I went to Afresco Foods, my local west African grocer today to replenish my dwindling supply of cassava leaf. I walked in to hear one of my favorite Ghanaian tracks playing – Uncle Obama’s Banana by Sister Deborah (I guess there are Obama’s in Ghana?).
Business was not too brisk, the cashier was chatting with friends, so out of curiosity, I decided to check and see if they were familiar with the song. The cashier, who was the trendier and younger looking of the two, had no idea and advised me to goggle ‘Uncle Obama’s Banana’. The other, after some reflection, was actually able to name ‘Deborah’ as the performer on the song.
Perhaps not the most interesting story, but it at least gave me a DC angle to give the link to the video of the song above. It’s quite fun. I believe that Sister Deborah is also closely related to one of the members of Fokn Bois, a Ghanaian duo that is quite prone to pushing against social norms, such as on one of my favorite tracks, ‘Strong Homosexual Guys.’
Africa in DC 