The New Year’s celebrations of 1958 came with some surprises; the people of Sekondi-Takoradi, particularly close to the Nkontompo beach, discovered a Strange Fish on shore.
The fish measured about 15 feet in length and 6 feet in circumference. The fish was discovered by a brace of fishermen who suddenly gave up their finishing expedition following this discovery. They reported this to the chief fisherman and chief priestess, Nana Sosi Kildo and Maame Taholo, respectively.
Maame Taholo, the chief priestess, interpreted this as a bad omen for all the fishermen. She then asked the chief fisherman to organize a befitting burial for the “Strange Fish” as she performed other rituals to salvage the situation.
Members of the fishing community in Sekondi-Takoradi held a one-week funeral for the “Strange Fish”. It was, after all, customary rites performed for dead people in Sekondi-Takoradi.
The Daily Graphic reported that about 300 fishermen attended this funeral, with all indigenous traditional priests and priestesses in the whole of Sekondi-Takoradi.
This story shows how the people of Sekondi-Takoradi believed in the interpretation of their priests and priestesses even when Christianity and Islam became popular among Ghanaians in the 1950s. Notwithstanding, this could have been easily interpreted as mere coincidence.
Stephen Baidoo is a writer who loves to research about Ghana's past. He brings Ghana's history to life with each unearthed fact and forgotten narrative, transforming dry dates into passionate stories.
