AFRICAN PROSE
ASARE KONADU: A Woman In Her Prime
What does the death of Yaw Boakye reveal about the Brenhoma society?
Explanation
Yaw Boakye appears to be a gallant member of the Brenhoma society. One day, he goes to the bush but fails to return. His decomposing body is first seen by Pokuwaa but she is prevented by her mother from reporting to the chief for fear of being implicated. Later, when the search party of youths and warriors finds the body and brings it home for burial, the whole town is astir.
Yaw Boakye's death causes so much excitement. It triggers various activities that reveal the essential make-up of the Brenhoma community; their beliefs; unity as a people; historical experiences, traditional way of handling cases of murder; and their decorum.
Yaw's death, galvanizes the youth into action that shows the spirit of unity not only of the young people but of the entire community. The chief send out a command to all young people in the town to join in the search on pain of punishment by the great oath.
The bravery of the town appears to be legendary. It is not uncommon to have two individuals settling issues between them through combat in the bush. Such a fight could "be carried out brutally unit death". It could also be an attack by enemy groups, and the victim left to die in the bush. Soon enough, the final lap of the search ends in the body of Yaw Boakye.
The very discovery of the dead body reveals the attitude of the people towards the dead reverence. The group that finds the body observes the decorum that the moment demands. It announces the find with the cry of "Wasps! Wasps! Take care!". The message of the result of the search is relayed by the drummer and messengers are sent (into town) for the town to prepare to receive the outcome of the search that has been ordered.
That the people of Brenhoma are superstitious and highly spiritual is not in doubt. During the funeral of Yaw Boakye, the priests take centre stage. They conduct peaceful separation between the dead man arid his It this is not done, the dead man's ghost hover about, pestering his living wives.
The priest's role again is seen when the coffin refuses to move. The procession comes to a halt and it lakes the priest's intervention, the pouring of drinks of libation -for the procession to continue to the burial ground. Here the closing ceremony is performed in utter silence -no weeping is heard. Yaw Boakye's death, then, is a mirror in which the nature of the people of Brenhoma and their way of Life is reflected.