In Prampram, it is the simple things that often contain the hidden treasures of joy. It is always difficult to put a finger to maybe, an imaginable spell that throws the first-time visitor into a state of awe. It is always difficult to comprehend but it crawls on the memory, even when the said visitor had long departed the town.
The truth is, for those of us who come from this beautiful fishing community, we have our own unique way of extrapolating pleasure from what some may seemingly overlook, or not place much value on. One of the events is the Futsal Homowo Tournament, currently underway.
For the average football lover in the town, a weekend kick about on a pitch is such a glorious opportunity that cannot be missed. Irrespective of the format, the game evokes emotions – from who should be given a Yellow Card to which goal is to be disallowed, such details are fiercely debated. Futsal football is also not bereft of the very emotions expressed in actual football.
For those not familiar with the concept, Futsal is played on a hardcourt like that of a basketball court, and each team is allowed to form a team of five players, including a goalkeeper.
Unlike mainstream football where substitutions are restricted, Futsal games have no restrictions on the number of players to be brought in to replace others. But thanks to the relentless efforts of Nii Ayerh, a Prampram-based businessman, a modified form of Futsal games have started.
Mr. Ayerh is a naturally quiet person but affable individual who is determined to use the games as a tool for fostering unity among the youth in the Prampram Traditional Area. His businesses have created employment opportunities for the indigenes, and the tournament is one of the many corporate social responsibilities under his belt.
The Futsal tournament, supported by PramcitiTV as the official media partner, has eight players on each side of the game and eight teams are participating in the tournament. The games are played on Saturdays and Sundays and will run into the Homowo festivities in Prampram, which is expected to start from the second week in August. Prampram has never been shy of football talents or teams.
The now defunct Prampram Mighty Royals was based there and used to have players like Awudu Issaka, who was one of the best juvenile footballers in world football. One of famous players actively participating in the tournament is Samuel Nartey, who plays his professional football in Benin for ASPAC FC. A prolific goal poacher, reports in Benin say he is one of the players who has the potential of making it in any of the European leagues.
The tournament is coming on the back of a very successful Kpledo Festival, which was highly patronised and one that projected the town in the right light.
As I said in my intro that Prampram’s unique features partly lie in the fact that we are more connected by blood than any other thing – almost everyone is connected. Our forebears were mostly fishermen and farmers who worked hard to look after their families. The landing beaches are never without music. The music from fishermen mending their nets is a delicious blend of Ga, Dangbe, broken English and Twi, with occasional whistling pounding through the lyrics.
And the pool of regular holidaymakers who often end up buying fresh fish will bear witness to this, a memory that is not only preserved in the mind but in pictures and texts. Trotros (minibuses) and taxis are the primary means of getting around the town, though most people have their own cars.
There are also fleets of the famous buzanga volvo bicycles, which remain a great way of getting around the town as a tourist. There are also the Mommy Trucks or Arrow Glass or wooden passenger buses which carry mourners to funerals on the weekends.
The town offers a perfect haven for holidaymakers hoping to get away from the noise. The population is mostly made up of fishermen and traders who operate side by side, offering the basic needs residents need to make life worth living.
It is, therefore, not difficult to find fresh or smoked fish, tubers of cassava, tomatoes, salt, garden eggs, goat meat or even assorted fruits, selling within the same space or a metre away from one another. There is also the favourite shito loo and kenkey joint, directly opposite the cold store. So for visitors who wish to observe the Futsal games, the town offers more than enough to make you feel at home.
