Oh, I love this Accra
As far as I’m concerned
It’s the best capital by far
A veritable tale of two cities
Now let me see
Maybe a story of three
Accra is certainly the place to be
‘cos “edey be”
But I fear
You can’t live in Accra without a plan
‘cos εhͻ na action wͻ
Now bring your mind here
Check out the tale of one Accra
The Accra of power, politics, and government
The Jubilee House, where Mahama and Naana are residents
Ministers, MPs, and their cohorts
Those who really get to have a say
Whether in opposition or in government
Cabinet meetings and parliamentary deliberations
Making laws, rules, and regulations
Power struggles and conspiracies and scandals
jostling for positions
The heady intoxication of power isn’t far away
But where do they stay?
Anywhere they may, of course
But usually they prefer
Roman Ridge and Airport
Cantonments
There is another version of Accra you need to know
East and West Legon, Adzriganor,
Trasacco and such places
I’ve got property in those places
Haha, love to see the look on your faces
They have no size
The ambience alone will draw out your sighs
That’s where the money flows
Top tycoons, entertainment personalities, and the big pastors
Football stars, German and American “bͻgas” with big rasta
Some of the guys who haunt such places
Palatial mansions and swanky apartments
Over here not everything goes
Many hot parties are trending
Sleek Mercedes and Jaguars and V8s representing
Accra-London-Accra
And pleasure trips to Dubai and Qatar are pending
On the social ladder, you must be ascending
If you are hard up
W’anhwε yie you end up resenting
Better not be late
εhͻ babes no wo nni sika bye bye
To be a man there you’ve got to pull your weight;
Gotta be a highflier.
With dry pockets,
You’re out of place like a dangling modifier
You ain’t gonna get no dates
Dollarised charges and the high life
It’s either business or first class
εno na yεfrε no “Proper arrive alive”
The well-heeled and the movers and shakers of the land
Sometimes methods are underhand
But who cares?
Aha no sika ne barima
Let me confess, or rather profess
Sika swine
Wished all that glory was mine
On the other hand
It is all about knowing your level
Baby wͻte
I love the sickly-sweet perfumed Korle
and Osu Oxford Street at night
Where all the hot chicks dey
A sight for your eyes’ delight
The fish markets of Jamestown and the husky fishermen at the n’shͻͻnaa
Lamley, that sassie Indomie seller at the street corner
Their wares are very much in demand
Especially Ayeley’s mini skirt and sumptuous behind
You’ll find no better behind anywhere in the land
Not even where Mapuka originated
Kpojiemͻ at Chorkor and Shiabu is being celebrated
It’s this adolescent mother’s turn to outdoor
So the street is blocked
and the music is blaring but it isn’t heavy metal rock
It used to be
“Kͻmi kala ei ei kͻmi kala
Kε kpakpo shitͻ ei ei ei
Kͻmi kala”
Now more likely it’s
“Obroni Melissa
Osumͻ waakye ni osumͻ pizza”
Or ‘Telemͻ’
Or Adani Best’s “Dzata bi olε”
No need to mention the rest.
I like Mamprobi, Maamobi and Kotobaabi
The names of these areas rhyme
So do Ayalolo and Amamomo
Adabraka, Sodom and Gomora and Shukura.
Some of these ghettoes are infested with crime
With fraudsters and other elements of the underworld.
Mark our ramshackle and decrepit houses
Haphazardly situated
Bracketed by spontaneous roads and walls
Inhabited by married and unmarried spouses,
Choked gutters, rutted streets and all
But some of their interiors are astonishingly plush
And the girls are exceedingly lush
Simply can’t take away their shine
I dig Circle, Buabuashie, Mallam and Odorkor’s flooded streets
Makes me think of the river Rhine
That reminds us of how soon we forget
When the waters recede
But Vienna City area by night
What a sight!
Feel free to ogle varied versions of
Our sweet sisters of the night
Who is to say they are wrong or are in the right?
Go see how some of them hassle in the day
Then transform into jaded Venusian priestesses by night
Why do you think they allow themselves to be treated
Like pieces of meat?
All to what end?
No doubt to make ends meet
In most cases, or so I hear
Some say to give gnashers a treat
Or just for another bottle of beer
Anyway, I love Madina, Nima and Fadama
Life there can be an education
You’ll earn a degree from the University of Hard Knocks
Those “dada ba” types
Could very well benefit from a Zongo rotation
They’ll be in for some interesting shocks
Roiling loins with pelvic agitation
Do you prefer the sandy beach or the queue-ups
With jockeying bowels and feet gyrating
Rather the cool ocean breeze around your somewhere
As you down your something?
Wonder when we’ll include a place of convenience in the house
We’ll situate such facilities nowhere
Enjoy a spell
With the pugilists
Who prowl and ply their craft in the boxing rings of Bukom
You’ll have a story to tell
By the time you finish training, na w’ani kum
Now refresh yourself with
A plate of ‘Ga kͻmi kε kenan’
Is such a treat for any occasion.
W’anya bi andi a wo bεda kͻm
And don’t forget your bottle of Club
Did you ever visit the Abattoir?
Or the dynamic women who run Makola?
What of Kaneshie and Abossey Okai?
Did you ever visit the late Agbogbloshie
And the bend-down boutique at Kantamanto?
Catch a whiff of Korle Bu dusting powder
And do you know Larkai?
One of the boys and girls weaving in and out of the heavy traffic
Hawking anything from dog chains, chewing gum, iced water, plantain chips, and Daily Graphic
It is such a thrill
To have a dance with the ‘Aaba ei’
When you are trying to cut a deal
W’anhwε yie εbε yε to-ma-me-nto
Accra stay by plan
The “kpakpakpa” movement
Sometimes the moves are underhand
The roadside preacher with his honeyed tongue and silver collections
Illegal electricity and water connections
Connection men with visa connections
Affairs guys and girls with all kinds of connections
Yεtumi de 6 dani wo 9
If you lose guard
Ybεtwa wo bia
But it’s all fine
Hey! And don’t forget that “gbonyo party”
Sε wotumi kͻ bi a wobεyε fine
All this and more you will find in Accra
The best capital by far.
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