Accra Noir

Nana-Ama Danquah’s introduction to this collection of 13 stories set in contemporary Accra points out that the city is close to the centre of the world, near the intersection of 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude, an established cultural crossroads. The capital of Ghana, which gained independence in 1957, was the first black African nation to throw off the colonial yoke.

Danquah identifies Accra as a city of storytellers, people who speak, live and love in parables, aphorisms and proverbs. She refers to a strong tradition of storytelling, and the universally known Anansesem, or spider stories, featuring the mythical Kwaku Ananse. She reminds readers that Accra is a major metropolitan area with all the dangers that implies but warns that the stories in this collection are not always what they seem.

The tales begin with Chop Money, where a problematic death at a market is dealt with pragmatically, and Shape-shifters, in which a woman’s attempt to evade the retribution of a gang leader ends in a surprise. In Moon over Aburi, a female police officer takes action to curb the activities of a rapist and a political struggle between two rivals is brought to a deadly conclusion in Fantasia in Fans and Flat Screens.

Part II opens with The Labadi Sunshine Bar, in which Mamma Joanna faces a rival for her position, followed by The Driver, where a man returns to Accra and meets his sister under adverse circumstances. In The Situation, a man faces the implications of his involvement in attempts to raid a government trust fund.

In Part III, a mistress acts against her lover’s wives in International Consequences, and a hit-man takes out a political representative in Tabilo Wu*f*. When a Man Loves a Woman focusses on the extreme actions of a jealous man against his wife.

The final section contains Kweku’s House where a woman brings the life of a sick patient to a close, and The Boy That Wasn’t There addresses the ignominious death of an abused child. Instant Justice sees a mistreated mistress getting her revenge.

What struck me about these tales is that they are excellently told, with a satisfying balance and narrative arc. Many of the contributors have overseas degrees and experience perhaps providing a sense of external perspective, but the picture they convey is consistent, and redolent of a particular flavour that gives Western readers the impression that they are gaining a glimpse into a society very different from what they are accustomed to.

Many of the lives described are difficult with a general backdrop of economic hardship, a debilitating environment and endemic corruption. Several of the stories feature prostitutes and those from the lowest strata of society. The general message seems to be that life is cheap and few can afford to be sentimental, and in several of the tales the outcome is horrifying. I am still weighing up the editor’s warning about the meaning of the collection; there are some powerful lessons implied here.