'I'm still traumatised by some of the experiences with my dad' – Dr Zanetor

The Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has opened up about some of the childhood experiences with her late father, former President Jerry John Rawlings, describing them as still traumatising.

In an interview with a podcast on YouTube, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings recounted a particular memory involving her footwear, which continues to affect her perspective to this day.

"Wow. I remember my dad when he would come to the house… girls are supposed to have more shoes?... I'm still traumatised by that today. I don't have that many shoes. I still have to remind myself to buy shoes because he would come to our room and open the wardrobe to see how many shoes we had. Then you would be like, why do you need so many shoes? You don't need so many shoes. You only need one pair to go to school."

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings explained that her father, who grew up with very few possessions, often questioned the need for excess.

"When he was young, he had one pair of shoes to go to church and one for school. Why do we need so many?" she recalled.

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She even admitted that she once tried to hide her shoes to avoid facing what she described as "the lecture" again.

Reflecting on the impact of these experiences, she said they shaped her approach to material possessions and practicality.

"For me, shoes became more of a symbol of practicality and purpose rather than materialism," she explained.

"So, I remember, there was a time when he was coming into the house, and I heard the gate, and then I tried to hide my shoes because I did not think I could go through the lecture again, you know?

"And it's quite funny because it's very early on. I think for me, what it did to my wiring, in terms of how I think, was shoes are more of a practical tool for me."

AM/SEA