Introduction : the lost decades of Africa -- My first coup d'etat -- The district commissioner's hat -- Of silence and solidarity -- Wild lions and little boys with catapults -- Full moon dance -- How I got my Christian name -- Sankofa -- Teenagers in Tamale -- Frozen fire -- Praise for the powerful -- Union government -- Truth stands -- Perilous crossings -- Ghana must go -- Providence -- Tovarisch -- Coda : return of hope -- Anaa?