Na Who Born Fire for JJ? Trotro-Gossip Among Ghanaians

*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.



Hmm! You hear say JJ house de catch fire

Na so so I hear oh! Fire dey invite fire

I dey feel very sorry for the great man

Oh JJ be great man; the man be good

The great man do plenty things oh

True JJ bring plenty things to Ghana

Plenty things, plenty, me I no sabe



Fire be bad for anyone

Na bad thing happen to great JJ

This Ghana don hard proper

Fire catch no one house but JJ house

My Bro fire visit no one but JJ oh

Na dis only JJ go understand



Thank God JJ be safe for fire

Fire no dey burn great people

Na lie fire burn Judges before

Na dis case already don go court

Who go fit take JJ to court

Oh! Those judges matter

Yes Oh! Woman judge set on fire

But dis one be different

JJ no burn; his family no burn



Valentine Day fire; that be bad bad fire

JJ no dey for house when fire dey catch

Yes, fire catch for 4 AM so where dey JJ

JJ no dey house; he come for house 9AM

Eh! 9 AM, so where he dey all the time

Me I don’t know Jubilee House, Castle

Oh! Valentine day how JJ go do that



Na we all de feel sorry for JJ, Mama JJ

Now dem all be fine in land cruiser car

Where dem dey go now

I hear JJ say he finish him own house

Where the house dey

Oh, the house be Jubilee House

Na you no be serious so so joke bad

Me I no sabe house matter

What you dey sabe

Palace matter oh! Adjirigano palace



So dem say entire house burn pasaa

But the house be 3 bungalows house

Well fire be bad; dem burn one by one

Fire be bad bad these days, fire be bad

Yes, Foreign Affairs ,TOR, Makola, Kejetia



Hmm I hear madam only dey for house

Oh, yes she dey for house when fire catch

So security men dey for house too

Oh! Dem dey there since like 1979

Na maid servant, houseboy dey too

Security, cars all be safe, Na God oh

So security dey call Fire Service

Fire wetin, dem no have fire trucks

But MPs get 50,000 dollars for car

Well na our society be that oh

So security no call Fire Service

May be Security dem sleep self

I hear mosquito no dey for JJ house

You be crazy oh! Security no sleep



Madam JJ be fully dressed before fire

Fully dressed so so joke no good

Na dis dress thing be serious

You mean like she wear night dress

No she dress like she do go church

But why she comot fully dressed

You paa na Valentine day be that

Oh! Na you de talk proper

Madam be smart oh! She dress before fire

Madam saw fire; she dress, she left

You no be serious; you be crazy

Me I be crazy; oh Jacuzzi also no burn



Well dem dey say fire be sympathy trick

Wetin be that

JJ be sorry for saying who born dog

Dog dey burn too for the fire

I say no dogs, cats, car, Jacuzzi burn

Why dem remove all before fire catch

Hmm! Fire no burn dogs, cats



Bro wetin be sympathy trick

I hear say JJ de comot from old house

But house burn everyone go move

You no dey understand

Dem say fire be trick to get new mansion

So why them dey burn old house

Na you no dey understand politics koraa

Now you de confuse me oh

So you think say JJ dey trick us

Well me I no say that oh

Well they fit go Jubilee House

You paa NDC use am for poultry farm



I go see you tomorrow

Yoo, I dey go; I go pass for short way

Eh! Fire dey catch JJ Rawlings

Na wonders oh! Wonders dey come Ghana

JJ Rawlings de bring wonders to Ghana

Hmm, wey tin we go say, bro

JJ be homeless; fire be wicked

Dis one be who born fire

Bro, I go see you tomorrow

May tomorrow bring no fire oh!

God dey for all even fire matter

God go speak for JJ and family

Ghana people go hear God voice



*Akadu N. Mensema, Ph. D., is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained oral historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in Pennsylvania with her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at a college in Maryland. In her pastime, she writes what critics have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical” poetry. She can be reached at [email protected]