{"id":265228,"date":"2016-11-04T17:05:53","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T17:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=265228"},"modified":"2016-11-04T17:05:53","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T17:05:53","slug":"the-kente-weavers-daughter-hannah-yeboah-writeaway2016-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/11\/the-kente-weavers-daughter-hannah-yeboah-writeaway2016-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kente Weaver’s daughter; Hannah Yeboah – #WriteAway2016 winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Favour with others is worth more than gold, for a fortune like this lies in the hearts of the bold.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In a secluded village on the outskirts of the big city, a life was taken away and a new one was given.\u00a0 In this life\u2019s place was that of a beautiful bundle of joy, born of love and sorrow. The father of this child had been in an arranged marriage and like their mother, his eight daughters were arrogant and short tempered. The death of his first wife was not so easily mourned as he was then able to marry his first and only love. The daughter she left behind was, and still is, cherished: a fearless girl with wisdom beyond her years; as she goes by the name of Konadu.<\/p>\n

After many months of mourning the death of his beloved, the father decided it was time to raise his daughters and teach them independence as she would have wanted him to. He involved them in his work as a Kente weaver, making it a family business and a popular source of fine Kente cloth for the many chiefs in the region. As Konadu reached the age of 15, she became aware that her career as a weaver was imminent. All her sisters were weavers and highly skilled ones at that. Konadu knew that her clumsy ways would not be welcome in the work place; moreover, as her father\u2019s favorite daughter, she sensed their jealousy and resentment. She would much rather read in Bubu\u2019s missionary library: her special place. She would spend hours on end in the clingy corners of the library, filling her head with the new ideas and fascinating wonders of the world that lay beyond the village boundaries.<\/p>\n

The familiar creaks of the Kente weaving machines filled the hall as Konadu sat at her work station for the first time. The speed with which her sisters moved never ceased to amaze her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurry up then, why are you scared?\u201d her hostile elder sister sneered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not scared of anything,\u201d she replied with confidence, receiving a disgusted look in return as her sister continued her fast-paced work.<\/p>\n

Konadu slid the shuttle through the warp tendrils as she remembered her father had told her to do during her much-loathed weaving lessons over the past years. A smile slowly crept over her face as her hands started to get the hang of it; then all of a sudden, her treadle snapped under her foot and she managed to lose balance, falling forward onto her machine which collapsed under her weight in a heap of dust and splinters on the floor. The sound of eight cackling hyenas resounded through the hall as Konadu rose unsteadily to her feet, humiliated.<\/p>\n

Her throat clogged up as angry tears threatened to escape.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAww, Little Miss Perfect is about to cry!\u201d one of her sisters jeered, causing another round of laughter. A loud bang caused all the mockery to immediately cease and everyone to turn towards the door where their Da <\/em><\/strong>stood, looking annoyed as his eyes surveyed the scene and the obvious damage done to both his youngest daughter and one of his Kente weaving machines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the meaning of this?\u201d he bellowed, \u201cyou should be helping your sister, not laughing at her; shame on you, all of you!\u201d The authority in his voice had every gaze directed to the floor in shame.<\/p>\n

\u201cKonadu,\u201d Da <\/em><\/strong>said, drawing her attention, \u201ccome with me please.\u201d He turned around and proceeded to the door as Konadu quickly stumbled after him, not wanting to be in that room a second longer.<\/p>\n

No words were exchanged as Da <\/em><\/strong>drove Konadu in his dilapidated Toyota truck, the pride and joy of the family. Konadu relished the sound of the engine, picturing the parts working in perfect unison as she had seen in the book on car engines she had read at the library. They soon arrived at the next, where Da <\/em><\/strong>parked the car outside a large house and turned off the engine. With his hands still on the ignition he turned to his daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou still remember what I always tell you and your sisters, don\u2019t you my dear?\u201d he asked seriously. \u201cFortune favours the bold,\u201d how could I forget Da?\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave her a small smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. Now do not allow your sisters to crush you. There are going to be moments in life where you have to stand up for yourself and do what is right, do you understand me, Konadu?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I\u2019m aware of that,\u201d she said with determination.<\/p>\n

It was moments like these when Da <\/em><\/strong>saw so much of Konadu\u2019s mother in her: exuding confidence, strength and the will to fight.<\/p>\n

As they entered the room, cold air hit the back of Konadu\u2019s neck, a sensation unfamiliar to her. She turned around and studied the machine attached to wall, recognizing the humming white machine from an article she had read. Behind the mahogany desk sat Mr. Sekyi Gyan, Da<\/em><\/strong>\u2019s loyal supplier of the fibres that made the cloth so valuable. He brought them all the way from Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome my good friend, how is business?\u201d the burly man addressed Da <\/em><\/strong>with a grin, revealing a gold tooth that glinted in the light. They continued to make small talk but Konadu tuned them out as she studied Mr. Sekyi Gyan. The multiple rings on his fingers flaunted his wealth as he stroked his thick moustache. His ample belly rippled when he laughed his hoarse crackle and his beady eyes bored into her very soul when he glanced at her every minute or so, making her stomach churn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see the prices in Europe are not doing us any favours; still rising eh?\u201d Da <\/em><\/strong>questioned from beside her, making her ears prick up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid so, I do what I can to not wring you dry, you know, as a favour to a friend,\u201d murmured Sekyi Gyan, handing documents for Da <\/em><\/strong>to sign. Konadu frowned as the gears began to slowly turn in his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat country do you get the fibres from?\u201d she spoke up, causing both men to turn to her in surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cHolland. Not that it concerns you; little girls like you should not involve themselves in the business of grown-ups,\u201d Mr. Sekyi Gyan sneered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt concerns me if it concerns my father getting cheated by a thief,\u201d she ventured, her heart beating nervously.<\/p>\n

The man behind the desk chuckled awkwardly:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talking abou\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTextile supplies in Europe have been decreasing in price by 10% for the past 5 years,\u201d Konadu said, recalling the recent feature in the economics magazine in Bubu\u2019s missionary library, that had gripped her attention for a whole day.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if those logs on your desk are correct, you have been charging my father double what he should be paying you, which would mean, unless I\u2019m mistaken, that you owe him close to GHS300,000.00.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one had ever seen Da <\/em><\/strong>in a better mood than he was on the morning after the meeting. His bubbly laughter filled the house and his joyous shouts drew his daughters out of their quarters and into the living room, grumbling and mumbling at the unexpected commotion.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning my beautiful darlings! I have an important announcement to make. Yesterday, your youngest sister \u2013 come forward my dear\u2026\u201d he gestured excitedly to Konadu in the corner, \u201c\u2026may well have saved our entire family business from future bankruptcy.<\/p>\n

Whispers arose amongst the girls who looked at each other in bewilderment.<\/p>\n

Da <\/em><\/strong>continued:<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was brave enough to speak up for what she knew to be the truth and because of her actions, we will never have to worry about money again!\u201d his delighted expression then became serious, \u201cwe all owe Konadu a lot for what she has done, and I expect you to show gratitude in the form of kindness and a new sense of appreciation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apologies were spoken and for the first time ever, they sounded genuine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud of your my dear,\u201d he said gently, turning to Konadu, \u201cyou have truly honoured my ethos, that I have prayed will guide you all along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning to the rest of them with a warm smile he enquired, \u201cand that is, my darlings?\u201d<\/p>\n

The girls exchanged wry smiles before chorusing\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cFortune favours the bold!\u201d<\/p>\n

About the writer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hannah Yeboah is the winner of the 2016 Write-Away Contest. She attends the Beacon International School in Peduase. For her prize, Hannah Yeboah\u00a0received\u00a0a cash prize of GHc5,000 while her school was given GHc10,000.<\/p>\n

Nicole Chinery and Goloh Lily Eli both from the Sap\u2019s School in Accra placed second and third respectively.<\/p>\n

The Write-Away Contest is an annual competition that is geared towards encouraging children to read and to write. The contest is for pupils between the ages of 10 and 14 years. This year, the contestants were expected to write a story that ended with the phrase, \u2018Fortune favors the bold.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Write-Away Contest 2016 was sponsored by\u00a0MoneyGram\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0Students Loan Trust Fund.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Favour with others is worth more than gold, for a fortune like this lies in the hearts of the bold.\u201d In a secluded village on the outskirts of the big city, a life was taken away and a new one was given.\u00a0 In this life\u2019s place was that of a beautiful bundle of joy, born […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":263010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,11,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Kente Weaver's daughter; Hannah Yeboah - #WriteAway2016 winner - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. 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