Money Galore (African Writers Series, AWS161)

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This witty, extravagant but seriously intended satire marks the arrival of Ghana’s answer to T.M. Aluko. Abraham Kofi Kafu finds teaching a hard grind and lacking in rewards. He stands for the Liberation Party, the party of businessmen, landlords, smallholders and taxi drivers. As Minister of Internal Welfare, Kafu pursues his political career with a lively devotion to women, drink, gambling and skulduggery of various kinds and an almost total aversion to work unless it is devoted to some personal end. He is supported by a large cast: a crooked  but amiable contractor, Anson Berko; a less amiable and even more crooked contractor, Nee Otu Lartey; the Permanent Secretary, Mr Vuga, an ineffably dreary civil servant who strives to manipulate Kafu as he has manipulated previous Ministers but also turns out to be as crooked and so is subject to blackmail; the slimy Reverend Dan Opia Sese, who takes over as headmaster from Benjy Baisi and seduces Kafu’s maid. But even Kafu cannot get away with it for ever.

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Weight 0.170 kg

Amu Djoleto

Amu Djoleto was born at Manya Kpogunor, Manya Krobo, Ghana, the son of Frederick Badu, a Presbyterian minister, and Victoria Shome Tetteh, "a modest trader". He was educated at Accra Academy and St. Augustine's College, Cape Coast before reading English at the University of Ghana. He joined Ghana's Ministry of Education in the 1960s as a teacher and education officer. After studying textbook production at the Institute of Education, University of London, he returned to Ghana to edit the Ghana Teachers' Journal. At one point heading the Ministry of Education's publishing programme, he has continued to work for the Ministry of Education.

Djoleto contributed to the poetry anthologies Voices of Ghana (1958) and Messages (1970), and his poems were collected in Amid the Swelling Act.[2] He is best known for his novels, the first of which was The Strange Man (1967).

Novels

- The Strange Man, London, Heinemann, 1967. African Writers Series, no. 41.
- Money Galore, London [etc.]: Heinemann, 1975. African Writers Series, no. 160.
- Hurricane of Dust, 1987

Poetry

- Amid the Swelling Act, 1992

Children's books

- Obodai Sai, 1990
- Twins in Trouble, 1991
- The Frightened Thief, 1992
- The Girl who Knows about Cars, 1996
- Kofi Loses his Way, 1996
- Akos and the Fire Ghost, 1998

Other

- English practice for the African student, 1967; (ed. with T. H. S. Kwami) West African Prose, Heinemann Educational Books, 1972.
- The Ghana Book Development Council: aims and objectives, 1976
- Books and reading in Ghana, 1985

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  1. 01

    by Nana Awere Damoah

    AG’s Book Adventures
    July 25 2019

    #BookReview: Money Galore
    #Author: Amu Djoleto 🇬🇭
    Type of work (Genre): Fiction
    Number of pages: 183
    Own or Borrowed: Own (gift from a dear friend)
    #ReadIt: at home & work (during breaks)

    #OverallImpressions: I enjoyed reading this book although I found the applicability of its political themes from the 1970s to our more recent political dispensation quite chilling. Not much has changed in the 40+ years since the writing of this book. This is nothing short of distressing. I loved how Amu setup the entitlement mentality that is central to the rise and subsequent prominence of those politicians, of whom exist many, that enter the field for selfish gains while convincing others and themselves to an extent, of their capacities and good intentions. The central character, Abraham Kofi Kafu, makes several perplexing mistakes and miscalculations stemming from his arrogance and self-centeredness to the detriment of himself and the very people he promises to fight for while in political office. It was an insightful read that helps readers better understand the vicious cycles we suffer in our kind of politics in this country. In terms of hope however, I’m not sure it inspired much given the reality that the story mirrors too much of what goes on in our politics this era.

    #SomethingThatStoodOut: the writing style itself. It felt like Amu almost wrote this as a play instead of prose. The scene transitions felt quite abrupt in most instances and this may partly be due to insufficient spacing between paragraphs and overall structure. It often created the impression that Amu was hurrying the story along though he still managed to demonstrate careful consideration of all characters and events.

    #OverallRating:🖋🖋🖋🖋 (out of 5 fountain pens).

    Recommend or nah: I absolutely recommend. It’s a serious and fast paced read with splashes of humor that help you get through the often depressing themes.

    Remember to follow my @agsbookadventures 📚IG & Facebook accounts dedicated to books & reading

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Money Galore (African Writers Series, AWS161)

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