How she was one of the founding residents of Tema, having lived there from the sixties, mom showed such an interest in its development that she was often consulted on development activities and to share ideas as to how to improve the city. She would make donations, attend town improvement meetings and was awarded a Tema Citizens Award. I have seen pictures of her on billboards, for the Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana, a bar of chocolate in her hand. I am sure that beautiful picture of hers’ inspired Ghanaians to love their own locally produced Chocolate. I even learnt that she was one of ten people invited to take part in national tours, in a bid to get Ghana to join the other countries in the sub region to switch to left-hand driving, away from the tedious British right-hand drive. She was fearless like that. Her fearlessness is what has shaped who I am today. I found out about how my mom had delved into the big entertainment industry by setting up a band in the late 70’s, and even producingmusic. She was such a risk taker! To be bold enough to delve into that big male world and thus become the first Ghanaian woman to achieve such a feat, and at a time when cultural expectations of women were such that they were expected to be docile and submissive. I look on in awe at old records of songs like Sweet Gloria, So So Kyen Kyen, and Asonaba, that I found among her things. It has been two years already, since mom died, and I’ve learned a lot about grief. It feels like it never ends. Like, there are days it hits me. There’s also the good times and memories, I guess, that is what really keeps me. I miss her dearly, and I cherish the memories of our time together. Her fearlessness is what has shaped who I am today. She was such a risk taker! To be bold enough to delve into that big male world and thus become the first Ghanaian woman to achieve such a feat, and at a time when cultural expectations of women were such that they were expected to be docile and submissive. “ “ 16 The Birthday Journal
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