Kweku Nyamekye's version

*A Gift from Somewhere*

I was the third pregnancy for my mother; her last two babies had died. I, Kweku Nyamekye almost died too, but as my mother has told me I was saved by Papa Kramo. Papa Kramo was a Mallam who had come to our village when he encountered my mother. She then proceeded to ask him for help, see my mother thought that I was dead, and if I wasn’t, she surely expected me to die. My mother thought that witches were out to get me, and she asked Papa Kramo to give her something to protect me from the witches. He told her, “Be patient and I will do everything…everything…Allah is present and Mohamet his holy prophet is here too. I will do everything for you.” My mother then brought me to him; she tells me that she threw me like if I was a soccer ball, but that Papa Kramo caught me just in time. Papa Kramo took a look at me and he said, “Oh, Allah, this baby is dead!” He took a closer look at me and discovered that I was breathing, that he could count my ribs, and that I was very pale. Papa Kramo was worried and did not know what to say to my mother to comfort her. He asked her to sit and to calm down. He told her not to worry that I was okay, that I was not dead. My mother did not believe him, but the Mallam reassured her that I was breathing, faintly, but I was breathing. Papa Kramo then proceeded to spit on me: once on my forehead and then on my navel, then he spat into his right palm and with his spittle he started massaging my joints, my neck, my shoulder blades, ankles and wrists. My mother told me that I was straining very hard, and that she thought that if I had any life in me, I would at least have yelled. Papa Kramo then asked my mother to listen, “This child will live. Now you Mami Fanti, must not eat meat or fish from the sea on Friday or Sunday. You understand? When your son is about ten years old, tell him not to eat meat or fish from the sea on Friday or Sunday, and when he himself does not eat, you Mami Fanti, you can eat. You understand?” My mother understood him, and she started weeping, Papa Kramo kept reassuring her that I was going to live and that she should stop weeping. He then asked my mother to bring him some blue dye for washing and a piece of white cloth. She put me down and went to go look for the things he asked for, but she thought still believed that I was going to die. For she believed that the Mallam was deceiving her, because her other two children never looked as sick as I did, and they had died. Then while my mother was looking for the things he had asked her for, the Mallam had disappeared, and at least that’s what my mother tells me. My mother then believed that I would surely die and decided that I would surely die and decided that she must prepare herself for another pregnancy, because you see, my mother believed that was the only reason why she was created…to have children. She then began to wait for the mothers to come back in the evening, so they could bury me. To my mother’s surprise I did not die. She then gave me my name and she added Nyamekye because she believes I was a gift from God. She believed that I had come from the god of Mbemu, the god of Mbemu had promised my mother to never desert her and that he would come to her once in her life when she needed him the most. My mother believed that it was him who had come in the person of the Mallam. She believed this because the Mallam disappeared without asking for a penny, he didn’t even wait for her to buy the things he had asked for, and he has never been seen again. I lived, and my mother never again lost another child and to this day my mother follows the instruction of the Mallam. She does not eat meat or fish from the sea on Friday or Sunday.
Now I am eleven years old and I attend school, my mother wants me to be a scholar. But my father he does not understand my mother, and this hurts her very much. My mother is his first wife and she believes that his other wives are the ones who prevent him from treating her fairly. My mother also thinks that my father dislikes me because of what happened last week. It had been a Friday and we had not gone to school, because it was a holiday for us. My mother was going to the farm and she had asked me to watch my younger brother and sisters, then as she’s asking me, my father walked in angrily. He asked me if I was going to the farm, and I told him that I was going to stay. My mother and father left and I stayed but I became bored. Since it was Friday, I decided to go to the river to visit the trap. When my mother and father came home and did not find me, my mother worried, but my father went to get his cane that he intended to beat me with. When I finally came home, my father was furious and asked me if that’s why I go to school, to learn how to trap things. I suddenly dropped the bucket and my father began to beat me. My mom never intervened when my father was punishing me, but this time my father was going too far, and my mother rushed out to rescue me and she received the next lashing. Blood gushed out and when my father saw what had happened he was ashamed and he went to his room. My mother’s scar healed quickly, but the scar was the type which rises so anyone can see it. My father now is worse, he is angry all the time, he is angry with shame. My mother is not affected by my father’s anger, she is just thankful that she has me and my younger brother and sisters and she is eternally grateful to the Mallam who saved me from death.

Pan African Film Festival Film Reviews

I had the great expereince of watching two films at the Pan African Film Festival. I also had the opportunity to visit the mall and see all of the wonderful items on sale. I took my mother with me, she loves watching films from other countries.
The World Unseen is a film that was written and directed by Shamim Sarif author of the novel on which the film is based. The movie follows the story of two Indian–South African women who fall in love in the racist, sexist society of apartheid South Africa in 1952. Featuring excellent performances from leads Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth, the movie is a charming, well-crafted period drama done right. The film opens with the vivacious Amina, owner of the Locomotion Café as she fixes up her shop. Amina dresses in men's clothing, defies the local police as they come in to harass the Africans working in the café, and generally takes no nonsense from anyone. Shortly thereafter, the viewer is introduced to Miriam, a pregnant, subservient housewife living with her family in nearby Cape Town. When her husband allows her to travel to the café one day, Miriam meets Amina, and the sparks (along with a few pastries) fly. Miriam soon moves to the countryside, and the ever-handy Amina offers to build a garden in her yard. Amina uses the experience to get to know Miriam, bonding over evening tea, discussing her grandmother (a rape victim who was thrown out of the family) and the oppression of marriage and apartheid. When Amina hints at her sexuality, testing the waters, Miriam is conflicted. Inspired by Amina's independent spirit but unsure of how to proceed, she stalls. Amina displays her nonconformist spirit at a family dinner, much to the mortification of her traditional grandmother, who orchestrates the event to showcase Amina as a marriage prospect. Amina again shows her stripes when she defies the police and protects Miriam's visiting sister-in-law from arrest, saving the day for Miriam's family. Miriam's own defiance and strength begin to surface when she tries to save an injured African man. Unfortunately, her husband doesn't share her progressive attitudes. He begins treating her with increasing paranoia and violence, even as he carries on an illicit affair with his brother's vampy wife. Throughout the drama, Amina and Miriam slowly fall for one another. The sexual tension and chemistry are palpable as long glances give way to lingering touches, and finally, a kiss. The central dramatic question from this moment forward pits Amina's boldness against Miriam's love for her family and her place in the world as she knows it. The World Unseen is on its own by commenting on the culture. Both actresses do great work in representing the highly traditional Indian community, and it is only complicated more by the apartheid-era South Africa’s and the racism and sexism make it that much more difficult to defy the norm as well.
I loved this film, the story is great, it is sincerely a story of love and the accomplished vision on love and resistance in an intolerant world. It was as well my mother’s favorite movie. She absolutely wants to own this movie and see it again.

The other film we saw was a feature called, Desires of the Heart. This film is from Togo, it was released in 2005, it made its Los Angeles Premiere this year at the festival, and it was directed by Obanikoua Messa. Desires of the Heart is a film entirely in French, but it is very easy to follow with the subtitles. The film concentrates around four main characters; Jean, Carole, David (Jean’s father), and Jean’s mother. The film starts out with different scenes, showing Jean and Carole in their teens going out on dates. The film then suddenly cuts to Jean giving Carole a cell phone for her birthday, with which he later learns that she is also dating his father. David, Jean’s father has constantly been unfaithful to his wife. Jean knowing that Carole and his father are going to meet, calls his mother and lets her know the where and the when. The mother then goes to confront David, and this scene was incredible, the wife starts fighting with Carole and even tears off her wig, which sends the whole audience into a roaring laughter. After this scene there is a cut to Jean and Carole again on several dates, but now it is ten years later. They get married and the wedding scenes are long, it introduces us to their customs and traditions. It then cuts to Jean and Carole in their new home, which was given to them by David, Jean’s father. Soon after we learn that Jean has to go to Europe for business and he leaves Carole alone. David, knowing that Carole is alone he pays her a visit. He wants to resume the relationship they had started when she was younger, nut she refuses numerous amounts of time. David insists so much that she finally caves in and they have sex. This sinful act leads her to her doom. The next scene is of Jean getting off a plane, getting home. He arrives to find Carole extremely ill, and he gives her money to go see a doctor. She goes to the clinic and she finds out that she is not only pregnant with her father-in-laws baby but that he has infected her with H.I.V too. Carole fearing her husband will not forgive her calls David and tells him to come to the clinic. He goes and he finds out that he is also H.I.V. positive which causes him a heart attack. His wife and son, Jean come to the hospital where they find out that Carole and David have betrayed them. Jean on learning the news goes into a crying frenzy; I have never seen a man crying this much in any U.S. film. Moments later both he and his mom take an H.I.V test and they both come back negative. The following scene had to be one of the most memorable ones for me. It started with them learning that they were negative and they started singing thank you Jesus. The whole audience was laughing and even singing along with them, I guess I would also thank Jesus if I were in their shoes. In the end Jean and his mom forgive David and even Carole.
This film was great! The storyline does start out slow but it picks up great. It was extremely enjoyable to watch and sad at the same time to know that men like David do exist, and I did feel sorry for poor Carole. The cinematography of the film is basic and it is not a high budget film, the music that plays with each different scene is played to set a certain mood which does a good job. The scenes are long and there are moments where nothing is said in words but with facial expression to express what the character is going through. I highly recommend this film, and hopefully it will be released on DVD.

Ekwefi, "Things Fall Apart"

The character that impacted me the most was Ekwefi, Okonkwo’s second wife and Ezinma’s mother. Ekwefi portrays a woman who does not represent the traditional role of an Igbo woman. For one she and Okonkwo did not have a traditional marriage. On page 39 we learn that she had fallen for Okonkwo during a wrestling match, the match where he beat the cat. Ekwefi did not marry Okonkwo then because he was too poor to pay her bride-price. Ekwefi married another man, but soon as could she ran left her husband and went to Okonkwo. This shows the reader that she is no butterfly, but a strong woman who goes after what she desires.
Ekwefi is also a woman who is not afraid of Okonkwo, as his other two wives are. In chapter 9, on page 75 we have an example of her fearlessness towards Okonkwo. “Okonkwo turned on his side and went back to sleep. He was roused in the morning by someone banging on his door. ‘Who is that?’ he growled. He knew it must be Ekwefi of his three wives Ekwefi was the only one who would have the audacity to bang on his door.” Okonkwo accepts Ekwefi and does not reprimand her for banging on his door and waking him.
Ekwefi out of his three wives is the one who has suffered the most; therefore she is a woman who possesses a lot of emotional strength. She gave birth to ten children and out of the ten only one survived. Burying your own children is the worst emotional pain a woman can go through. In July of 2007 I buried my first born, due to a cord accident. I couldn’t imagine having to bury nine. Ekwefi after giving birth to Ezinma had little or no hope of her survival, but as it states in page 79; “At last Ezinma was born, and although ailing she seemed determined to live. At first Ekwefi accepted her, as she had accepted others-with listless resignation. But when she lived on to her fourth, fifth and sixth years, love returned once more to her mother, and, with love, anxiety. She determined to nurse her child to health, and she put all her being into it.” She was determined to give all the love she had to her daughter, and as we read Ezinma never called Ekwefi mother, she always called her by her name. On a personal note, I am pregnant again awaiting the birth of my second child. I as Ekwefi suffered a lot and still do, I also have some fear, which is normal, but my faith has kept me hopeful. I truly enjoyed reading this novel; I could hardly put it down.