The most widely spoken language of Ghana is Twi. Fanti, however, is Twi’s twin tongue, the same language as Twi but with a shift in pronunciation and changes in certain words. In Egyam, they speak Fanti, but they also speak Ahanta. Ahanta is a language unlike Twi and Fanti, with completely different words and pronunciations. The basic Twi I had learned helped me adjust to learn Fanti, but I was sorely out of my league with learning Ahanta. With my brain, I have to write words down to learn them, understand their spelling and how they look on the page. Ahanta is a verbal language, able to be written down but with inconsistent spellings and no true written form. If not for Emmanuel, I would have been completely lost.
Emmanuel Okye speaks Twi, Fanti, Ahanta, and English fluently, and was my translator. A 28-year old man who grew up in Egyam Children’s Home, he has since gotten his bachelor’s in business management and worked in related fields. He was back in Egyam the summer I came to spend time with his Egyam family, and when Mr. Payne, ST’s advisor, asked Emmanuel to stay the whole summer to be my translator, he agreed with no questions asked. Out of the goodness of the heart he was ready to help. He helped me with my pronunciation and was my connection in Ghana to the English language. It was with him that I explored Ghana’s markets and sites, and with him that I felt most comfortable sharing about myself and my cultural adjustment. As my time in Ghana came to a close, we had truly formed a wonderful friendship. Without him, there would not have been an Entrepreneurship course at all.
~Crystal
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