My self acclaimed, unpaid job as a ponderer means that I have taken it upon myself to ponder on anything and everything. Unfortunately, this might sometimes lead to pondering on absolutely useless things, today’s post being a clear indicator. I’m crazy, yes. But pardon me.
There’s a question from a twitter post I have been pondering on for the past few weeks and I want to transfer that burden as well to you, my dear lovely reader.
Does the “Olonka” measure mass or volume?
On one hand and on the surface, this is a funny question meant to be laughed at, ignored and given the disdain it perhaps deserves. But on the other hand, come to think of it. What is the answer? What really does the Olonka measure? Mass or volume?
For the uninitiated/privileged lots outside of +233, Wiktionary defines the olonka as “a container, a kind of large metal tin for measuring grains and other items”. It is usually a repurposed tin can (from margarine, tin tomatoes, milk, etc.) or plastic container, that is the standard of measure for many foods like gari, rice, sugar beans, and more at many markets in the country.
Like most measuring tools, there are different sizes of Olonka tin cans. The sizes of the cans vary depending on price and the product being sold. So I argue that by virtue of it often being a repurposed tin, the olonka is fundamentally a container that occupies a fixed physical space. It measures how much of a substance can fit within its boundaries, - making it inherently a volume measurement.
Compared to other container-based measurements like cups, gallons, and bushes, the olonka defines quantity by filling a standardized space rather than by weight. And yes. Of course, I had to bring in bushels, of course to give "Bible Nerd". So when vendors use it in markets, they fill it to the brim with products, suggesting they're measuring by volume rather than trying to achieve a specific weight - which is mass.
So we are clear. The olonka measures volume. Done, dusted, complete, p for periodtt!
But no noo. Wait a minute.
In practice, when used for specific commodities like gari or rice, an olonka of that item will have a relatively consistent mass because the density of these staple foods is fairly uniform. And we certainly do not go to the market buying 1 litre of gari or 1 m^3 of rice. We buy in anticipation that we're getting say 1 kg worth of rice.
Even though it’s unspoken, local buyers and sellers have developed an intuitive sense of how much an olonka of each product should weigh, even if they're using it volumetrically. So they may associate a certain volume of items to a certain mass. And for trade purposes, the mass of the contents might be more relevant than the volume, since that determines how much food value the customer is receiving.
But all of these shouldn't even be our concern like you've rightly pointed out in your 25th chuckle at this post. What should matter is why we still use the olonka as a unit of measurement in the first place. For all intent and purposes, we are in this big and mighty 2025 - an era of mass advancement, Trump’s presidency and even AI, the almighty. In fact, 56 years ago, mankind stepped on the moon for the very first time. That's if no civilisation did it before then.
It might seem like it's not a big issue, i.e. if you limit the powers of the olonka to measuring rice, gari, beans and other grains. The issues start when you extend these powers to measuring food stuff like mangoes, tomatoes, okra and more.
I ponder, can you guarantee getting the same quantity of okra every time you go to the same seller to purchase? Can you even get the same quantity when you buy 3 separate olonka simultaneously? Your answer, which will be similar to mine, is an emphatic no. An olonka of tomatoes or mangoes from different buyers will vary when weighed.
In fact, I am pissed at this point. Why does my waakye seller even have to measure the quantity of waakye I’m buying by “gauging” using her eyes and mood swings? Why can’t the two tubers of yam I buy from the same seller at the same price weigh the same?
We need to be more intentional about standardising our systems of measurement.For if we cannot properly account for rice, we definitely would not be able to account for the billions of cedis we have coming in.
Thank you for reading my TED talk. Get a life, get a babe, get something interesting to do. So you can stop reading about the olonka.
Best regards,
WJE
