6. The lights of Accra

A street kid from Accra returns to his village, he watches everything with a mix of amazement and
disgust. “how can people continue to live in villages?” He meets 2 old friends from the village.
They are impressed by his style, fashion, expressions. He tells them all kind of foolishnesses about life in Accra there’s light even at night and slowly involves them in coming where there is work and high life for everybody. Another old friend arrives with a school bag but gets scared and smells the danger of the Accra Dream, he resists a bit, tries to protect the 2 innocent boys.
Unsuccessful he leaves. A 4th friend has come around and is hesitating whether to come or not.
Meanwhile the 2 first boys have accepted to travel to Accra. Street boy accepts to pay them the bus ticked if they agree he will handle their ìprofessional lifeî. Appointment is given for the next morning at 5. It is clear the street boy is going to trap them in Accra

The next morning the 3 have come. One of them still doubts. Street boy arrives, makes fun of the one in doubt that stops resisting. The school boy comes around and tries to convince them all that school is the only way for a better future but he has no convincing arguments. He is sent away. They leave. Their parents have not been told.

They arrive in Accra. The 3 boys are very amazed. One is stunned by the nightlights; the other one sees an helicopter. Street boy gets angry and tell them not to show they are new around. Everybody would abuse them. He invites them to sleep on the floor. They are amazed since they were
expecting great life. The place stinks, there are mosquitoes but eventually they lye for a sleep.
Village boys awake street boy. They can’t wait to get the job and discover the high life of Accra

He searches for a solution and gives to anyone a job. One will sell cocaine, the other one weed. He shows them behaviors, words to do so. The third one, the one with doubts, is already missing his mother and wants to go back to his village. He is severely told that he has to refund the price of the bus ticket to street boy that paid for it. So he will have to do the pickpocket. He is taught how to do so. He leaves disappointed and understanding in what trap he has fallen with his friends.

Problems:

1. Do people returning from Accra or abroad always tell the truth?
2. Has the life of the village no more meaning nowadays?
3. When should one go to Accra? When not?
4. What can be done to avoid that kids get fascinated by modern cities and leave everything for
it? Even if they will have a horrible life there.

Characters:

a) Street boy
b) 2 village boys
c) Village boy with doubts
d) School boy from the village
7. A night in Accra

A girl, Priscilla, is complaining of her fate: her mom is very sick and she must find money to save
her. Her father died. So now sheís alone in the street. She has to find the money very soon or else
her mom will die.

In the next scene we see her carrying a load of stinky rubbish, and eating something at the same
time. She meets a street boy, not very friendly, that proposes her to gamble, since both have money
to do so. The girl wins every time and takes all the money, leaving the boy unhappy.

In the next scene she comes into another street girl, they start quarrelling until they discover they
know each other from Kumasi. They share their story. The other girl has a drunken father that sent
her to the streetÖ

Priscilla reveals she has gambled and made money. Her friend recommends to give it to her in order
to hide it since itís risky to sleep with it in the street. She refuses and keeps her money. They push
away some rubbish and lye on the ground for a sleep. Mosquitoes disturb them.

As soon as Priscilla falls asleep her ìfriendî tries to rob her money. But the ìgamblerî arrives
singing: Guiness youíre so goodÖstar, youíre my lifeÖî so she takes a sleepy position. The
gambler recognizes the girl with who he had lost money. Carefully he takes it and leaves. But the
ìfriendî who was pretending to sleep stands and asks the boy for a share of the money. He gives her
something and leaves her the wallet. She returns sleeping with the wallet in her pocket.

The two girls were sleeping in front of a shop. And in the morning the owner of the shop awakes
them violently. Priscilla discovers she has lost her money, so the tension grows. The shop owner
accuses them of robbing him and calls the police.

Police brings more tension and it is discovered that the ìfriendî has the wallet. The police man
brings her aside to share the money. Priscilla tries to avoid it but is powerless. The police man is
very unfriendly and corrupted. They come back to Priscilla, pretend to have resolved the problem
and leave Priscilla more desperate. In the next scene Priscilla still carrying rubbish starts feeling
bad. Her ìfriendî recognizes her and comes to help her. The gambler will also accept to help
bringing her to a doctor

Problems:

What can a youngster do when heís alone in the street?

What can a street kid do to face social unfriendliness?

What can a street kid do to access to its rights?