Why a headmaster gave Yvonne Nelson a 'dirty slap'

Asides from all the sexual escapades and paternity brouhaha in Yvonne Nelson’s book, she also highlighted some interesting childhood and teenage memories that caught the fancy of readers.

One such instance was during her days at Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, where she experienced a lot of challenges in the quest to cope with boarding life.

Yvonne narrated an instance where she received a resounding slap from her headmaster because of her looks.

Giving a vivid account of what transpired, the actress said during her school days, it was an offence for students to keep their hair bushy and flouting that directive was what prompted the slap.

Yvonne who was at that time a final year student, said it was somewhat a culture for students in that category, to preserve their hair in order to be able to perm or braid when they are out of school.

Yvonne who joined the bandwagon said she did not find it easy when she met face-to-face with her headmaster on her final day in school, after finishing all her WASSCE papers.

Describing what transpired between her and the headmaster as her worst memory of Aggrey Memorial, Yvonne Nelson said,

“When it was time to leave, the headmaster gave me my worst memory of Aggrey Memorial. The day before my departure from school, he slapped me in a way I would never forget. My offence was that my hair was bushy. We were not allowed to wear our natural hair beyond a certain length. However, the final year girls couldn’t wait to have our hair permed or extended, so, in the final term, we preserved it. That was the offence which attracted my worst nightmare in the school,” she stated.

Yvonne also recounted some unfavourable conditions she faced as a boarding house student.

“To say that the food was terrible is the mildest way to put the situation in Aggrey Memorial, which defies description. I remember the soup we nicknamed “moftoto”. It was either groundnut or palm nut soup. It was so light that if you looked into it, you could see your image. When left untouched for a few minutes, it settled in layers so that the water was on top and the other particles beneath. It was a kind of scientific experiment whose results we didn’t make use of. I still grimace at some memories in the dining hall. A friend once saw a toenail in the kenkey he was eating and another student saw the wing of a cockroach in her food. The stories of boarding school food aren’t pleasant in many schools, but Aggrey was on a different level.

“When our digestive system distilled the nutrients which our teenage bodies needed and we had to discard the rest, it came with another adventure. The toilet and bath facilities were oversubscribed, making it almost impossible to have them in sane and sanitary conditions. Sometimes we bathed outside. And the only way to avoid smelling as if you had swum in the toilet was to resort to what we called “take away,” she recalled.

This situation, according to Yvonne, compelled some of her mates to seek transfer to other schools.

“Not many could stand the harsh conditions of the school. My best friend at the time, Fianko Bossman, told his parents he could not cope and needed a way out. They found a way and he left for Pope John Secondary and Minor Seminary in Koforidua before the second year. Another good friend, Laurina Mensah, left before we got to the third and final year. Her mother came for her to Italy, and that was the last I heard of her.

“Those of us without an option had to make two choices, either give up or make the best of the situation. I chose the former. I wasn’t an 'A' or 'B' student. I was just hanging in there, knowing very well that my soul, mind and heart had left the school, but I had to be physically present to tick a box for those who sent me there. Music was what kept me going. It was what helped me to endure, and I couldn’t wait to leave the school,” she stated.







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