Let me tell you a story.
December 1991. There’s a ringing inside my ears. The eardrums are being plummeted, clogged up in thrilling melodies. I’m soaked in sweat, and my whole being is in rhythmic gyrations. I can’t remember how long I’ve actually been on this packed dance floor. Three, four hours?
The last time I checked the time, it was about 1am, when we had just entered the inner room. We had arrived soon after midnight when we drove in straight from La Beach.. That night, like the last, I joined the people sitting around the bonfire. Sure enough, Peter was there with his guitar playing Bob Marley and got us all to sing along.
When we arrived at Balm, we had to park quite a distance away and walk to the venue. I couldn’t believe how packed the courtyard was. We were literally fighting for leg space to step as we entered. It was all so amusing hearing people calling out to one another, obviously people who had not seen each other in a while, asking in afflicted high pitched tones: “Hey, when did you come?” And yet another: “When did you arrive?” over on the other side too!
Eventually, we found a place to perch, had some drinks and soon after close to 1am, we went indoors when my pal Joojo also came by. I’ve certainly been in here since then. Only the strobe lights flickered here, so I couldn’t read the time on my watch. Besides, I was far too busy gyrating to worry about the time.
It had been announced a while earlier that the Balm dawn kenkey spread was ready and set out in the yard. I had thought there’d be a mad rush out for it. It was such an innovative idea at the time to serve breakfast at the night club! It was one of the aspects of all the tales we heard of happenings back home in Ghana that I so wanted to experience! As I didn’t see any mass movement for the door I carried on spinning the ‘messop’ here with Joojo and co. Surely, they will have enough to go round, to reach all of us here.
I was on holidays in Accra having moved to England after my A-Levels a couple of years before. I’d been dying to come home for Christmas. Last December, I worked manning the till at Sainsbury’s supermarket till the 24th. I was not amused. For someone used to celebrating the Yuletide period over a 2 or 3-week period, just getting Christmas Day off was enough to break my soul.
As if that wasn’t enough, it was the first time I was spending Christmas since I moved out of my Uncle George’s home to my own apartment. The weight of loneliness that engulfed me that Christmas Day, alone in my room, coupled with the chill of that day that instantly turned the streak of tears that flowed down on my face into a chilly stream, was just too much. I vowed to save every pound I would get in the coming months to get myself a ticket to fly home to GH for Christmas the following year!
My resolve found new verve when my Legon and KNUST buddies visiting during the summer from back home recounted how they “jammed” during the X’mas holidays last year. It didn’t matter that Ken was narrating his version to me on the deck of a cruise boat gliding down River Thames with Giles Bossman spinning tine after tune in the background. My mind was in a trance. To be on that dance floor at Quantus’ Balm Tavern!
Here I was, manifesting the dream. When I stepped out, I was shocked! It was as bright as ….! Honestly, I thought it was still dawn with night sky now clearing for sunrise! Not knowing it was just past 7am! It was such an incredible feeling. A far cry from how I spent Christmas the year before. This time around, I spent the morning with my mother, went over to lunch with my sister Emma and her family before heading out to La Beach with my brothers Abeku and Sami.
Thirsty odd years on – now living in Ghana – with the metabolism slowing down, I just drive around during Christmas time just observing as the next generation gets their groove on! It’s nice these days going around just looking at the lighting decor in the centre of town. A far cry from a few years ago when the night would be bland. Now, thanks to event decor designers like Jandel and the sponsors, at least driving around isn’t quite so drab.
