Sankofa
By Dr. Ato Kwamena Danso · 27 June 2025 · Culture
I was just chuckling to myself, remembering the good old days in my little town. We'd search for empty milk cans, flatten those cans, and then, with zero technical training, engineer our very own "armored cars." Most were, shall we say, not that great, but every now and then, a masterpiece emerged looking suspiciously professional. Fast forward to today, and I see those exact same childhood innovations cruising the streets, now sporting "Tesla Cybertruck and selling for enough to buy a small village. Who knew our backyard engineering was so ahead of its time? I remember those delightful "punishment postures"? The earholding, grasshopper-hopping squats? Pure agony back then, Well, apparently, those very contortions have been rebranded. They're called "Yoga" now, and people pay good money to do them! Waiting patiently for the day "Ampe" will become an Olympic sports ! Last year I saw some teenagers huddled around the music aisle, not for AirPods, but for gramophone records and players! Apparently, this blast from the past is the new thing. It took me straight back to my father's pride and joy that magnificent gramophone record player. We had a precious few recordings, the sound was something else. You could feel the crisp highs and that deep, rich bass vibrate through your very soul. Waiting for "Redemption Song" to spin on that Bob Marley record, hearing those guitar strings, and Bob's legendary raspy voice pure magic. These days "smart" phones have truly become the ultimate distraction. We're so glued to these handheld wonders, it feels like we're missing out on actual life. The irony isn't lost on me, they're called "smart" phones, yet they seem to be making us collectively forget how to use our own medulla oblongatas. Remember when people actually remembered phone numbers, appointments and literally wrote them down in a calendar? Now we've got supercomputers in our pockets and still manage to miss everything. Turns out, the phone is only as smart as the person trying to scroll past life with it. I'm now the proud owner of a record player and some vintage records. Whenever I want a trip down memory lane, it's "Obisisa" on repeat, savoring every moment until that first bar drops ! Happy Friday Ato_KD