It was a sunny, busy Thursday morning in Accra, with people busily making their way through the ever-busy streets of central Accra.  From buyers to sellers to workers of various workplaces like the General Post Office, the human traffic was thick, although it wasn’t as dense as would normally be the case, as there were many shops shut down due to the boycott.

As Justice made his way to the General Post Office, waiting for Kofi to arrive, he smirked as he looked at a couple of the closed shops. Serves them right, he thought to himself. They should pack up their goods and go back to their country kraaaa. Rubbish! Taking advantage of us in our own country…

Of course, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way; many Gold Coasters were pleased to see the closure of many of these stores. The slogan of the boycott, ‘We cannot buy; your prices are too high. If you don’t cut down your prices then close down your stores; and take away your goods to your own country,’ resonated deeply with the people, and it was good to see their firm, uncompromising stance had taught these stores a good lesson.

Now that the announcement about reduced prices was now common knowledge, they’d know better than to mess with Gold Coast folks.

He came to stand in front of the General Post Office, waiting for only a few minutes before Kofi showed up. “Justice, good morning oo!”

“Good morning Kofi. How’s the going?”

“Good, good. I hope the family is doing well, especially your mum.”

“Oh yeah. Just trying to put things in place for her, with the treatments and all. Chale, the more this job-hunting thing goes on, the more frustrating it gets, especially with her predicament.”

“I can imagine ooo. It’s not easy dealing with that kind of stress. But chale, things should be fine soon.”

“Yeah, hopefully. Oh, by the way, have you noticed the closed shops?”

“Oh yes. Obviously. It’s sweet paaa. Especially that shop that Richworth man owned. The way that man can be so rude and condescending, eh. It serves him right that his shop has now closed.”

“Oh, that man diɛɛ, everyone complains about his cheeky behaviour. Talking to you as if you’re a fool for not being able to purchase the things in his shop. And it’s like he’s ready to sack you if you can’t afford it. Nonsense! He should take his goods to his country and go and sell them there; we don’t want him here.”

“It’s that simple. Maybe his country people don’t mind those prices. But we do. Things are already hard for us.”

“So hard. Well, at least that whole boycott thing worked out, so they’re bringing the prices down.”

“Yes ooo, thank goodness. A whole fifty percent off! Chale, it’s good kraaa for our pockets. Speaking of which, let’s get moving on our search for fuller pockets. Another day, another job hunt.”

“Hmmm, the struggle is real. Sure, let’s move.”

***

“Eiii, Efo Norman!” David laughed as his father, wrapped in his cloth, made comical attempts at Kungfu kicks he claimed he would have served on the personnel who tried to cut down some of the cocoa trees on the farm.

Vintage Norman Avudega. He may not have stepped in a classroom since the day of his birth, but his intelligence and comedic wit was unlike any other. The most popular cocoa farmer in Adukrom, he had relocated from his hometown of Peki many years ago and come to reside there with his wife, Goldie. Imbibing the ways of the Akuapem folk whilst never losing his Ewe identity, he was loved and admired by everyone in the town. If you lived in Adukrom and had no idea who Efo Norman was, chances were that you were a newborn baby or a senile old person.

“Seriously, David. They are lucky I’m recovering from that malaria. Like they’ll see. I’ll show them who Efo Norman Akpedze Avudega really is,” Efo Norman declared.

Still laughing, David nodded. “Oh, I believe you, Paapa. Like they’ll see paaaa.”

“Efo Norman is showing you his special fighting skills, eh?”

David and his father turned to see Elorm and Mustapha, one of Efo Norman’s trusted helpers, enter the living room in which the two sat.

“Serious fighting skills,” David confirmed in amusement. “This our old man, if we let him face the cutting-out squad, he would have finished all of them by himself!”

Elorm and Mustapha laughed out loud, as did Efo Norman.

Then the serious look returned to Efo Norman’s face as he resumed his seat. “But on a serious note, it’s been hectic. These people don’t seem to appreciate the fact that it took a lot to nurture these trees. You can’t just cut them down because of this disease. It makes no sense.”

“None at all,” Mustapha agreed. “Efo, the question is, what is so bad about this disease that they have to totally cut down the tree? We’ve dealt with other kinds of diseases, and we have the means to deal with them. What didn’t we experience with that one… what’s it called… drought die-back? We eventually found a way to fight it, didn’t we?”

“Absolutely!” the patriarch of the Avudega home affirmed. “Look, abi I told you I’ve been hearing certain things about the reasons they’re doing all this nonsense. Just yesterday, I met Opanin Kwadwo Danquah on my way back from the farm, and he was confirming them all. See, you’ve heard about that store, UAT or UAB or what… David, you are the one in Accra, you’ll know it…”

“Ahhh, UAC,” David corrected, nodding his head. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know about that store. Part of the AWAM family, I think.”

“Aha, that one. Opanin Danquah was telling me that they are one of the major importing firms in Gold Coast. The way their business has been going, they’re looking to expand, so now they’re making plans with some major plantations in the Far East to bring in their cocoa. So according to him, they’ve seen that the way Gold Coast produces so much cocoa, they’ll have to sabotage our industry so we Gold Coasters now have to depend on what they’ll be bringing in. See, this thing they’re doing, it’s a well-calculated plan ooo! They know exactly what they’re doing!”

The three young men, who had taken their seats as Efo Norman spoke, had their jaws wide open by the time he was done.

“Wow,” Elorm breathed. “I heard you saying that some time back, but I never knew it was that serious. Coz if it’s coming from Opanin Danquah diɛɛ, it can’t be a lie.”

“Of course! Opanin Danquah’s words never fall to the ground. He knows what he’s saying!”

“Ei, so these foreigners, why do they want to turn us into nothing and make us lean on them for everything?” Mustapha wondered aloud.

David shook his head and folded his arms as he sat back. “Hmmm. It’s bad. It’s really bad. Honestly, eh, the Gold Coast is a ticking time bomb. Maybe for now, things might not blow over, especially with the whole agreement to reduce prices and all that. But trust me, things are not good. It’s bigger than just the high prices and this cocoa matter. It’s everywhere. This colonial government has no regard for us whatsoever, and they think because we’re the way we are, it’s alright. But trust me, there’s a time bomb that will explode soon.”

“Very true,” Mustapha agreed. “It’s so clear that people are getting tired of this government. They think all is well, but it’ll shock them.”

“Absolutely, Mustapha! If they continue like this, it’s only a matter of time. Gold Coasters will eventually rise up and say, ‘Enough is enough!’ And it won’t be pretty at all. Trust me. If they continue to do what they’re doing, the volcano will erupt. It’s only a matter of time…”

Hmmm, will David’s words prove to be prophetic? Coz it’s very, very possible…