After the Ceremonies

Ama Ata Aidoo was born in Abeadzi Kyiakor, in south central Ghana in 1942. She studied literature at the University of Ghana, won a fellowship to Stanford University, and subsequently accepted visiting professorships in the United States and Africa. Her poetry collections include Birds and Other Poems, Someone Talking to Sometime, and An Angry Letter in January and Other Poems. Helen Yitah is an associate professor of English at the University of Ghana. She is the founding director of the University of GhanaCarnegie Writing Centre and author of Throwing Stones in Jest: Kasena Women's Proverbial Revolt.

Foreword by Helen Yitah Part One: New and Uncollected Poems Prelude For My Mother in Her Mid-90s I. Fires and Ashes Me Pilgrim Heathrow Healing As the Dust Begins to Settle II: An Afterword, Twenty Years On To a Silk Shirt in the Sun After the Ceremonies II. Grieving for the Living An Interrogation of an Academic Kind: An Essay For Bessie Head A Taking Care of Our Bourgeois Palates II- Our Very Dear Juliana Juliana (The Translation) More Bad News: In Memoriam Fred E. K. Gbedemah Awoonor? Ebei Oo! Awoonor, Hmmm ... (The Translation) These Days (III): A Letter to Flora Nwapa Ode to Qunu III. The National Corruption Index and Other Poems The National Corruption Index I. Really Funny Numbers II. Just This Morning III. More Really Funny Numbers IV. About Single Trees IV. All of It On Reading Jackie Kay Why on Earth Do I Continue to Listen to the BBC?! Mourning Ricci IV. Ghana: Where the Bead Speaks Ghana: Where the Bead Speaks Part Two: Selections from An Angry Letter in January I: As Always, a Painful Declaration of Independence As Always, a Painful Declaration of Independence II: Images of Africa at Century's End Images of Africa at Century's End In Memoriam: The Ghana Drama Studio A Question from the Expatriate Community An Angry Letter in January Speaking of Hurricanes These Days: I Three Poems for Chinua Achebe 1. A Modern African Story 2. Questions 3. New in Africa: I Loving the Black Angel No Grief No Joy An Insider's View Homesickness Two Letters 1. Family 2. After an Argument III: Women's Conferences and Other Poems Just One More Job for Mama Whom Do We Thank for Women's Conferences? A Young Woman's Voice Doesn't Break. It Gets Firmer Comparisons II: We Women, Still! These Days: II A Path in the Sky A Birthday Gift A Postcard from My Vacation A Revelation Part Three: Selections from Someone Talking to Sometime I: Of Love and Commitment Crisis Of Love and Commitment Greetings from London Three Poems for Atta Britwum 1. Ghana Funerals 2. Nation Building 3. A Salute to African Universities For Steve Hymer-A Propos 1966 Two for Kojo 1. As the Dust Begins to Settle-A Long Story II 2. Regrets II: New Orleans: Mid-1970s Carolyn For a Zulu in the Bayous Lorisnrudi Acknowledgments-with an Apology to Ronald III: Routine Drugs Routine Drugs I-for Eldred Jones Routine Drugs II Gynae One Comparisons-for Rose Wondering about Him Who Said No to the Glare of the Open Day IV: Reply to Fontamara Reply to Fontamara I Reply to Fontamara II Now That the Weatherman Has Gone Crazy ... Heavy Traffic From the Only Speech That Was Not Delivered at the Rally V: Legacies The Visible World Of Gifts and References For Kinna II Ekunekun Totems VI: Kwadwom from a Stillborn Creole Kingdom Egyeifi's Farewell Nourishment Woaeenn I VII: Tomorrow's Song Wanted Urgently for Immediate Employment Source Acknowledgments