First published: March 18, 2017
The metal door clanged shut with a thud. The atmosphere was heavy, laden with sadness. Torrential tears flooded the eyes of onlookers. The driver revved and honked hard, almost simultaneously, before the diesel engine roared to life. Everyone around was steeped in sorrow.
But there stood the young girl, Jumoka, unperturbed. At 18 years old, she had been sentenced to 25 years for dealing in narcotics. She smiled mischievously, sniffing as though the moment was amusing. She rubbed her nose quickly, waved at the devastated crowd, and smiled as the gaol transit truck took off. Her parents were stunned that their daughter seemed happy going to jail at such a young age. But Jumoka had made it clear—she truly was.
Jumoka completed JHS at a tender age, achieving an aggregate score of 07, the best in her class. Her parents enrolled her in one of the most prestigious schools in Accra to study Science, but she had other aspirations. She wanted to pursue Visual Arts or Home Economics, expressing a passion for creativity and a desire to become a fashion designer, sculptor, or architect. However, her parents dismissed these ambitions.
Her mother, a university hospital matron, and her father, a reverend minister who also headed a Science department at the university, were adamant that their first-born daughter would pursue a career in Science. Jumoka complied outwardly, but inwardly, she rebelled.
Though registered as a Science student, she attended Visual Arts classes secretly. When her termly reports from her Science classes were sent home, she managed above-average passes in Biology but struggled with Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
When her WASSCE results were released, her family was shocked to discover that she hadn’t sat for her Biology paper. Under pressure, she produced a backdated report claiming hospitalization during the exam. The case was closed.
Jumoka had always been unconventional. She loved football and often wore Ramires or Rooney replica jerseys. She played and fought with boys, priding herself on being the “boy in a girl’s uniform.” Her greatest joy was outplaying boys on the football field, skillfully dribbling past defenders and scoring spectacular goals. During a school match, she scored 11 goals, drawing suspicion about her gender. An angry sports official insisted on verifying her identity, only to confirm she was indeed female.
Eventually, she enrolled in a Biology remedial class but secretly registered for Visual Arts electives—a well-kept secret.
While attending remedial classes, Jumoka honed her skills in swimming, painting, and driving. One evening, she shocked her parents by driving their VW Jetta into the yard with remarkable precision. Dropping the keys and her driver’s license on the table, she saluted her parents and declared her independence.
Her remedial results came out stellar. She aced Biology but told her parents it was time for them to support her dream of studying Visual Arts, specifically Architecture, at KNUST. This declaration created a rift between her and her family, marking the beginning of her journey to jail.
As her parents continued to pressure her into studying Science, Jumoka grew increasingly distant. She stopped attending church, citing her belief that even God didn’t force man to obey Him. She eventually moved to the village, where she became a star in the local church choir, mastering musical instruments and settling on the drum set.
One evening, while hanging out at a palm wine tapper’s base, Jumoka encountered her pastor, who had come to “rescue” her. He tried to baptize her in a nearby stream, but Jumoka outwitted him, swimming away and disappearing for days.
Her disappearance ended with a front-page banner headline: “A Pastor’s Teenage Daughter Caught Trafficking Narcotics.” She was arrested at a police barrier while hitchhiking in a truck loaded with banana bunches and hidden sacks of marijuana. When interrogated, she claimed the bananas belonged to her aunt but couldn’t provide her name.
In court, she pleaded guilty, stating she didn’t know the sacks contained narcotics. Her confession led to a 25-year sentence. Unfazed, she declared she would learn dressmaking in jail and saw her incarceration as an opportunity.
As the gaol truck drove away, Jumoka theatrically blew a kiss to her parents, saying, “Try me next time.” Her parents were devastated. The Daily Graphic headline further sealed their shame:
“A Pastor’s Teenage Daughter Goes to Jail for Dealing in Narcotics!”
