This chapter begins with two folktales from Ghana on poverty, providing a backdrop to the analysis that follows. The first story was recounted by my grandfather, who was reputed to be a skilled hunter in his prime. In his old age, he used to tell the children in the house stories about hunting, one of which captured my imagination for a long time. He told us that poor hunters did not get game when they went hunting. In the simplicity of a child’s mind, I asked Grandpa how animals in the bush knew that a particular hunter was a poor person, which would cause the animal not to allow the hunter to kill it. Grandfather’s explanation was simple but insightful and meaningful. He explained that a poor person could not afford to miss when aiming at an animal. He borrowed the gun and bought gunpowder on credit. His creditors would expect him to pay for the borrowed gun and the gunpowder after a hunting expedition. Thus, when such a person spotted an animal during a hunt, he would try to get remarkably close before firing, knowing that he could not afford to miss. Getting close to an animal before shooting was a big gamble. As he walked stealthily toward an animal, the hunter would recount in his mind which parts of the animal he would keep at home for consumption, how much meat his creditors would accept as payment, how much money he would get after selling part of his portion of the meat, which creditor he would pay first …, and then snap, he would be too absorbed in his cogitation to lose his focus. He would step on a twig and startle the animal, which would then run away. I could picture a poor hunter’s face as he watched a prey that he had come so close to killing dart away. He would be confused, frustrated, and sad, and blame himself for not being careful. The other story was about how Asante kings came to have a cadre of resident hunters at the palace. The story went that one Asante king was taking a stroll in the woods with his servants one day when they came upon a lone man, a trapper, in a little hut eating roasted green plantain with ground hot pepper. Judging by the way the man was sweating and licking his lips, the king perceived that the food tasted great. He went home and immediately summoned his first wife to the palace to ask her to prepare the same meal for him. The king was eager to eat when the food arrived, but no sooner had he taken a bite than he spat it out and ordered his servants to go back to the forest and arrest the hunter. When the hunter was brought before the king and asked why he ate such awful food with glee, the flustered loner explained that being a destitute person, the only thing he could control was making himself happy, and that included pretending to eat a great meal even if it was not. Instead of punishing him, the king took pity on the poor hunter and asked him to come live at the palace and hunt for the household. And the hunter obliged.

Perspectives on Poverty

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发表日期：

2026年

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Martha Donkor

摘要

This chapter begins with two folktales from Ghana on poverty, providing a backdrop to the analysis that follows. The first story was recounted by my grandfather, who was reputed to be a skilled hunter in his prime. In his old age, he used to tell the children in the house stories about hunting, one of which captured my imagination for a long time. He told us that poor hunters did not get game when they went hunting. In the simplicity of a child’s mind, I asked Grandpa how animals in the bush knew that a particular hunter was a poor person, which would cause the animal not to allow the hunter to kill it. Grandfather’s explanation was simple but insightful and meaningful. He explained that a poor person could not afford to miss when aiming at an animal. He borrowed the gun and bought gunpowder on credit. His creditors would expect him to pay for the borrowed gun and the gunpowder after a hunting expedition. Thus, when such a person spotted an animal during a hunt, he would try to get remarkably close before firing, knowing that he could not afford to miss. Getting close to an animal before shooting was a big gamble. As he walked stealthily toward an animal, the hunter would recount in his mind which parts of the animal he would keep at home for consumption, how much meat his creditors would accept as payment, how much money he would get after selling part of his portion of the meat, which creditor he would pay first …, and then snap, he would be too absorbed in his cogitation to lose his focus. He would step on a twig and startle the animal, which would then run away. I could picture a poor hunter’s face as he watched a prey that he had come so close to killing dart away. He would be confused, frustrated, and sad, and blame himself for not being careful. The other story was about how Asante kings came to have a cadre of resident hunters at the palace. The story went that one Asante king was taking a stroll in the woods with his servants one day when they came upon a lone man, a trapper, in a little hut eating roasted green plantain with ground hot pepper. Judging by the way the man was sweating and licking his lips, the king perceived that the food tasted great. He went home and immediately summoned his first wife to the palace to ask her to prepare the same meal for him. The king was eager to eat when the food arrived, but no sooner had he taken a bite than he spat it out and ordered his servants to go back to the forest and arrest the hunter. When the hunter was brought before the king and asked why he ate such awful food with glee, the flustered loner explained that being a destitute person, the only thing he could control was making himself happy, and that included pretending to eat a great meal even if it was not. Instead of punishing him, the king took pity on the poor hunter and asked him to come live at the palace and hunt for the household. And the hunter obliged.