures :) ).

Prior to watching 'The Woman King', I didn't know that one of the only documented female armies in modern history was found in West Africa. That's cool. :) "The Dahomey Amazons (Fon: "Agojie", "Agoji", "Mino", or "Minon") were a Fon all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey which existed from the 1600s until 1904." - Wikipedia

So lately, we hear lots about women being our own enemies in many areas of life, and it's a beauty to behold how our foremothers lived, fought and worked together. Unity in purpose and vision. Courage. Strength.

My favourite scenes from the movie portrayed victory. The joy of the 'agojies' when they successfully completed their 'military' training regime and were pronounced victors. The joy, relief and celebration! Plus when 'Nanisca' was proclaimed and celebrated as the woman king :) The cheers, dances and celebration! My comment was this - how sweet it would be, to hear the King of kings one day tell us, ' Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Matthew 25:23

The cheers from the cloud of witnesses who have gone ahead of us, the joy of heaven, the celebration!

Quotes from the movie that would stay with me:

1. "We fight or we die"

Generally, I think the people of old (both 'ancient fathers & mothers' of the Christian faith and fore-fathers & mothers of my West African heritage) took life more seriously than many of us do lately. Charles Wesley's words in the hymn 'A charge to keep I have' go this way - "Assured, if I my trust betray, I shall forever die." Having death and the strict account we need to give when all is said and done in mind, should spur us on daily, to live lives worthy of our calling as Christians. Time no dey. We fight or we die.

2. "We fight not only for ourselves but for our sisters and the future"

Selflessness. Future in mind. Living beyond ourselves and our comforts. Doing our best in our generation in light of future generations.

Selah.

Saturday 17th September 2022

Tema, Ghana.

September 17, 2022 No comments

Last Sunday (July 24th) during church service at the Good Shepherd Congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG) at Lashibi, I received a letter that put a smile on my face, and brought many memories after the service. The letter, signed by the District Pastor, Rev. Dr. Daniel Sakitey, was an invitation to join other representatives to attend the EPCG 175th Anniversary Launch at the Accra International Conference Center, on behalf of the Lashibi District. I immediately recalled that my father had attended the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the EPCG with me, 25 years ago.

I called the Cathecist, Mr. Gershon Breni, the Monday after receiving the letter, to ask for further details, including the 'dress code' for the service. He mentioned that any EPCG cloth would do, and I said I didn't have any as of the time we spoke but would work something out. I mentioned the said invitation letter to my mother, who said that my Papa (now with the Lord) had bought a lot of the cloth for the 150th Anniversary Celebration & that there could still be some. She checked, confirmed there was still some in good shape (after 25 years!). I passed through her home to look at it and decided that I was going to have it sewn during the week, to be worn for today. :)

God made a way for all planned to go well and I was very privileged to join in today's launch, clad in an old cloth that held many memories. I remember sitting by my father during the 150th Anniversary Celebration...I was 11 years old at the time...and all the memories I have of that celebration, including the opening hymn which was sung on that day (ie. currently Hymn 227..part of which I have sung in one of the videos attached to this post)...and I shudder just a teeny weeny bit about what our children would remember about us in the next few years, God willing. Through God's Grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, I pray that everyone reading this post would leave a legacy worthy of the Lord. May all who come behind us find us faithful. Amen.

The service was 'deep' for me today - my highlight being the message delivered by the Main Speaker, Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi (video shared below). I learnt so much from participating in today's service and I hope to share some soon. I am very thankful to God that my perspective on Church goes beyond denominational, tribal and national boundaries. I believe in the Unity of the Body of Christ. I also believe that those who have paid a price for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are worth mentioning and remembering. It was an exposition on the works of the first missionaries who landed on the shores of the Gold Coast, done by Bernard Avle during the Youth Month 2021 celebration at the EPCG Good Shepherd Congregation, that made me pause to reflect a bit. Mr. Avle mentioned that some of the missionaries were young men with a bright future ahead of them (as we would say in our day now) - but who risked their very lives for the sake of spreading the Good News.

Lorenz Wolf. Salutes! Reading about him again today was humbling. The Ewes of Ghana who are Christians today should all say 'thank you to the Lord' for the life of Lorenz Wolf. Through his missionary efforts and God's Grace which has given an overwhelming increase of souls and progress over the years, many Ewes have come to the saving knowledge of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ. Plus, we should never go past the role of our traditional leaders, for God uses them to work out His purposes. In Isaiah 45, God says about King Cyrus, a 'heathen' king -

"Cyrus is my anointed king. I take hold of his right hand. I give him the power to bring nations under his control. You (Cyrus) do not know anything about me. But I am giving you a title of honor. I am the Lord. There is no other Lord. I am the one and only God. You (Cyrus) do not know anything about me. But I will make you strong. Then people will know there is no God but me." (New International Reader's Version, selected verses, Isaiah 45)

Salutes to Togbe Kwadzo Dei Tutu Yao II, King of the Krepis (in current day Peki area) and his son Prince Nyangamangu. What would have happened if they hadn't invited Lorenz Wolf to Peki where his first sermon was preached? Indeed, Togbe risked his life and kingship by allowing a 'foreign man' to come and preach 'a strange message' to the people of Peki. We thank God for courage, bravery, and the faith of our 'fathers'. Lorenz Wolf preached his first sermon from Psalm 22:22 at Peki on 14th November, 1847, and died in April 1851, on his way back home to Germany. It looked like only 4 years of missionary work for him, but see what the Lord has done through the seeming 'short' ministry of a young man.

I am thankful for the EP schools established in the Volta Region of Ghana, through the works of the Bremen missionaries. My father and many other family members benefitted greatly from the seeds sown. We should not forget. I am thankful that the Bible has been translated into many of our local dialects. I am thankful for the contributions the Church has made to healthcare and agriculture. I am thankful that God is still working. :) As we celebrate 175 years, I pray that the Church of Jesus Christ would keep increasing, not only in number of years of existence but also in 'bringing light where there is darkness'. May we shine our lights to a watching world and break down the barriers that bring division. One person can make a difference. One person preached one sermon from one Bible verse many years ago. May the Lord use you and me mightily for His glory. Amen. "Azaa loo! Azaa seee!"

Selah.

Mawunyo.

Sermon worth keeping - and listening to often:

July 31, 2022 No comments

July 15, 2022 No comments

Great title for some thoughts I've had recently...

Don't ever think someone has nothing to offer you simply because they are broken...

Don't disrespect someone because you encountered them in their 'down' or vulnerable season...

Broken crayons still colour...

You see, they may not have excelled in their marriage but that doesn't mean they are incapable of giving you excellent advise about marriage...

She may not have her own children yet but that doesn't give you permission to disregard her comments and contributions about motherhood or parenting...

It may look like you're a better father or husband than your boss is, but be careful not to assume that he is not the best coach to you because of his seeming-flaws in other areas of life...

Sadly, many relationships go sour because we have failed to give honour and respect to whom they are due... We often give excuses and hide behind certain labels... Labels such as 'in-law' and 'step'. Not all mothers-in-law are trouble; for some, their parents- in-law have been the parents they never had. What if God has packaged your best mentor/friend /confidante in the woman you call step-mother? What if the one whose help you need in this season of your life is one you call a 'half-brother', or a 'step-son'? Will we miss God's blessings if He chooses to package them in a 'box' we're not expecting?

Esther was in the palace at 'such a time as this'... Mordecai was outside the palace, but it was the advice of Mordecai that brought deliverance to the Jews. What if Esther had said, 'I don't need Mordecai because he doesn't live in the palace with me?'

Younger sibling, slow down. Don't disrespect your big brother or big sister because you earn more than they do, or because you got married 'first', or because you had a child first, or because you built /bought a house first, or because you know more people-in-high-places than he or she does..... Especially if this sibling is one who has contributed to your life in significant ways. Don't forget!

18th July 2020, Tema.

July 07, 2022 No comments

May 23, 2022 No comments

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