Bright lights sweep the stage as Fontonfromdrummers thunder in with royal swagger. Monica, YawAsante, and their children enter proudly, surrounded by dancers. The drummers shout, “Ye tiri nkwa ooo!” and the crowd responds, “Ye tiri nkwa!” A lead drummer steps forward, asking, “Who is the mother of these precious gems?” The ensemble answers, “Our Yaa YaaMonica!” He feigns shock: “Ei? She dropped them just like that?” The crowd replies, “To! To! To!” before he adds, “Not just dropping—she shaped them!” Drums explode in kpom! kpaa! Auntie Abena and Auntie Serwaa step forward for commentary. “You train children—you don’t just rear them,” Auntie Abena declares. Auntie Serwaa adds, “And Yaa Yaa? She loved themdeeply… but oh, she needed a little correction!” They describe YawAsante’s discipline: “If you were going to your funeral—fine. But not with his wife!” The audience erupts with laughter. Irene’s soldier husband was the same, earning them the nickname “the Cinderellas”—home before midnight. Drums go to! to! to! A narrator joins in, explaining how that same discipline shaped her parenting. The children chime in: “A little pampering here… a little spanking there!” Auntie Serwaa shakes her head, “This same girl— lazy paa in youth!” Auntie Abena agrees: “Her hands didn’t touch! Her feet didn’t touch! Touch for what—when elder siblings were plenty?” The audience claps. Lights turn golden as the narrator reflects: “God gave her a good husband. She learned, she grew. He taught her honesty—and she prays this sits in her children forever.” A blackboard rolls in as the education chapter unfolds—he valued schooling and guided her until she became a nursery teacher at University Primary. A child actor chirps, “Mummy says foundation is everything!” Then comes the sacrifice: when YawAsante went on study leave to Cambridge, she followed—standing by him, supporting him, carrying the load. The audience sighs with admiration. Fontonfromdrums rise triumphantly as the narrator celebrates: “See our Yaa Yaa—strong mother, loyal wife, woman of substance!” The family holds hands as dancers circle themwith joy. Lights fade as they dance offstage to thunderous cheers. MAMA YAAYAA SCENE FOUR The making of a mother 58 The Birthday Journal
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