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15.01.2014 Feature Article

Tribute To Prof Ewurama Addy: Doyenne Of Conundrum

Tribute To Prof Ewurama Addy: Doyenne Of Conundrum
15.01.2014 LISTEN

It is the first rest day
I am elated
As I gaze expectedly at the sun
Smiling femininely
With borrowed gestures
Of the doyenne
As the clock tick tock
To half midday

“Ting ting teeih
Ting ting teeih”
Captivating melody
Of the witch is heard afar
The inquisitive youth are
Beguiled
As they run to near and far
Magic box
To behold the mesmerizing
Spellbinding witch
Perform wonders with
Her wand of a brain

The bells chime
Ewurama clears the throat
And begin to thunder conundrums
To her captives
Moments of deafening silence
Engulfs everyone
As brains of captives and lookers
Are in wilderness in search
Of near answerless query

Minds tremble uneasily
As she gaze with easiness
The conundrum is conundrum
For it is beyond the crack of
Mere mortals
Beyond the grasp of
Ordinary men
Beyond the rattle of
Unlearning youth
With a benign smile
Abracadabra
Conundrum solved
Witch Ewurama has spoken

The woman is woman
Merely by her anatomies
Very richly manly in the
White matter in the head
A matter men claim
Supremacy to

The witch relinquishes
Her fame in riddling riddles
And embark on journey
To the farthest place
Known as Academia
In a tiny village of
Ug
A place no woman
Ever trekked to
Except few men
Of valiance
For it is a land of
Unsolved mysteries
And sorcery
Mysteries and sorcery
Many men
Attempt and fail
To decipher
Ewurama did

She unravelled
The mind boggles of Ug
Return home as Mars
A spectacular sight
To behold by all
In the morning
A limelight of
Hope to unbelieving
Young women
Confidence to diffident
Young women
Model to aspiring
Young women
Dream to undreaming
Young woman
Life to dying
Young woman

Prof Marian Ewurama Addy
Hecate of bailiwick
Of high reverence
You can never die

This poem is eulogy of the early life of the first female professor of science of University of Ghana. It particularly highlights her ascension to fame through the National Maths and Science Quiz that used to be broadcast on GTV at 11.30 am every Saturday.

The latter part deals with her association with the premier university as a Dean/Head of the Biochemistry Department. Biochemistry is a discipline few men can survive – an amalgam of two gigantic broad science arenas. I was very happy for her in that position.

In growing up, she was my role model and remains the only female brain personality I ever wanted to be like. I reference her innumerably in most of my academic chit chats. She is one and only woman who readily comes to mind whenever I am advising my sisters (or young women) relative to their ability to dare science-maths, chalk academic laurels and aspire to be whatever men can be.

I used or referred to her as a witch because in our African setting women with manly capabilities are loosely tagged as witches. Prof Ewurama as the poem depicts

“………….is woman
Merely by her anatomies
Very richly manly in the
White matter in the head
A matter men claim
Supremacy to”

I will surely be missing her so much until my daughter to-be-born sometime in future is named after her.

Prof Marian Ewurama Addy, Naawuni ni taha a yaanim tooni.

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