“…tsoo! is for our suffering and boi! is for our anger, our revolution”
Tsoo boi is an anthology of protests from tired voices, a collection of short stories and poems that border on bad governance, poor infrastructure, discrimination, failed systems, and homophobia, among others.
Protests are a way of us showing our displeasure about a situation as a people. Ghana and Africa, by extension, have a history of protests. From protesting slavery, and colonial rule to protesting bad governance, failed systems, human rights abuse, and discrimination. Protests like the #metoo movement, #fixthecountry, #endsars, #releasetheho21, #breakthesilence, and #killthebill, among others, are examples of protests that have dominated the digital space recently.
Tsoo boi is a Ghanaian word that, when said, is a call to action! A call to action to do something- to riot, to move, to fight, to revolt, and so this book is a call to action.
I loved the three opening poems so much. The opening poem by Fui Can-Tamakloe sets the tone of what to expect in the subsequent pages. It summed up the entire protests in the book but also prepares you for what to expect.
Ivana Akotowaa's "Golden rings" is a short story that focuses on LGBTQI rights. In the wake of recent events in Ghana like the #killthebill campaign, this story is more than relevant in present times.
Ama Afrah Appiah's "The body which changed God's name" emphasizes the dangers of homophobia. This story would have you bowling your eyes out. It reminds me of the song Diallo by Wyclef. It is a heart-wrenching story, and the truth makes it all the more painful- the many lives that have been lost due to homophobia.
"To the god who made me, if he so art in heaven I return - without the body he made
the body which changed his name".
The country seems to pay less attention to climate change, but climate change is real and is affecting us. In November 2021, the sea displaced some residents of Keta. We heard it in the news, and we felt sorry, but that was all that was felt- sorry. Little to nothing has been done to salvage people's homes from the sea, people's ancestry are being wiped out, and all we feel is "sorry" with no actions. Akuvi Aguede's poem reminds us that while we move on with life in the city, the coastal villages are getting wiped out, and people are being displaced due to our actions (and inaction). Akuvi tells us of Kedzi, a village they were told they come from but had never been there because the sea swallowed it up. Their father told them that Kedzi and the sea had a perfectly good relationship until factories sprung up and the sea became a dumping site for industrial waste. Now they can only stand on the shores of Keta and point to where Kedzi had been. And if the world continues as it is, nonchalant, there may not be Keta to even stand and point Kedzi.
It didn't help that when I read this poem, I was on my way to Aflao and had just passed the junction leading to Keta. I was a sore mess of emotions.
There is so much to be angry about, and the voices in this anthology capture a fraction of that anger.
To encourage God to bless our homeland Ghana, we must build a national cathedral with money the country doesn't have because God needs a headquarters to function, and the cathedral would serve as the right HQ for God to bless us. Ridiculous and ironic!
It's sad that every one of these voices in this anthology carries our own voices. They are voices that echo all of our fears, our worries, and our fighting each day.
Growing up and mapping out how I wanted my life to be, I envisioned a number of stumbling blocks that all had to do with me. I never thought that being Ghanaian and living in Ghana was all the impediment needed to alienate me from my dreams. It's such a distant memory now, and each morning I wake up fighting to exist, fighting the systems, fighting to breathe.
I didn't enjoy reading this anthology rather, I was angry. Angry at what a failed country will drive us to do. Did we have to get to the point where we picked up familiar tools to protest? But we are here,protesting with our voices, pens, and everything within us because our tiredness is tired. We have been frustrated out of our dreams, frustrated out of our own lives just because we live in a country that can't cater to the basic needs of her people- only the basic needs.
Beyond Ghana, I am pretty sure that if another African picks up this anthology, they will relate 100 percent with some of the protests here. Was it not about two years ago that Nigeria was protesting police brutality?
Tsoo boi is for everyone. It's a book I fully recommend. We must not stop protesting, we must not stop being angry and we must not stop demanding for better. We must continue to be angry and while we are angry, we must make sure to riot!
Our tired is tired!
And as Henrietta Enam Quarshie said in her poem "Protest Anthem"
…to all who thirst for liberty , where the banner of Ghana freely flies
May your placards
and chants freely rise
Arise, Arise, O sons of Ghana land
And resist oppressor's rule
tsoooo boi! Heii!
tso tso tso boi! Heii!
