‘Asante women, I pity you‘. I made this statement in 1900 when the British captured me after a long hard struggle to defeat the British who had insolently demanded the Golden Stool to sit on. To sit on indeed! What insolence, but I digress, we are in a new world now and we are no longer fighting the British, at least not in the warfare of old. The warfare today is about trade, globalisation, a new world order…all these new terms that I had hardly understand. What does this all mean? It appears to me that it means the British, the Americans and all our former (and probably current) colonial masters are still in control. The new currency is no longer slaves but trade agreements. But I digress still, you have to forgive me, I am an old spirit. My body died in 1921 but my spirit has lived on. Its a good thing to be a spirt, some people are scared of spirits, they call them ‘ghosts’ and think they will come and ‘catch’ you in the night. What ever for? No, spirits like myself travel the world. All the things we could not do when encumbered with a physical body we are free to do now…I went to the white man’s lands…England, America, Canada and observed the struggles of the women there. I went to the East, to India, Malaysia and Bangladesh and observed the struggles of the women there. And of course I have always watched over the women of Ghana. Please note that I said the women of Ghana and not the women of Asante. Of course I have a special place in my heart for the Asante women, I am a proud Asante woman but I watched the land that used to be the ‘Gold Coast’ evolve into ‘Ghana’ and so allow me to address the Ghanaian woman of today. Traditionally our people have always had a lot of respect for ‘the old woman’ of the house so I hope you will have the same respect for ‘the old spirit’ and listen to my words.

Women of Ghana:

* Do not allow people to decieve you about your culture and tell you that your culture is one that subjugates women. That is a plain lie. Ghanaian women of old were strong women who were well known for their abilities in farming and trading. Ghanaian women of today can also take inspirtaion from our ancestors and not only be farmers and traders but economists and heads of corporations.

* Polygamy is passe. Seriously, it may have had some value in the past. I have to admit for a lot of my women friends it was rather convenient to see your husband once every three months. You did not have to worry about cooking for him but in this day and age with HIV/AIDS I will not advice anyone to enter a polygamous marriage

* Get involved in Poliics. I know many of you think it is a dirty game but really it is only as dirty as the people involved…do not sit back and let ‘a few men’ decide your fate.

I have so much I want to say but perhaps you will stop listening so let me stop here. Oh one final thing, there are many more Ghanaian women heroines than myself, everytime someone wants an example of a Ghanaian heroine you trot out myself. To be honest, I am getting a bit bored of ‘Yaa Asantewaa this, Yaa Asantewaa that’…you need to start researching the lives of African women and documenting their stories.

Stay well my children

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah (inspired by the spirit of Yaa Asantewaa)
Programme Officer
Fundraising & Communications

P.S: I attended a meeting of Ghanaian bloggers last month and the group decided to blog from the perspective of a historical figure on the 15th of January, ‘If she could blog…’. This is my contribution