SIKAMAN PALAVER

By Theodore K. Viwotor

Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh, Shadows of the evening Steal across the sky.

The day is over and the ink has stopped flowing. The column we love reading has come to an abrupt end. Sikaman Palaver, the column that we eagerly await at the weekend as we rush to buy The Spectator, has been dealt a big blow. Oh Death, Oh Death!!!

As we lay our dear Inky Brother, Merari Alomele, to rest this weekend, I recall with nostalgic feelings his contribution to journalism and the role he played in making the profession attractive to some of us who were and still are fanatics of his column.

It was the habit of my late father, Mr Abraham Viwotor (who was buried on August 20, 2011) to buy all the weekly newspapers for us, his children, to read way back in the late 80’s through to the late 90’s. One of the columns I never missed was the Sikaman Palaver. There were many reasons for which people read the column but two things stood tall among them; the humor that assuaged the venom in the issues he discussed and the way he presented them with respect for the characters involved, be it the President or the least in society, without causing any uproar or negative reaction.

He kept his readers at abeyance until they finished with the write-up, never knowing what followed next; he was unpredictably predictable. Oh no!!! A mighty tree has fallen. Ghana has lost an unsung hero, who made the pen his tool for breaking into the house and hearts of many, unleashing his havoc of humor that continues to reverberate in our memories. He spoke to many, great and small, learned and unlearned. He touched our hearts but did not know us; he spoke to us but never saw us. He wrote; yes he wrote.

Oh! Merari! You left too early. By the way, whom did you leave the column with? When we meet under the baobab tree one day, we shall discuss the issues you could not discuss, the ideas you still have in the gourd and the humor in the pocket of your “dzokoto” pantalon.

Heroes don’t die! We bury your body, but your spirit is with us. We shall continue to enjoy your legacy of hilarious but serious Palaver of the only Land of Gold we all know, Sikaman because there is always a Sikaman Palaver to talk about. Keep writing, writing and writing, even if you are put in the grave. Merari, Fare Thee Well!!!