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08.04.2013 Feature Article

April Fools' Day Blues!

Agya Kweku OgboroAgya Kweku Ogboro
08.04.2013 LISTEN

'It's the ability to take a joke, not make one, that proves you have a sense humour' - Max Eastman.

April Fool's Day, sometimes   called   'All fools' Day', is one of the most light-hearted days of the year.  It was celebrated only in the Western World, but it is now celebrated in almost every nook and cranny of the planet Earth. Practices include sending someone on a 'fool's errand' to look for things that don't exist; playing pranks and trying to believe ridiculous stories.

As a child, I liked playing pranks. I considered myself a bit of a prankster so April Fools' Day afforded me the opportunity to put my mischievous plans into action. Although it happened a long time ago, there was this prank I played which I vividly remember. It is etched in my memory because of the disastrous consequences.

I woke up early on April Fools' Day and went straight to a cousin's house at Kotobabi.

I told him his Mum at Madina wanted see him urgently. I explained that my inability to deliver the message the previous day was because I had arrived home very late. Remember those were the days when mobile phones were non-existent in this country.

My cousin quickly rushed to the bathroom, took his bathed, dressed in haste and dashed to the lorry station. It was after he had left that I revealed to my other cousins it was all an April Fools' prank. We all laughed as I basked in the glory of being able to pull a fast one on my witty cousin.

We expected him to return a few hours later to receive taunts and jeers. We waited and waited, but there was no sign of him. We became alarmed and wondered what could have kept him that long. To our shock and dismay, we later got to know that the vehicle he boarded was involved in a near fatal accident when he was returning from Madina.

You can but only imagine my mood when the news reached me. I was not beaten, but the chastisement alone was enough to draw tears from my ears. Since then, I never played April Fools' prank till this day.

Indeed, there are many instances of how an April Fools' prank can go horribly wrong. One of such happened just last week. I read from the Blaze Magazine that a woman by name Susan Hudson of Kingsport, Tennessee, called her sister on April Fools' Day this year and said, 'I shot my husband. I'm cleaning up the mess. Let's go bury him in Backwater.'

Shortly after placing the call, Hudson's home was surrounded by local cops with guns drawn. She was cuffed and officers started investigating the report of a murder. Hudson's explanation that it was all an April Fools' prank fell on deaf ears. Fortunately for her, her very much-alive husband walked in minutes later to save her from the grips of the police.

Abusuapanin, can you imagine what her fate would be if, by an unfortunate coincidence, something terrible had happened to her husband? Certainly, no amount of explanation could convince the police of her innocence. I learnt my lessons a very long time ago. Hudson has just learnt hers. What about you? There is nothing wrong with pulling stunts. But some stunts are as infantile as they are dangerous. It is therefore my hope that you would take a cue from me and Hudson.

Some April Fools' Day pranks are however the exact opposite of the ones mentioned above. The White House had a little April Fools' Day fun with the help of a kid. I was busily browsing when I saw a tweet from the official White House twitter feed telling everyone to be on the lookout. It read, 'At 10 a.m. E.T., the White House will release a special video message from the President.'

Being a very dedicated disciple of konkonsa, I quickly relayed the message to friends on Facebook and other social media platforms. When we tuned in online, the White House briefing room came on screen and we saw a kid pop up from behind the podium.

'It looks like you were expecting somebody else, the 9-year-old said, as he leaned on the Podium. 'Well, April Fools' on you all.'

Another funny prank was played on me and my compatriots on Facebook. I received a notification on my Facebook account that a very prominent person from the Kukurudu family had confirmed that the party had impressed upon the three petitioners to withdraw their petition at the Supreme Court.

Before I could say Jack, my two phones had start buzzing with calls to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the matter. I told them to give me a few minutes to confirm the story. I did call a party national executive friend who confirmed the story was a hoax. I quickly pasted the information on my Facebook wall and sent out SMS messages to defuse the tension the hoax had built up in the 112 persons who had called me. Funny, isn't it?

The following day, the Attorney General's Department played a belated April Fools' Day prank on us when they allowed the criminally-minded Electoral Commission (EC) officials caught tampering with some pink sheets in Savulugu to walk free. The Attorney General's action is an eye-opener to me and my compatriots. If by any stroke of luck we catch another EC official tampering with any pink sheet, we know what to do. And certainly, that does not include wasting our time and taking the culprits to the police station, does it?

Once again, it is my prayer that my compatriots will take a cue from me and Hudson and avoid pulling dangerous stunts. And to those who have fallen victim to pranks this year, make sure you do not fall victim again. As the Japanese proverb goes, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.'

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa!

 
 

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