Dilemma of a Ghost

by Ama Ata Aidoo

These two witty and perceptive social dramas are sympathetic and honest explorations of the conflicts between the individualism of westernised culture and the social traditions of Africa. Both plays have been performed throughout the world.

Genres: Plays, Africa, Fiction, Drama, School, Ghana, African Literature

56 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1987

About the author

Ama Ata Aidoo was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academic. She was Secretary for Education in Ghana from 1982 to 1983 under Jerry Rawlings's PNDC administration. Her first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, was published in 1965, making Aidoo the first published female African dramatist. As a novelist, she won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1992 with the novel Changes. In 2000, she established the Mbaasem Foundation in Accra to promote and support the work of African women writers.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Nnedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed both of these plays. i read dilemma of a ghost as an undergrad, so it's been a while. my only quibble is that the african american character in dilemma of a ghost sounded more british than american. americans don't say "take the lot", for example. but i love that dilemma of a ghost addressed the relationship of african americans and africans. being nigerian american, i'm acutely aware of this friction. the misunderstandings and the need of atu (who was stuck between his african family and african american wife) to please both sides and failing miserably at doing either was so realistic and funny to me. he wasn't ready for any of it. anowa, the second play, was pretty textbook. girl goes against tradition because she is different, traditional parents lament,etc etc. but i can never get enough of that kind of narrative. the traditional battling or trying to coexist with the modern. the normal rubbing against the abnormal (hmm, well, it does have a kicker of an ending, which i loved, and it does touch on slavery, too, which was refreshing, it being an african narrative. i often feel like the slave trade isn't dealt with enough in african literature). when written well, i'll read such a narrative any time because it's timeless. i didn't think i'd read the whole thing so fast, but i did. note: i read this book for a specific reason. this was part research for my own writing. but it was really a pleasure to read.

[Madolyn Chukwu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author was a very young woman when she wrote this play. The world could thus see from the beginning that this was a very talented African literary gem about to blossom. It is remarkable that she is still very much active till date, having published dozens of books in every genre. I can see that this play involves relationships between people from different nationals/background which can be complicated and tricky. Is ‘love’ always enough?

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro The dilemma of a Ghost and Anowa reúne dos pizas teatrales escritas por Ama Ata Aidoó (Ghana, 1942-2023), en 1965 y 1971 respectivamente.

El teatro escrito suele presentar ciertas características que lo diferencian de la narrativa: no hay narrador (ya sea omnisciente o uno o varios protagonista), lo cual, por una parte, tiende a ser más dinámico; y por otra parte su ausencia obliga al lector a ir construyendo todo el contexto. A veces se suele decir que el teatro es para ir a ver y no para ser leído.

El problema mencionado puede ser el caso de muchas obras, aunque en este caso, debido a la muy buena ilación de los diálogos el segundo aspecto, en general no me representó dificultad alguna.

Ninguna de las obras es leve; ambas incluyen en su interior un desafío al lector a situarse en una situación de conflicto o de dilema, en la que, en lo posible, sea capaz de comprender los diferentes puntos de vista de los protagonistas.


The dilemma of a ghost
Ato vuelve a su pueblo en Ghana, después de haber completado sus estudios universitarios en la tierra de los blancos, como denominan genéricamente los lugareños a América y Europa. Y para sorpresa de todos, anuncia que se ha casado con Eulalie una mujer de esas tierras, provocando gran zozobra en los pobladores: ¿Con una mujer blanca? No, es negra; también hay negros en América, que descienden de los esclavos secuestrados, nuestros parientes ¿Se ha casado con una esclava? Peor aún.

Éste es el núcleo disparador de la historia, que agregado al comportamiento liberal de Eulalie, genera una serie de reacciones en los lugareños, con alguno que atenúa y otros que azuzan el conflicto. Y Ato, un hombre de dos mundos, se encuentra atrapado y tironeado en el medio.

Una muy buena historia, con excelentes personajes, y una vez que el lector se familiariza con ellos, resulta en una obra muy ágil y atrapante, generando las habituales dudas respecto a la posibilidad de entendimiento entre diferentes culturas, aunque detrás de la construcción cultural haya un ser humano, con similares necesidades espirituales y anhelos.

Una muy buena obra.

Anowa
Anowa, desde niña ha sido muy curiosa e inquisitiva, incomodando muchas veces a sus familiares con sus preguntas difíciles, y a través de su inteligencia ha ido conformando un cuerpo de conocimiento que ilumina su comportamiento, muy por encima de las creencias, los tabúes y los rituales tradicionales, haciendo que algunos le pronosticaran un futuro como sacerdotisa.

A medida que se hace mujer, se niega a aceptar las alternativas de matrimonios acordados propuestas por su padres, y decide unirse con Kofi Ako, el hombre al que ama, aunque tenga fama de perezoso y afecto a los placeres.

Ante el repudio y la incomprensión general, abandonan la aldea, y gracias al tesón y la inteligencia de Anowa, Kofi Ako, se vuelve trabajador y sacrificado, mientras va descubriendo que a través de ello inicia su camino a la riqueza; y con ella, finalmente, la posibilidad del ocio y los placeres.

Pero Anowa no cambia con el progresivo enriquecimiento; desde su perspectiva espiritual superior le parece todo banal. Y con una lucidez como un filo de acero, le cuestiona desde el uso de esclavos hasta las vanidades que acompañan su nueva situación. Y para Kofi Ako, un hombre bueno, que la sigue amando y admirando, su actitud es incomprensible y por momentos incómoda.

Una muy buena obra, dura e inteligente.

[jaleh ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting stories

[Halle Popper · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the ending of Ama Atta Do’s play Dilemma of a Ghost, Eulalie and Ato have a fight wherein Ato slaps Eulalie and she goes away for the night. Throughout the play Eulalie has been seen to be the superior one between her and Ato. In the end, however, Ato regains the upper hand when he hit her. After he hits her, Ato could not locate Eulalie and goes to his mother Esi’s house looking for Eulalie. When Ato explains to Esi that he hit Eulalie and lied about her being receded, Esi finally understood why Eulalie acted the way she did. Eulalie was oblivious to the traditions of Ato’s family and Esi saw that it was all Ato’s fault for not informing her. In the end Esi tells Ato, “And we are angry because we think you are both not doing what is good for yourselves. And yet who can blame her? Hmm. . . my son you have not dealt with us well. And you have not dealt with your wife well in this.” She says this as a way of scolding Ato for his lack of informing his wife of their traditions. So with Esi’s enlightenment on Ato’s mistakes, perhaps Eulalie will be excused by his family and Ato will enlighten her of his family’s traditions so she can be more respectful. Perhaps there will be some reconciliation of the conflict eventually as Esi leads Eulalie away from Ato showing a new connection between mother and daughter-in-law. It is also hilarious how all it took was one slap for all this to happen.

[asli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Anowa (in this edition) for class and forgot to review it on here. It’s a wonderful play and I have an immense respect for Ama Ata Aidoo and how she challenged her contemporaries within West Africa to face the complexities of the past. Down with the grand narratives of modernity!


I would love to read Dilemma of a Ghost at one point but I am really struggling to read during the virus and being on Goodreads where everyone seems to be productively reading is anxiety inducing. Anyway, here’s hoping for an edit from future Asli at one point!

[Jay Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Lindsay Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

i hate world lit

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a play about culture class of a stereotypical African American and her African husband moving to live in Africa with his family. It is an interested move towards the end because in a culture that blames women, the man takes all the blame from his ancestors.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one or school. I liked Anowa better than Dilemma of a Ghost but I'm not a big fan of reading plays. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were a novel.

[Raphael Mokoena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent early work by this distinguished African poet, playwright and novelist. Explores diverse cultural striations and the like

[KIMBERLEY ADIELE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Men just do not understand women a lot, perhaps most of the time. You can pity Atu here but at the same time sort of regard him as a 'patsy'

[Booksforall93 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a really long time since I read a play so it took me a while to get into these two plays and I did find them difficult to read but just because they are plays. Once I got into them I started really enjoying them.

Dilemma Of A Ghost
This play follows Ato when he returns to Ghana from studying in the US and he has already married without his families knowledge. His wife Eulalie struggles to fit in with Atos family because she is not used to his families traditional ways.

What I really liked was seeing the struggles between Eulalie and Atos mother Esi Ko, but when it all came down to it Esi Kom took Eulalie in under her wing and blamed Ato for not teaching Eulalie about their ways.


Anowa
This play follows Anowa and Kofi Ako. Anowa marries Kofi Ako without her parents' consent and breaks all the rules. She helps Kofi work and doesn't like being told that she can't do stuff.

As their marriage grows they grow apart they become very rich and own slaves, much to Anowas disgust. Anowa doesn't see why they need slaves and why they can't do the work themselves. Kofi Ako, however, wants to be rich and own slaves. He doesn't see why they should do the work themselves.

I really felt for Anowa in this play, her voice isn't being heard and she doesn't want to follow the rules. She wants to make her own decisions.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ato returns to Nigeria after studying abroad in America. He brings with him an unpleasant surprise for his family: An African-American wife. Although Eulalie is initially excited to meet Ato's family (given that she no longer has a family of her own), her westernised perception of what Ghana will be like results in her quickly coming to dislike the community she finds herself in. She does not understand the ways of the people - ways which Ato does not attempt to explain to her. Her ignorance quickly ensures her isolation from her husband's 'people', who in turn come to resent Ato's 'stranger wife'.
Ato's mother and Grandmother cannot comprehend why Eulalie shuns their gifts and does not bear children - Eulalie remains ignorant to their customs, resenting the fact that Ato has not explained that they decided together to delay having children. He instead allows his family to presume that Eulalie was barren.
The play ends with Ato's mother realising that Eualie is not to blame for her ignorant state: the fault lies with Ato, for he has failed to sufficiently introduce and explain the motivations of Eulalie.
By exploring themes of nationality, gender, family and marriage, 'The Dilemma of a Ghost' portrays the difficulty of introducing a newcomer to a community you have always known, a community that constitutes an intrinsic part of who you are.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two poignant plays by Aidoo. Dilemma of Ghost is a well done, penetrating play about a Ghanaian man who marries an Africa-American woman and the challenges of living life in Ghana during the early years of independence. Anowa is a powerful play about who could be labeled a headstrong girl and woman who seeks to live life on her own terms in pre-colonial Ghana. Both offer vivid pictures of the values of Ghanaian society while offering criticism of the structures of society. Good introduction to Ghanaian life and society.

[Beaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dilemma Of A Ghost is a hilarious yet tragic tale of being caught between two cultures trying to do right by both, inevitably and ultimately failing at both... and maybe that is the dilemma, being at cross roads and not knowing which way to go.
Its a very short play but has a message which stays with you long after you have finished... check ou a fuller review of The Dilemma of A Ghost

[Elizabeth Abbott · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Only read the first play)
The inclusion of the two unnamed women’s discussions for as much time as Ato and Eullalie’s conversations was telling in how much the town members knew of others’ goings on.
Reflections on his ‘dilemma’ through a vision of other children singing ‘the ghost’ is a clever way to oppose his loyalties to his wife and those to his family and nation. Can they occur simultaneously?

[hiba ☕︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read it for my internship... what a weird ending? I feel so confused. Is this supposed to be a humorous ending, that the man who was caught between the two most important women in his life is suddenly the outcast, and his wife and mother strangers no more?
I have questions.
What is the ghost supposed to signify? Why did the play end in such a manner?

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

read it for school but its very interesting about the commentary on african american and afro caribbean and their romanticization of Africa and the difference between African societies and Western societies

[magalí · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesantes representaciones del choque cultural dentro de las comunidades africanas y afroamericanas así como el rol de las expectativas de género dentro de las comunidades africanas más conservadoras

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dilemma of a ghost - 3.5
Anowa - 4.5

Two great plays by a talented writer.

[Kudzai Mhangwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aidoo's rich language is kicking and keeps her reader enthralled from beginning to end. The themes are relevant to this day. These two beautiful plays stand the test of time.

[Gorgy Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its puzzling but very amazing!

[Bryan Sebesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good, albeit a very, very short play. It's a compelling take on the colonization of an individual and the need to communicate better. ;)

[Nuelene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[blackwingedann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is very interesting...
I don’t wanna spoil it for u. But I recommend the book. My favorite character in the play is Ato. 💕

[Manuel McKidd]

Ato: Darling what is it?

Eulalie: Eh.... Some crawling things (composing herself).

Question.

Composing herself is an example of what literary device?

[Sarah Orr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Habiba Hasabo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is not a favourite of mine.

[Sreddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read The Dilemma of a Ghost.