No Sweetness Here

“No Sweetness here” is a short story by Ghanaian writer Ama Ata Aidoo. Originally published in the 12th issue of the Nigerian literary magazine Black Orpheus in 1964, the story was later included in Aidoo’s 1969 short story collection No Sweetness Here.

This guide refers to the 1995 Feminist Press edition of the collection.

Aidoo writes primarily in the genre of social realism: Her stories seek to capture the texture of daily life in her native Ghana, showing how social and political structures impact the personal experiences of her characters. “No Sweetness Here” is set in a small, rural Ghanaian village called Bamso and explores The Harm that Patriarchal Power Structures Cause Societies. Patriarchal assumptions are so ubiquitous in Bamso that they go largely unseen, but they nevertheless precipitate terrible tragedy. The story deals with related themes including Motherhood as Synonymous with Womanhood and The Need for Solidarity Among Women.

The narrator, Chicha, is the sole schoolteacher at the relatively new elementary school in the village of Bamso. Chicha has a favorite student, a 10-year-old boy named Kwesi whom she considers uncommonly beautiful.