COCK CROW.

By Nii B. Andrews

Two decades ago, an African-American sistah, who was on a fortnight long visit to Accra, complained bitterly about how a cock crowed loudly behind her bedroom window before every dawn.

This occurrence abruptly shortened her sleep; she was most unimpressed.

Hey hey, if you are an urban dweller – in a teeming US metropolis, then welcome to the real world; cocks do crow two hours before dawn.

The science behind this has recently been worked out at Nagoya University.

A COCK LIVES IN ONE HOUSE….: Anane Asare, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 95 cm, 1999; signed lower left; title and year verso. Private collection. Purchased from the artist.

 

The roosters have internal clocks which stimulate them to crow. Their internal clocks take precedence over external cues such as the waning of the darkness.

There is a social hierarchy associated with the timing and order of crowing. The highest ranked male crows first before the lower ranked ones….did anyone say, pecking order?

This gives us a cue that crowing also functions as a warning signal that announces territorial claims.

Which brings us to the African proverb, “a cock lives in/ belongs to one house, but when it crows, it is heard all over the village”…the full title of today’s painting.

Anane’s rendition with its dynamic upswept feathered parabolas and arcs in vivid colors arising from a central vortex has mojo both within the house and beyond.

 

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