"No Sweetness Here" is Ama Ata Aidoo's short story of the traditional roles of African women as told from the point of view of a Westernized African woman teaching in a small village school.

The narrator, who is referred to as Chicha, thinks about the discussions she has held about one of her students, Kwesi, a ten-year-old boy, with Kwesi's mother, Maami Ama. Chicha remembers commenting on Kwesi's stunning good looks and teasing Maami Ama that if Chicha were to ever go away from the village she will take Kwesi with her. Maami was both pleased and concerned about Chicha's comments, since she lives in fear of losing her only son to her husband, Kodjo Fi.

Today, Chicha waits for Maami Ama to return to her hut from the day's work in the fields. The time is after four o'clock, and school has just been...