Our Brother, Our Blessing - Dedicated You’ve kept us laughing through every season of life — whether with clever comebacks, sharp one-liners, or elaborate April Fool’s schemes that we still don’t trust. From salty rice water memories to quickwitted storytelling, your humor has been both a comfort and a challenge — because no one is safe from your teasing. Your wit has a way of breaking tension, lifting moods, and making even the toughest days lighter. dodua steps in to affirm your heart and humour. we grew up in a very happy household — four girls before the birth of boys to our parents. Our older brother, Jesse, was nicknamed Mr “Anaabinun,” and the second boy, Nii Anku, became our baby. He was too cute, with beautiful hair. We used to practise hair braiding on him. He became our toy, always braiding his hair and dressing him up like a doll. Nii Anku has always had a sense of humour. He is very family-oriented and very involved in the lives of his wife, children, siblings, and extended family on both his mother’s and father’s sides. He started a family ancestry project so we could know more about our paternal lineage. He is a perfectionist and also a very good cook. I remember buying two large chickens when he visited me in the US and asking him to prepare his famous chicken soup before he returned to the UK. Nii Anku puts 110% into everything he does. We were all proud when he was featured in the newspapers as the biologist who was instrumental in assisting with one of the first successful IVF cases in Ghana. I believe our parents’ relationship and marriage had a great impact on him. We grew up without step-siblings, so we all strived to emulate the kind of marriage our parents had. He loves married life and believes in helping with household chores. He is a prankster and loves to play tricks on his siblings. If he says something, we have to triple and quadruple-check to take him seriously because he might be pranking us. Even though he is number six in the family, he sometimes acts like number one. He is generous to a fault—with his children, wife, siblings, friends, and both maternal and paternal relatives. With a supportive wife by his side, we always feel welcome in his home. We continue to pray for God’s grace, mercy, and wisdom in his life always. Happy 60th Birthday Nii Anku! Ruth Fleischer Djoleto Prof Angela gets emotional (and yes, she has a lot to say). g rowing up at Tech was fun… pure, simple, unsophisticated, and real fun. I’m sure many people cannot fathom how a family of eight children lived happily in a two-and-a-halfbedroom house. It was so large-hearted that we always had visitors from Accra. In those days, visitors arrived unannounced at odd hours. Making quick sleeping arrangements, fixing quick meals, and doing everything to make our impromptu guests comfortable was extremely important and involved us all—boys and girls, big and small. As I look back now, I see where we all get our superb hospitality and cooking skills from. It has always been a part of our lives. A4, which is where we lived for many years, attracted many of our friends. Somehow, in those days, almost every one of us had a classmate from one of the neighboring homes, so playmates were in abundance. There were the mischievous dawn “aawaareeee” trips to our next-door neighbors’ house to collect the berries that had fallen from the tree overnight. And their tangerine trees, sitting right in front of their house, were also well-sought-after targets. Though I cannot recall clearly “Nian” climbing the pear or mango trees in the back (or was it the front?) to grab some fruits, I can almost bet he also had his fair share of falling from the tree. The boys liked staying up for when Daa returned from his evening walk because he usually brought “kelewele.” Going to Ejisu with Daa on Sundays was a treat, and I know he did a few of those. As I reflect on our childhood, I see how being many children, sharing whatever we had in circumstances that today’s children would say lacked a lot, taught us to look out for each other, to love each other, and to remain united. Our childhood is what defines the strength we have today. Happy Birthday Lizo! On this very special day, I just want to take a moment to tell you how deeply grateful I am to have you in my life—not just as a brother, but as a true friend, a pillar of support, and someone whose heart constantly overflows with kindness. Watching you grow over the years has been such a gift. You’ve not only been my very close brother with whom I have shared many good and bad times, but a genuinely good human being. Considering that I’m only five years older, I remember our happy childhood vividly—one filled with love, care, and laughter, which has led to the unity and bond we share today. As fate would have it, you and I ended up studying the same course at KNUST. I’ll never forget the pride that lit up your face when I became the Teaching Assistant for 26 The Birthday Journal D E D I C AT E D
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