Tribute to Prof Ewurama Addy: Doyenne of Conundrum

It is the first rest day

I am elated

As I gaze expectedly at the sun

Smiling femininely

With borrowed gestures

Of the doyenne

As the clock tick tock

To half midday

"Ting ting teeih

Ting ting teeih"

Captivating melody

Of the witch is heard afar

The inquisitive youth are

Beguiled

As they run to near and far

Magic box

To behold the mesmerizing

Spellbinding witch

Perform wonders with

Her wand of a brain

The bells chime

Ewurama clears the throat

And begin to thunder conundrums

To her captives

Moments of deafening silence

Engulfs everyone

As brains of captives and lookers

Are in wilderness in search

Of near answerless query

Minds tremble uneasily

As she gaze with easiness

The conundrum is conundrum

For it is beyond the crack of

Mere mortals

Beyond the grasp of

Ordinary men

Beyond the rattle of

Unlearning youth

With a benign smile

Abracadabra

Conundrum solved

Witch Ewurama has spoken

The woman is woman

Merely by her anatomies

Very richly manly in the

White matter in the head

A matter men claim

Supremacy to

The witch relinquishes

Her fame in riddling riddles

And embark on journey

To the farthest place

Known as Academia

In a tiny village of

Ug

A place no woman

Ever trekked to

Except few men

Of valiance

For it is a land of

Unsolved mysteries

And sorcery

Mysteries and sorcery

Many men

Attempt and fail

To decipher

Ewurama did  

She unravelled

The mind boggles of Ug

Return home as Mars 

A spectacular sight

To behold by all

In the morning

A limelight of

Hope to unbelieving

Young women

Confidence to diffident

Young women

Model to aspiring

Young women

Dream to undreaming

Young woman

Life to dying

Young woman

Prof Marian Ewurama Addy

Hecate of bailiwick

Of high reverence

You can never die

Abdulai Hanan R. Confidence

confidencegh@gmail.com

This poem is eulogy of the early life of the first female professor of science of University of Ghana. It particularly highlights her ascension to fame through the National Maths and Science Quiz that used to be broadcast on GTV at 11.30 am every Saturday. The latter part deals with her association with the premier university as a Dean/Head of the Biochemistry Department. Biochemistry is a discipline few men can survive – an amalgam of two gigantic broad science arenas. I was very happy for her in that position.

In growing up, she was my role model and remains the only female brain personality I ever wanted to be like. I reference her innumerably in most of my academic chit chats. She is one and only woman who readily comes to mind whenever I am advising my sisters (or young women) relative to their ability to dare science-maths, chalk academic laurels and aspire to be whatever men can be.

I used or referred to her as a witch because in our African setting women with manly capabilities are loosely tagged as witches. Prof Ewurama as the poem depicts

"………….is woman

Merely by her anatomies

Very richly manly in the

White matter in the head

A matter men claim

Supremacy to"

I will surely be missing her so much until my daughter to-be-born sometime in future is named after her.

Prof Marian Ewurama Addy, Naawuni ni taha a yaanim tooni.

My Mother is My God!

My mother, no blasphemy, is my "God". She is responsible for who I am today. She has laboured and toiled day and night, sunny and rainy, and cold and warm to put me through school to this far. There were instances she had to trade her valuables to insure my future - those were my teary moments.

She was and still a woman of fortitude. I adore and worship her so much like a sacred cow of India. She is the only reason I want to rise to the pinnacle of my dream. She is my heartbeat and pulse. But for her unceasing support I would have been a societal encumbrance.

She was the only one I could find at my back when everyone left. She defended me with her words, emotions and possessions. She is still my singular source of motivation.

Playing with my mother is playing with my "God". Any attempt of scorn or disdain on her is akin to stepping on the tail of Puff Adder - the most poisonous snake known. I shall give you just one puff and the venom shall darken your face like ebony beyond illumination under the sun.

The epitaph on her grave will be written with my blood. It shall read, "Woman of Fortitude - a Prototype of the Fair Sex"

My Best MP for 2013: Hon. Inusah Fuseini

My Best MP for 2013 is Hon. Inusah Fuseini. I have two simple reasons:

First, if you follow me, you will know that I am a slave of grammatolatry.  My statuses are often interlaced with an aura of pomp and grandiloquence. It is always inadvertent, though some may misconstrue me as trying to portray myself as pseudo-lexicographer or repository of words. And so? And so I adore people who enrich my word bank and awaken my passive vocabulary. I like to listen to the Honourable Man Inusah – he has a cache of unfamiliar diction – and he has a mastery of neologism (coinage).

I have learnt so many words from him afar. And if I had an opportunity of a personal intercourse with him, my verbosity and logorrhoea would have become a mental condition.

So why all these big words wahala!? Is it really necessary? Yes, Hon. Inusah on the same platform with Hon. Dominic Nitiwul used the word "idiosyncrasy". The latter by the art of his facial construction felt insulted – presumably, Nitiwul thought "idiosyncrasy" is the bigger form of "idiocy" because both words rhyme.

But "idiosyncrasy" is an innocuous word – it describes the distinctive and peculiar traits of a person (or maybe a group).

I remembered when the honourable said that Nana Addo was on mental fringe: it was like a honeycomb cut loose! However, he was only enforcing the consistency of Nana Addo's promising spree? It was not malice aforethought!

I have learnt some legalese from him as well. On News File, he described NPP's Petition as Brutum Fulmen. I was not only metagrabolised but tantalised by the term. I reached out for my dictionary but the word was beyond the remit of my reference. I asked Google – it said, "Obviously unwinnable lawsuit." I was marvelled. An idea that requires a prose of explanation been summarised in two scary words. 

Other words and expressions I have learnt and relearnt from Hon. Inusah include: "cascading event", "gamut", "snowballing effect", "pro bono", "coterminous" et cetera. 

I just like him for that – it might be a realm absurdity to you – but that is just one of my idiosyncrasies! You cannot take it away from me because I am slave of grammatolatry.

Second, I have been following him on the media circle. I must confess that he is a do-gooder and an evangelist of John Mahama's government. He has an innate passion for this government to succeed as evidenced by the trajectory of his rhapsodies! He has consistently shown (pardon me) the northernness in him.

Unlike other MPs and ministers who have grown beyond defending the government on local radio and TV stations, Hon. Inusah still avails himself for that job – a job so-think for the struggling youth for fame and recognition. As an ardent follower of the media; I have seen and heard him innumerable times handling hot headlines on the government.

Each time I spot him on the media circle; he is defending, justifying, elucidating, clarifying, adumbrating, expatiating and edifying the masses on government policies, actions and inactions. He is using his expertise pro bono! He will not tell you to get out of the kitchen if it is hot – he will probably give you reasons why the kitchen is hot. Many a time, I do spot one or two of his words in the president's speeches. Could the president be okaying his posture or it is a coincidence?

It seems he has the singular sense of feeling that the failure of John Mahama will be an indictment on the Northern Literati. I crave for the confluence of Northern MPs to promulgate and project the good work of the government.

But until then… Honourable Inusah Fuseini is my Best MP for 2013!