Kwame Mainu, a young engineer employed by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Technology Consulting Center (TCC), Kumasi, Ghana, has been temporarily assigned to assist on a project in Tamale in the Northern Region. It is May 1982 and Ghana is going through a period of exceptional economic hardship under the government of the People’s National Defense Council (PNDC) led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings. Food and fuel are scarce, water and electricity supplies are intermittent, and all imported goods are virtually impossible to obtain. The situation is worse in the north. Kwame has been wondering how he can escape Ghana to greener pastures. He then meets Sally, a British volunteer who also works for the project in Tamale.
One day after work closed, Sally asked Kwame if he would like to go with her to buy guinea fowl for dinner. They walked through the village in the brief twilight to the central market, where several women were roasting slices of guinea fowl to sell to passersby. They bought three servings and some roasted plantains to share with Frank, the project manager.
It was now dark and, as usual in Tamale at this time, there was no electricity, so no streetlights. Under these conditions, pedestrians took advantage of the headlights of passing vehicles to light their way. A continuous flow of traffic can maintain nearly constant lighting and make sidewalks relatively safe. Unfortunately, fuel was in short supply and most vehicles were parked in long lines at gas stations, waiting for a tanker to arrive from the south. So the passing traffic was intermittent, bringing rare streaks of light followed by long intervals of darkness. The traffic of each vehicle allowed to calibrate a safe path only in the following meters. It was essential to see the road ahead because all sidewalks were broken and some roads had no sidewalks. Most roadsides had deep storm drains that could easily turn a missed step into a broken leg. Walking on the roadway exposed pedestrians to the dual hazards of deep potholes and passing vehicles, including bicycles and even some cars without lights. Drivers and cyclists tried to weave a path between the potholes and this caused vehicles to swerve without warning. The road home promised to be less than easy.
Frank had lent them his flashlight, but he needed new batteries. They searched the market at various kiosks that sold electrical items, but found no batteries to buy. So they set out for home with some trepidation. Waiting for each vehicle to pass, they were able to advance a few meters at a time. It helped their progress that poor roads slowed down traffic and extended lighting periods. When they reached a smoother stretch, they could risk walking further in the dark with Kwame walking carefully and warning of any obstacles. In a moment, they were able to traverse an open expanse of grass, trying to stay on the beaten path and hoping there were no venomous snakes lurking nearby. Kwame knew all about the night adders that didn’t get out of your way. He didn’t want Sally to find out about them the hard way. Kwame felt responsible for the safety of this frail foreigner in her land and he was determined to get her home safe and sound. He wondered if she had foreseen this dangerous return when she proposed the expedition. After all, he reasoned, surely this wasn’t the first time she’d come looking for Frank’s dinner.
Although nothing more intimate happened on the way home than Sally being caught once or twice when she tripped, Kwame felt that the shared experience had created a bond between them. It was then that he realized that Sally might provide the escape route he was looking for. He decided that upon his return to Kumasi he would request a permanent transfer to Tamale.