2007 was the first time I visited my hometown. Siting in the bus with my dad I found myself
thinking about a number of things. I kept wondering to myself how life is out there. Most of the
mental pictures I had formed in my head were influenced by bits and pieces of scenes I have seen
in movies – you know how the narratives about village lifestyles are in movies. Farms – kids run-
ning around half naked – the beautiful village damsels who throw themselves at city boys – you
know all that.
Well, our arrival wasn’t as I’ve always seen in movies or at least imagined – not a single person
came rushing to welcome the city dwellers or kids fighting to carry our luggage; we were just
ordinary people on every other ordinary day but I can never forget the experience. Being home
for the first time and seeing where my grandparents had casted spells on each other to produce
my dad – home sweet home. That’s the feeling I suppose every African-American will feel upon
returning home after being away for 400 years – at least that’s how Gordon “Commissioner Gor-
don” Williams, the 7 times Grammy Awards winning Sound Engineer summarized his experience
to me during our conversation.
When it comes to folklore no tribe from Ghana in my opinion does it better than the Ga peo-
ple especially when it comes to colonial history. You often find them expressing their thoughts
and opinions in rather satiric ways through their music and such character is Gasmilla; the man
who calls himself “The International Fisherman”; and why not? He’s from Jamestown a fishing
community and his music is played across the globe. We had a conversation with him and asked
him about Azonto, a trend he brought up through his music not so long ago. The Year of Return:
Summer issue is filled with prehistoric features and 2019 features mixed up together like salad for
your reading pleasure. It opens up history and Ghana to you, living you with memories that will
last a lifetime.
Eugene Ossei
07 | Colossium . September 2019
EDITOR’S
Letter