Medics to the masses, bewildering birds & burnt buttocks

Jimmy Weasel - Tuesday, 4 February 2003 - 14:09:35 - print it raw

In astounding news, the first of many free medical screenings for needy kids as organised by the Children's Foundation of Ghana went ahead in a more than moderately successful way on the 1st of February. More than 66 children were examined by 2 doctors in a period of 6 hours and as far as numbers go, this story has plenty. Diseases were diagnosed and prescriptions prescribed. An Australian man working at the clinic was quoted as saying "It's really hot today. I'm glad so many turned up; it means the information slips made it home. My bath towel makes my room smell a bit funky.".

The free screening was a trial, with aims of being organised for much more rural areas.

Any details about volunteering for the next clinic, or helping out in a financial or drug-donating way are available from:

Oscar Adjei-Kissi (Children's Foundation)
phone: 233 21 220869

PO BOX 5345
Accra North
GHANA

In other news, the story broken by the Ghanian publication "Top Story" (#128, 3rd February 2003)" was the reason for the purchase: Another spare parts dealer turned into bird b'cos of sikaduro". As reported by the Top Story, two local spare part dealers visited a juju-man to embark upon a strange deal to make them rich businessmen. The condition for the deal with the jujuman was that they both be turned into vultures for two weeks before returning to their normal states (human). One of the pair became frightened, leaving his partner to undergo the morphic madness, who endured his new body well and returned to convince his cowardly friend to take part in transformation. The man agreed, but unfortunately the juju-man (name unavailable) became deceased after half of the agreed fortnight and so the business partnership has disintegrated into a solo act. The vulture has been less than cooperative in questioning.

Locals questioned by this reporter have remained fearful of the juju-men, warning of crossing their paths or besmirching their ways with sarcastic cynicism.

In another top story from the Top Story, "Jamestown police refutes claims of the lady whose buttocks got burnt in a pot of hot fire". Crazy titles for crazier stories. The Top Story wasted no time in getting to the bottom (HA!) of this foul caper: out of court compensation-claims-scammin'. The 26 year old woman (Gifty Musa) claims she was pushed into the fire by a fitter. The complainant was very keen to collect compensation, and claims that the accused offered to fork over the money. The final sentence of the story reveals the final sock in the laundry-pile of truth: "...(the accused)... is the brother of Gifty's boyfriend, she told police she wanted to settle the matter at home".

Scouring more scabby sources in GH.