On Tuesday, fourteen-year-old Master Kwame Junior bravely confronted and defeated a massive 14-foot python on a sugarcane plantation in Benyadze, near Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region.
This young hero’s courageous deed has earned him widespread admiration, as the snake had been a persistent menace to the residents of the farming community.
Sharing his daunting experience, Junior revealed that he encountered the gigantic python caught in his brother’s trap while on his way to harvest sugarcane for his pigs. The snake, in its desperate bid for freedom, had uprooted vegetation and thrashed violently in the trap.
With careful observation, Junior, aware of the unique breathing pattern of snakes, mustered his courage and decided to slay the struggling serpent. He was guided by the Akan proverb, “se wokum owo a, twa ne tiri preko,” which means, “when you kill a snake, cut off its head to ensure it is dead.”
Demonstrating remarkable skill, Junior first severed the python’s tail before decapitating it after a prolonged and brave struggle. He then fearlessly carried the enormous snake back home, a 15-minute walk, where he was met with jubilant celebration from the community.
Junior urged his fellow residents to remain vigilant while in the forest, noting that this was not his first encounter with a large python in the area and suspecting that more might be nearby.
Kwame Junior’s heroic act has earned him widespread praise and recognition throughout the KEEA Municipality, with many hailing him as a true hero whose bravery serves as an inspiration to all.