<<Print>>

Nick has been living at Adentan for the past 10 years. He works in Accra and leaves home by 6 o�clock every morning. He returns home, after a hard day�s work, around 7 p.m., knackered and extremely exhausted. The only things he manages to do are take a shower and �attempt� to watch television. Watching television is an �attempt� because in no time the television ends up �watching� him until he jolts from sleep and staggers off to bed to catch some well-deserved rest. Even though Nick lives in a flat, with such a routine he has no idea who lives opposite him, let alone below his flat. One weekend he overheard someone downstairs crying that her things had been stolen. That was what it remained to him � a remote cry. He did not go downstairs to find out what was actually happening or who the victim was. To him, his circle of friends, comprising mostly old schoolmates whom he meets once in a while over drinks to catch up on the wonderful good old days, was enough. He had heard of a residents� association meetings that take place in the neighbourhood once in a while but thinks that it is not necessary. In short, he minds his own business. Mary�s case is different. She depends on her next-door neighbour to baby-sit for her while she is at work. She and her neighbour got to know each other when she moved into the area five years ago. Even though Mary appreciates this help, Amorkor, her neighbour, sometimes takes their relationship to a level Mary can�t comprehend. For instance, Mary returned from work one day and asked her house help to cook the yam she had brought home the previous day. She was stunned at the reply from the girl: �Auntie Amorkor has come for it!� On another occasion, she entered her kitchen and found Amorkor holding the lid of the sauce pan on the stove in which she was making palm soup! Amorkor�s eyes were looking straight into her pan. Such are the different categories of people we may find as neighbours. But since we live in communities as people, we have to contend with neighbours. I am yet to meet anyone who lives in isolation. Everybody has a neighbour. Whether we live in our own houses, apartments or compound houses, we will have neighbours. In compound houses, tenants have closer neighbours and some of them have engaged in open fisticuffs with one another, resulting in bad blood between them. The causes of friction can range from the use of a common toilet to the collection of electricity bills. Compound houses are the toughest of all the neighbourhood terrains. In spite of the likes of Mary�s prying neighbour, some neighbours could be a human resource which can be managed positively for good results. Neighbours who are each other�s keeper, for instance, could prevent theft. Some people would tell you how relatively peaceful their neighbourhood has become since they formed an active neighbourhood watchdog committee If you live alone, who could come to your aid before you make that phone call for external help? Your neighbour! And in a case like Nick�s, where he doesn�t even know who his neighbour is, how can he call for that help? There have been instances when neighbours have risked their lives to put out fire in a neighbour�s house even before the arrival of the fire service personnel, all because of the good neighbourliness that exists among them. In times of misfortune, such as bereavement and accidents, close neighbours could extend a comforting hand before the arrival of close relations who may not be immediately available. Food, clothes and shelter are forms of assistance some neighbours have given in such situations. In some instances, the right relationship with a neighbour has led to landing a better job, gaining admission for a child to a good school or other opportunities. In short, having the right links with your neighbour could be a blessing. However, not all neighbours may be a blessing. Examples abound of marriages collapsing because of gossip; daughters becoming pregnant because neighbours opened their gates too wide to neighbours, etc. Also, otherwise well brought up children could become �baila� catchers, armed robbers or drug peddlers all because, in the name of good neighbourliness, they were allowed to interact with other neighbours. Alternatively, a well-disciplined and studious child neighbour is likely to rub positively on yours, as children tend to form even closer bonds with their neighbours. So what should be the relationship among neighbours, especially in contemporary times when globalisation has squeezed the world into a small village? The Internet has equally made it possible for people to become virtual neighbours, no matter the distance between them, to the extent that they can even become a security threat! Would you remain on first-name terms with your neighbour or be like Nick and remain in your lane? Surely, the benefits from maintaining a good relationship with your neighbour far outweigh the disadvantages, but it remains a personal choice. As for me (and I nearly added �And my house .....�), I say hello to my neighbour anytime I meet him. What about you?