Tale of ‘Zontoli’ in Ghana’s prisons: The debate over GH¢1.80 feeding rate
Until recent times, issues related to Ghana’s Prisons and what pertains to them were shrouded in secrecy. The system operated like an occult with scanty information on its operations in the public domain.
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To compare the then clandestine nature of prison activities to the privileged priests in the old testament of the Holy Bible who had exclusive access to the holy of holies of the tabernacle will be an understatement. This anti-public syndrome bred unthinkable misconceptions that warped public knowledge about the prison institution.
Myth about food for prisoners
Among the age-old stories that wrapped the understanding of many who had not come into contact with prisons is the kind of food prison inmates are fed with.
Growing up as a child, I heard a lot of terrifying stories about prisons which I later found out were myths that held my imagination miles away from the facts. Even after leaving tertiary school, those stories still kept me in the dark until I became a member of the prison community.
One of the tales that got the better part of me was the type of gari, a product of processed cassava, inmates ate in prison. I was made to believe that prisoners were made to live on special gravel-mixed gari as punishment for the crimes they committed. Somehow, this and many more of such stories still linger on and I will crack the cocoons on them in the coming days.
Absolute fact
For readers who have not had the opportunity to visit a prison facility to see what inmates eat, this piece brings you an absolute fact.
There exists not any unfamiliar food in the prisons from what is consumed in the larger society. The only difference in the prison situation is the limited array of foods and the calibrated quantities of meals due to the low daily feeding rate, which is currently GH¢1.80 per prisoner.
Although gari is one of the major foods for the prison population, it is not served in any weird form to inmates from how it is enjoyed by the Ghanaian population. Gari is either soaked with sugar or with grinded pepper and fish or shito. Any preferred mode of eating it in prison is permitted.
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Checking process
Any ration that is served to inmates goes through a checking process. The superintendent of prison as well as the medical officer of the facility are compulsorily required by Prison Standing Orders to taste and sign a ration book. Standing Order no. 263 is unequivocal on the inspection of inmates’ ration. It states, “Should the medical officer be of the opinion that any of the food to be issued as rations is unfit for human consumption … the superintendent shall immediately replace the portion of food declared unfit.” This is routinely complied with to ensure the wholesomeness of each ration. The practice does not amount to eating of inmates’ ration as only the above designated officers are assigned this responsibility.
Improvised fufu
What is intriguing to learn is that inmates have devised an ingenious means of converting soaked gari to fufu. Inmates crush soaked gari until its molecules gain complete smoothness and elasticity comparable to that of fufu, which is enjoyed with an incredible zeal.
As a matter of fact, most inmates in the Western Region’s Prisons prefer gari to other available meals on their menu because of the fufu it offers them. This improvisation is a perfect substitute for fufu that no inmate wants to be left out.
In 2014, I happened to be at a bus station at Nkwanta in the Volta Region where many passengers were gathered to board a bus to Accra. While waiting to get on board, a group of passengers, who apparently knew someone who had been sentenced to prison on that day, started an interesting discussion on how difficult life in prison was.
The leader of the spell-bound discussion touched on the type of food in prison and how a particular ration known as “zontoli” was made of water with palm oil. It was funny and heartbreaking listening to them at the same time. To the surprise of the discussants, I sought permission to contribute to the topic in question which they agreed. There was total silence and rapt attention after I had introduced myself as a prison officer.
At a snail’s pace, I demystified the stories and addressed the barrage of questions they posed to me. Many of those who listened expressed the desire to know more about the prisons because they were immersed in myths that could not be verified or taken with a pinch of salt.
Feeding rate
The current feeding rate of GH₵1.80 raises concern about the quality of food it could buy. Questions have also been asked about whether it is worth offering prison inmates decent and nutritious meals. But the most important question that is missing in the debates is whether anybody can survive on GH₵1.80 for a day in Ghana now.
A negative answer to this question will bring to mind a picture of how magical prison authorities could be to manage or contain the situation: manoeuvring to feed these inmates with this meagre sum without experiencing riots in the prisons.
Backyard farming
The antidote that has reduced the risk of this situation to prison security is the diligence and innovation of prison superintendents. Most establishments that are farm stations or have parcels of land around them have introduced backyard farming. Vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, green pepper, okro, garden eggs and other foodstuff are cropped to serve as supplement to inmates’ ration.
However, with the increases in food prices over the years, there is the need to adjust the feeding rate to relieve the inmates and prison authorities of the untold hardship that is likely to besiege prisons.
What should be borne in mind is that a hungry and malnourished prison population has consequences for the society. Much of the prison population is the youth who are released back into society on a daily basis. And we cannot look on for their health to deteriorate in the future. Considering an upward adjustment of the feeding rate will help forestall any future threat to inmates’ health and by extension the security of society.
Writer’s email: bisilkibaba@yahoo.com
The writer is an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons at the Sekondi Central Prison
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