A Different World
In "The Cutting of a Drink" by Ama Ata Aidoo, a nameless narrator recounts the story of
his journey to find his long lost sister Mansa. The narrator, who is not only foreign to the place in
which he is visiting, but also to its culture, appears to be disturbed by different elements in his
surroundings.
When he first arrives in Accra, he claims to be dizzied by the numerous cars that passed
him. His reaction to these cars indicates that there are limited, if any, cars available in his place if
origin. The emphasis the narrator puts on the presence of these cars, and inability to function
without lowering his gaze demonstrates how different and taxing it is for the narrator to be away
from his home.
As the story progresses, the narrator reveals how taxing his journey truly is. Upon
arriving at his final destination in Mamprobi, the narrator is met by Duayaw. Duayaw, who may
be the only person able to help the narrator in his mission to find his lost sister, approaches the
situation with unprecedented negativity. Duayaw points out the obvious that it is near impossible
to find anyone without a clue as to where they might be. However, he reminds the narrator that
Mansa, his sister, is now old enough to marry and to do something more than merely marry.
The implication here is that Mansa is of age to do whatever she pleases, an implication that
indicates that Duayaw may know more about Mansas whereabouts than he is willing to share
with the narrator.
One of the narrators major issues about life in this city seems to be the women and their
behaviors. He is surprised that Duayaws lady friend brought and ate food amongst the men. The
shock that comes from the narrators audience indicates that it is not a cultural norm for a woman
to prepare a meal for a man and eat it too. When the narrator is taken to the dance hall, he is
surprised that the same woman has ordered beer as her drink. I sat with my mouth open and
watched the daughter of a woman cut beer like a man he says. It can be assumed that in the
narrators culture, these actions were unacceptable for a woman. The narrators close watch of
the women around him could stem out of concern that his sister had conformed to this way of
life, one that might disgrace his family.
By the end of the narrative, Duayaw suspiciously persuades the narrator to interact with
some ladies at a nearby table. The narrator quickly learns that these ladies were bad women of
the city,. According to the narrator I was unhappy thinking about these women, but found
solace because although [he] had not found her, she was nevertheless married to a big man and
all was well with her. Duayaws insistence that the narrator come to the dance hall despite him
not having proper clothes and knowing that the dance hall was against the narrators social norm,
as well as his persuading the narrator to talk to that specific group of women indicates that
Duayaw was aware of Mansas whereabouts all along. Duayaws plan ultimately causes the
narrator to realize that amongst these bad women is his very own sister.
I really enjoyed reading this story. I could actually hear the African accents that Aidoo
was transliterating, which brought the story alive for me. The culture clash also reminds me of
the one I experience, being raised by Nigerians. He was amazed that so many people were out
late on a Weekend. He rhetorically asked Are these people children of human being. My
parents would have had a similar take! I attribute that to the Western acceptance of individualism
and to some extent hedonism as opposed to African emphasis on family and propriety.
Characters
Narrator: traditionalist, rural
Duayaw: pessimistic, assimilated
Mansa: urbane, individualistic
Duayaw's woman: non-traditional
