CLOSING THIS CHAPTER
AUGUST 10, 2019
I will forever cherish the little memories I have of that small office space they called the newsroom. I will remember my coworkers humming along to Brown Skin Girl or Anybody by Burna Boy the most. It was a comforting feeling, a universal love language. “Nack am something, ahh, Nack am something..” my coworker would sing every now and then over the tapping of fingers on their keyboards. It was a good day whenever they would sing; I guess it meant they were happy. On the other days the office would be silent and left everyone to their own thoughts. One of my coworkers, Eric Mawena, would watch Tom and Jerry whenever he had free time. Everyone would bash on him and tell him to go watch his cartoons. I remember hearing him whisper the lyrics to Brown Skin Girl under his breath so quietly it was almost inaudible. My other coworker Daniel watched Masterchef but would skip to see the finished dishes and who won; he wasn’t a fan of the intensity and prolonged gratification. He prayed often and listened only to gospel music. Between the 5 months missing pay and a newborn baby girl, Daniel tried to turn to prayer and faith to keep his spirit alive. Some days he was ok, but most he came into work already drained. He told me that none of his colleagues had been paid for 5 months. The owner of the EIB network had gone bankrupt and the station was running based on the staffs dedication and loyalty to the company. A kind of determination and self-sacrifice that would be seemingly unimaginable in the states. When I asked Daniel why he stayed he put his head in his hands and said, “It will pay off. It has to,” and then he pressed play on his youtube top 100 gospel playlist. I shared a desk with my coworker who sang Burna Boys latest hit. She always was up to something and would always walk in wearing bright colors which equally matched her energy. Sometimes they would let the radio play and the sweet voice of Ed Sheeran would play through the cheap speakers through the static of that antenna they had to keep adjusting every 5 seconds. Ghanaians love Ed Sheeran and many times I’d catch my coworker Atewein listening to Thinking Out Loud and humming along. “Brown skin girl..skin just like pearls…”