You all know that I had not been to anywhere like that before. You must allow me to say that I was amazed. ‘Ei, are all these people children of human beings? And where are they going? And what do they want?’

Before I went in, I thought the building was big, but when I went in, I realised the crowd in it was bigger. Some were in front of a counter buying drinks, others were dancing . . .

Yes, that was the case, uncle, we had gone to a place where they had given a dance, but I did not know.

Some people were sitting on iron chairs around iron tables. Duayaw told some people to bring us a table and chairs and they did. As soon as we sat down, Duayaw asked us what we would drink. As for me, I told him lamlale but his woman asked for ‘Beer’ . . .

Do not be surprised, uncles.

Yes, I remember very well, she asked for beer. It was not long before Duayaw brought them. I was too surprised to drink mine. I sat with my mouth open and watched the daughter of a woman cut beer like a man. The band had stopped playing for some time and soon they started again. Duayaw and his woman went to dance. I sat there and drank my lamlale. I cannot describe how they danced.

After some time, the band stopped playing and Duayaw and his woman came to sit down. I was feeling cold and I told Duayaw. He said, ‘And this is no wonder, have you not been drinking this women’s drink all the time?’

‘Does it make one cold?’ I asked him.

‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that? You must drink beer.’

‘Yes,’ I replied. So he bought me beer. When I was drinking the beer, he told me I would be warm if I danced.

‘You know I cannot dance the way you people dance,’ I told him.

‘And how do we dance?’ he asked me.

‘I think you all dance like white men and as I do not know how that is done, people would laugh at me,’ I said. Duayaw started laughing. He could not contain himself. He laughed so much his woman asked him what it was all about. He said something in the white man’s language and they started laughing again. Duayaw then told me that if people were dancing, they would be so busy that they would not have time to watch others dance. And also, in the city, no one cares if you dance well or not . . .