The word Kayayei is believed not to be new to majority of Ghanaians; but why these folks may soon hit the streets with a fierce demo, is what many are not yet aware of.
Kayayei is the general local word for porters in Ghana, especially the females among them. The word was derived from two different words – ‘Kaya’ which means goods/luggage/load/burden in the Hausa language, and ‘Yei’ which means females or women in the Ga language.
To explain further on the etymology of the word; Kayayei is actually the plural form of ‘Kayayoo’. This simply means that ‘Yoo’ in Ga is a woman or female while ‘Yei’ are women or females. Kaya alone, is also used to refer to the use of manual labour to convey goods (usually agricultural produce) to and from market places.
Most often than not, the porters bear the loads on their heads using large basins, the reason why they are commonly called “Head Porters”.
These porters usually come from hinterlands and rural communities, to search for menial work in the more developed towns and cities of the country. Statistics however, reveal that most of them are natives of the three northern regions of Ghana – Upper East, Upper West and Norther Region.
The striking and pathetic part of this kayayei business is that majority of the women are of child bearing age and often have their [malnourished] babies strapped to their backs with wrappers and exposed to any sort of weather prevailing on each of the days, while they do the ‘heavy-load-tour’ to and fro wherever their destinations may be! Also, the income of these “human donkeys” are so minimal that it is never worth the toil and sweat.
The increasing numbers and massive influx of these women and teenage girls into big cities like Kumasi and Accra has also become a cause of serious worry as to the kind of foundation and future they are preparing for themselves.
It was once revealed through an interview by Daily Graphic, that some of these kayayei are school dropouts, debtors, victims of extreme poverty and unemployment, as well as young females who had escaped bizarre socio-cultural practices such as forced marriages, initiation rites and female genital mutilation.
Moreover, they usually operate on poor hygiene and very low living standards that are generally pose a threat to their health. Since majority of them do not afford decent homes, with many living on the streets, they are also exposed to all forms of hazards and social abuse.
This business is therefore deemed unacceptable; especially as it concerns the well-being of women, children and families in general.
What has been done so far to curb Kayayei
The menace of Kayayei has been condemned by various governments in Ghana. While some of them made moves towards minimizing or eradicating this issue of concern, some others did close to nothing about it.
The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) which was established under the John Mahama administration would have gone a long way to alleviate the sufferings of the porters, but it ended up amounting to nothing but a scandal.
However, some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have made significant moves towards bettering the lives of head porters in the country. Marie Stopes International (MSI) who got the support of USAID, is recognized among them.
This is not the first time head porters are staging demos in Ghana in the cry for alternative means of livelihood and better living conditions. However, what is about to drive them to protest this time is more targeted.
According to reports from adomonline.com, Kayayei in their thousands have threatened to stage a street protest if the Parliament goes ahead to reject Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection. According to them, Madam Djaba is the person who has their interest at heart and holds the promise of making lives better for them.
Minority Members of Parliament have refused to approve the appointment of Otiko Afisa Djaba, who was nominated as the Minister for Gender by President Nana Akufo-Addo. Their refusal borders on some controversial issues raised during her vetting by the Parliament Appointments Committee, which include her not participating in National Service as well as refusal to regret the “unsavory” statements she made against former president John Mahama ahead of the 2016 elections.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
