The stage splits between boarding school life and the home compound. In the dorms, Monica bounces around like a mini tornado, full of jokes and energy. The Okyeame shouts over the drums, “Look at Yaa Yaa—lively girl, always shining!” On the rattling “bone shaker” bus, the girls chant, “Takatakata! Takatakata!” asMonica leads songs fearlessly. Back home during vacation, she lounges like a queen beside a tray of sponges meant for sale. Sister Serwaa scolds, “Yaa Yaa! Sell small, gossip small!” The Okyeame chuckles, “Ahh, lucky girl—Paapa will pay her school fees!” After completing St. Monica’s and passing the Common Entrance Examination, Monica was admitted to Yaa Asantewaa Secondary School. Monica struts through the gate with flair as girls whisper excitedly, “Herh! Within the first week her new friends love to talk about everything and nothing, so they nicknamed her Ntoa, the short formof Ntoatoa. Inherently, her new classmates knew that Monica would become something BIG!” The Chorus chants, “Ntoa! Ntoa! Ntoa!” as dancers mimic her playful walk, and the curtain closes to roaring laughter. SCENE TWO MONICA The School Ntoa 16 The Birthday Journal
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