Frema: The Lost Asante Girl

Frema and her husband, Opanin, spent half their lives in Ghana before moving to the United States of America. They were determined to maintain the culture and values that they had always known. Like so many others before them, each day they spent away from the mother of civilization made them a more–westernized union. Frema, who would quietly endure her loveless marriage in Ghana, was still bitter that her family would not allow her to be with her love, so she acted out her bitterness. Years and three children later, Frema decided she had had enough. She needed to end the relationship by any means necessary. After confiding with her neighbor, Destiny, who befriended her in New York City and made her a project, Frema learned that it's much easier to end a marriage in America than she thought. Unfortunately for Destiny, she did not get the opportunity to learn that she should stay out of other women's affairs, especially marriages. Destiny created a volatile environment that spiraled into an unwanted and secretive affair between her husband, Kyei, and Frema. Secretes, lies, plotting, scheming, and actions totally contrary to the traditions and values they brought to America are all we see once the couple became more and more Americanized. How would the American justice system sort out this sordid mess when all the people involved had no clue what was on Frema's mind as she tried to achieve her independence and freedom?

-- Opanin Kwabena Mensah