Singing Truth to Power and the Disempowered: The Case of Lucky Mensah and His Song, “Nkratoɔ”

Abstract

This chapter focuses on language use in Lucky Mensah’s song Nkratoɔ “Message,” which gained popularity in 2010, as an example of the emerging voice of the ostensibly voiceless in Africa’s nascent democracies and the freedom of speech engendered in such dynamic political and cultural milieus. Lucky Mensah transforms himself into a veritable modern ɔkyeame “spokesperson/intermediary”—a fixture of traditional Ghanaian governance structures and the intermediary between the indigenous ruler and the ruled (Yankah, Speaking for the chief: Ɔkyeame and the politics of Akan royal oratory. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1995). This analogy notes that the traditional system works in a different way than the modern manifestation exemplified by Mensah. Whereas the ɔkyeame “spokesperson/intermediary” would have set contexts, such as in the palace, whereby he would perform his traditional intermediary function, Mensah uses song and modern digital media. The major parallel being drawn is the key function of being the intermediary between the ruler and the ruled. Further, we will discuss the sociocultural and political meanings of the lyrics of Nkratoɔ as well as the overall significance of the song in the Ghanaian context. By primarily focusing on the use of proverbs, idioms, analogies, allusion, and insinuation as tools of political communication directed to the overarching power structure while simultaneously addressing the ordinary citizenry, the chapter emphasizes that popular music functions largely as a forum for commentating on the ills and frustrations of society, for uniting the citizenry, and even undermining the power and prestige of the ruling government by singing truth to power and the disempowered in Africa.

Uncle Tawia Gye Nkratoɔ Yi

• Uncle Tawia, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ebuo! Tawia ee, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ma εnkɔ mma wo nua panin no sε

• Yεrebrε oo, εnkɔ yie,

• Afei deε ato nkoden o

• x2

• Sε ɔyε panin o, sε kakra o,

• Yεn deε, yɛnnim mpo

• Nso, wo deε, ka kyerε no oo

• Efisε wɔn nyinaa ara de Ata

• x2

• Uncle Tawia, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ebuo! Tawia ee, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ma εnkɔ mma wo nua panin no sε

• Yεrebrε oo, na εnkɔ yie,

• Afei deε, ato nkoden o

• x2

• Sε ɔyε panin o, sε kakra o,

• Me deε, mennim mpo

• Nso, wo deε, ka kyerε no o

• Efisε wɔn nyinaa ara de Ata

• x2

• ((Sugartone))

• Apumpuo nkɔhyia nanka

• Ebuo na amanfoɔ ee

• Apumpuo amma oo nanka amma oo

• Na yɛgyina kwantimfi a yεrewuo ee

• Yɛsuro kuntunkuni

• Yεnkɔ nkɔfira nnwera

• Yaanom adeε nsaeε,

• na yεrehwehwɛ nnwera a yɛnhunu

• Ɔpamboɔ, me ntoma atete,

• Yεmfa nkɔ Ɔyεadeεyie a,

• Paneε a ɔde bɛpam no ne ntokuro no adi ntuhyia

• x2

• Nti Tawia, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ebuo! Tawia ee, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ma εnkɔ mma wo nua panin no sε

• Yεrebrε oo, εnkɔ yie,

• Afei deε, ato nkoden o

• x3

• Sε ɔyε panin o, sε kakra o,

• Yεn deε, yɛnnim mpo

• Nso, wo deε, ka kyerε no o

• Efisε wɔn nyinaa ara de Ata

• x2

• 2nd part

• Ͻko yi, yεse εnyε wo ko

• Nso yεde kasadε, nsεmdεdε, nkɔmmɔdε,

• 

• Yεapia wo, woaforo dua yi awie

• Wote a, wo nko ara na wodi.

• Sε ano a yεde bɔ bosea no,

• 

• Ebinom adidi amee, nanso ebi nso rebrε pa ara.

• Ebi afono abɔ amama, ebi nso afon-fono atotɔ emu;

• 

• Faako a yεkyekyeree aboa no,

• Ɛhɔ ara na yεgyae no.

• Sεdeε nantwie dua nka ne to no,

• Ɛno ara na ɛngyina ɔkɔmfoɔ nsam.

• Abaa a yεde bɔɔ Takyi no,

• Yεde bεbɔ Baa da bi.

• Sε obi de wo kɔhwε nkwa a,

• Yεmmfa no nkɔhwε owuo.

• Ɛmmerε bi rebεba a danka no ara bεse ne torodo.

• Nti Tawia, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ebuo! Tawia ee, gye nkratoɔ yi

• Ma εnkɔ mma wo nua panin no sε

• Yεrebrε oo, εnkɔ yie,

• Afei deε, ato nkoden o.

• x2

• Sε ɔyε panin o, sε kakra o,

• Me deε, mennim mpo

• Nso, wo deε, ka kyerε no o

• Efisε wɔn nyinaa ara de Ata

• x2

• Yεse penpen wɔse no pen

• Wosa akapoma a, dwa mu

• Sε wo yafunu yε wo ya a,

• Na woannwene wo se a, yɛnhunu wo mmɔbɔ

• Woakyerε yɛn aka dan

• Nea wokaeε ara na merekyerε yi

• Nanso ɔkɔtɔ rewea, ne mma rewea,

• Na hwan na ɔbɛgye ataataa?

• ((Kasahare))

• Ɛnkɔ yie, woate?

• Tikya Class one, ɔde-ne-ho gbagbladza,

• Abɔ me pusa, ama meda koraa a, mentumi nna,

• Mpanimfoɔ kaeε, wɔse: “εkɔm yε ya”.

• Hwε sε Agya ammee na εkɔm de ne mma

• Woanya dwetire na wode rewe kyinkyinga

• Na wei, wei ara yεde pia kaa?

• Asεm nokorε yεse yεnto sεbe.

• Woannya bi amma no a, wonsan nwia w’ase.

• Woayɛ ama dondo afono Tigare

• Woayɛ ama m’afidie yi, ayi kɔkɔsakyi.

• Tawia, bɔ mmɔden ara na kɔyi no asotire

• Kyerε no sε εnnε deε obiara se εnkɔ yie

• Aduane nni hɔ a, mmɔfra ntena fie.

• Abusuapanin hwε na daakye yɛammɔ wo bayie

• 

• Ɔdi sika bɔtɔ na yεrewe dwanfunu.

• Yεbɔ yεn ho mmɔden ara nanso yɛnnyaa baabunu.

• Yεn bɔtɔ to retete.

• Yεn mpaboa ase awe

• Yɛanom nkwan Fofie

• Yɛsu koraa a, wonte

• O! Nti yɛsu koraa a, wonte?

• Okay! Ɛnkyε nkyε wɔ n’afe.

• Woate, woate?

English Translation

Verse

Verse Uncle Tawiah receive this message Oo Tawiah, receive this message Let it be known to your elder brother that We are indeed suffering, it is not going well It has now come to real struggle x2 As to whether he is the elder or the younger, We do not even know But you go and tell him Because they are both called Atta. x2 Uncle Tawiah receive this message Oo Tawiah, receive this message Let it be known to your elder brother that We are indeed suffering, it is not going well It has now come to real struggle x2 As to whether he is the elder or the younger, We do not even know But you go and tell him Because they are all called Atta. x2 The centipede was asked to meet puff adder Ei! Fellow citizens, whether it is the centipede that didn’t come or the puff adder that didn’t come, There we are dying in the middle of the pathway. We are afraid of black cloth Let’s go and put on white calico, People, it is not yet night; Yet we cannot trace the location of the white calico. One-able-to-sew-stones, my cloth is torn, Let’s go give it to One-who-does-things-well, The needle he/she would use to sew it, the eye of the needle has gotten mixed up One-able-to-sew-stones, my cloth is torn, Let’s go give it to One-who-does-things-well, The needle he/she would use to sew it; the eye of the needle has gotten mixed up So, Uncle Tawiah receive this message Oo Tawiah, receive this message Let it be known to your elder brother that We are indeed suffering, it is not going well It has now come to real struggle x3 As to whether he is the elder or the younger, We do not even know But you go and tell him Because they are all called Atta. x2 They say this battle was not yours; Yet they employed sweet talk, sweet words, sweet conversation and sweet music to drag through people’s intestines. We have pushed you, and you have now finished climbing the tree; When you pluck, you eat it alone. The mouth that is used to contract a loan is not the same mouth that is used to repay it. Some have eating to their fill, yet others are really suffering. Some have developed bulgy cheeks; others have fallen-in cheeks. Remember, for Abenaa sugarcane is not sweet from the bottom to the end of the stem. Wherever an animal is tied; It is at that same place that it is released. Just as the tail of the cattle will not remain at its bottom forever, So will it not remain permanently in the hands of the traditional priest! The cane that was used to whip Takyi, is the same cane that will be used to whip Baah in the future. When someone leads you to see life, you don’t lead him to go and see death. A time will come when the gourd will be required to speak for itself. So Tawiah receive this message Oo Tawiah, receive this message Let it be known to your elder brother that We are indeed suffering, it is not going well It has now come to real struggle x2 As to whether he is the elder or the younger, We do not even know But you go and tell him Because they are all called Atta. x2 They say, the truth must be said as it is. When you dance to ‘akapoma’ articulate it well If your stomach is aching And you do not react to it by showing your teeth who will sympathize with you? You have taught us how to retrieve monies from our debtors Whatever you said is what I am demonstrating Yet the crab is crawling, while the children are also crawling Who is the one to lead in the crawling exercise? It’s not going well; do you hear? Yo! Class one teacher who is a man of himself, Gbagbladza, I am dumb founded making me find it difficult to sleep when I go to bed. Our elders once said, ‘hunger is painful’. Look at how the father is satisfied and the children are hungry? You have money but you are spending it on kebab; How do you push a vehicle with this? One is not required to precede the truth with the expression ‘excuse me’! If you have nothing to offer your mother-in-law, you don’t go ahead to steal from her. You have caused Tigare to be fed up with dondo. You have caused my trap to catch the vulture; Tawiah try hard to let him know, That currently, what everybody is saying is that it is not well. Children do not stay in the house when there is no food. Family head, be careful so that in future you may not be referred to as a wizard. We have sympathized with the antelope only for us to feed on bad soup. He is feeding on gold whilst we are feeding on the carcass of the sheep. We have been doing our best yet we cannot find a virgin woman. The bottom of our pockets are tearing apart The sole of our shoes are worn out We have drunk soup on a Fofie (Friday) Even when we cry he doesn’t hear So when we cry doesn’t he hear? Alright, things will come to a head in due time Do you hear; do you hear?