Every time I leave the house, my husband goes missing. Because of this, I don’t attend social events. When someone invites me to a wedding, I don’t go. When someone close to me loses a loved one, I do my best to offer them my sympathies without showing up at the funeral. When anything is happening in my hometown, I don’t even attempt to go. Just this Saturday, I had to attend a funeral here in Accra. My relationship with the bereaved made it difficult for me not to attend. So I decided to just step out for a few…
Author: town gist
I’ve lived in this house for the past three years. It’s my third rented house since I moved to Accra six years ago. I’ve lived in places where the landlord didn’t give us a breathing space. I’ve lived in a place where the house rules were so stifling. You couldn’t bring a lady to spend a night in your room without seeking permission from the landlord. The last place I lived before moving to this place, the main gate closes at 10pm. After 10pm, you can’t go out nor come in because it’s only the landlord that has the keys…
We met three months ago. A mutual friend introduced us to each other. Looking back to how the whole thing happened, I’m tempted to believe that our meeting was a planned thing. The way he ran into us and how my friend did the introduction and how he picked it up from there, it looked more staged than a serendipitous encounter. My friend, Frances told me about him some months ago. She said, “A friend of mine is dying for you. He wants your number but I didn’t give it to him. I want your approval first.” I told her,…
My mother-in-law. She’s a good woman going through bad things. Sometimes it makes me wonder. If we would do all the good things only for bad things to befall us, then what’s the essence of being good? I won’t attempt to answer that question. I would leave it to God. He has all the answers. Her husband—my husband’s father died in an accident. It broke her heart and cried for days, weeks, months, and even years. It wasn’t easy for her. To lose a companion like my father-in-law felt like raging hell in her heart. I remember what the two…
The man Ego And I met on the bus while traveling to Abuja must have charmed her with his tender care or probably the freebies he bought for her on transit did the job. They were already couples before they got to their destination, only waiting for the bus to stop for them to head for their honeymoon. That same day, she followed the man to his house and made love to him passionately. Ego was probably not expecting to be pregnant after sleeping with a man she barely knew without protection. Few weeks later, she found out she was…
In the northeastern part of Pakistan, a heart-wrenching event took the life of Asma Yaqoob, a 24-year-old Christian woman. Asma worked as a domestic helper in her village of Bogra and was known for her kind and gentle nature. One evening in April, a simple knock on her home’s gate led to a tragic outcome. Shortly after answering the door, Asma was heard screaming. Neighbors rushed to help and found her engulfed in flames. Severely burned and in critical condition, she was immediately taken to a local hospital in Sialkot. Due to the extent of her injuries, she was later…
In Sheikhupura, Pakistan, 21-year-old Christian, Ansar Masih, became friends with Ayesha, a Muslim girl from his town. They liked to talk about their hopes and what they wanted in the future. But where they lived, people often didn’t approve of friendships between different religions. Ayesha’s family didn’t like their friendship. They told Ansar to stop seeing her because they were worried about what other people would think. Ansar and Ayesha thought friendship could overcome these problems, so they kept meeting. One day, April 1st, when Ansar visited Ayesha’s neighborhood, her family took him away by force. They were very angry…
Fatima was born into a Muslim family in East Africa. When she embraced Christianity, she faced intense hostility from her family who saw her decision as an act of apostasy. “I never knew God loved me,” Fatima revealed, recounting how her life transformed after embracing the teachings of Jesus as her Lord and Redeemer. Her family’s reaction was severe. “Sharia law demands anyone who converts from being a Muslim to a Christian shall be put to death,” she explained. This law mirrored the shame her family felt, viewing her conversion as a stain on their honor. To protect this so-called…
In a remarkable display of faith changes, a number of Muslim Imams and traditional believers in Abuja have converted to Christianity. This event is part of what many are calling a global revival of Christian faith, extending from Asia to Africa. The Story of Ramotu Audu Among the many converts is Ramotu Audu, a Nigerian lawyer from Kogi State. Ramotu has shared her unique experiences on social media, where she recounted multiple visions of Jesus Christ. According to her, Jesus appeared to her in dreams, offering her salvation and guidance. In her latest dream, Ramotu saw Jesus who asked her…
I’m 22 years old and I’m a daddy’s girl. No. I was a daddy’s girl until death took him away from me when I was 17 years old. My dad was the only man I had in my life besides my brothers. He showed me the best human love anybody could ever give. I know death leaves loved ones broken and lost but my daddy’s death shattered me. I went to live with an aunt as a result of my father’s passing. This aunty made life so unbearable for me and I always missed my dad. I missed the care,…