Tag: My Bolga Online

The Concept of Father In Frafra Culture

The concept of family in Frafra culture is a complex nest of relationships that go back to the past and outside one’s residence. The father is the head of the family.  He had a double image: one at home and the other outside. In his home, he was the master, but outside, he became part of a community where he recognised that alone, he was vulnerable and made connections and friends with others. He had to hold a certain moral high ground to be recognised among the comity of men.

by Stephen Atibila Atalebe

The story of Nma Adukma

Nma Adukma was married to Nba Abunga, and they had two children: Akama and Adingoma. Akama was the firstborn, and she conceived him after many years without a child when many people started insulting her that she was a Kundogne, to wit, a barren woman. Some even whispered that she had sold her womb, whatever that meant. Some women brought their sisters and intentionally sent them to Abunga’s house, hoping that Abunga would be interested in a second wife. Abunga was a wealthy blacksmith who spent all his time in his Kuta zungo (blacksmith hut) pressing bellows to increase oxygen to make the fire hot for heating and forging metals. He made hoes, cutlasses, knives, arrowheads, and sickles. When Abunga showed no interest in the young women they sent to his house, the village gossipers started saying that he was not a man enough and that the burning hearth had weakened his manhood. Indeed, when Nma Adukma was pregnant, some people said that she had stuffed clothes to look like she was pregnant, despite the advice of ‘pregnant detectors’ who said that her pregnancy was genuine. These ‘pregnant detectors’ are not your average test kits. They were women who could detect that a girl was pregnant in less than ten days of conception, a feat that even the average modern HCG tests cannot detect.  

by Stephen Atibila Atalebe

Atipoka’s Dilemma: Return or Remain?

Atipoka was torn between two men. There was this Nigerian man called Peter, who she met at her bread stand. Peter promised to marry her and build their future together. Although Peter told her of his family, she had not met them. The second man was Awine, who comes from her hometown in Bolga. Awine wanted to marry her as a second wife and has always sent money to her. He promised to build a house in Accra for her.

by Stephen Atibila Atalebe

How to prepare shea butter: The Frafra way.

In northern Ghana, the shea nut trees are similar to the “cocoa” trees in the southern part of the country.
She nut trees are only present in the north, making them scarce and not present in the south. These trees are predominantly found in the far lands. God created them naturally, unlike cocoa, which had its seeds smuggled to the country.

by asumberek