Reading through the post-independence history of Ghana, one gets the impression that we have , perhaps , been the most blessed nation in Africa,in terms of the quality of the first three people we elected to head our first three republics. Dr. Nkrumah, Dr Busia and Dr Hilla Limann were men who had proven academic credentials and leadership ability. They also had the respect of the international community, and looking at their various academic and their abstruse political inclinations, one might be tempted to think that Ghanaians , for all their many questionable attitudes to most things, at least knew where to place their trust.While it is true that all the first three presidents are respected by the broad minded who recognise their greatness in terms of their extra-ordinary fore-sight in the face of certain obstacles they had to face, we must also admit that none of them succeeded in uniting the country. In fact, all of them found themselves either being blindly criticised or blindly supported,
depending on which side of the traditional political divide their supporters or detractors found themselves. All of them inherited enemies and friends even before they started ruling the country. Thus, it is not their achievements or failures that won them friends or enemies; even today they are judged on a very narrow range of carefully-selected issues.This has not been the case with the incumbent President,J .J Rawlings, and it is apt to say that he owns the center stage of the modern political history of Ghana in terms of the extra-ordinary (and yet bizarre)rapport he has had with Ghanaians over the years.
It is a well-known fact that he has at one time or the other had the vast majority of Ghanaians behind him, not because of what he has done , is doing or will do for the country. His personality seems to have some natural connection with our sense and understanding of political leadership, to the extent that almost everybody from the country has at one time been a disciple of his. Ironically, however, the most remarkable thing that has typified his political presence, has been how almost everyone who once loved
him, eventually becomes his enemy. Add their later severe criticism of him and their desire to literally purge themselves of every association with him as sub-characteristics , and you have the complete story of J J Rawlings versus Ghanaians.The interesting thing is that, whereas our initial attraction to him is emotional, the usual reasons given for the break in relationship are always
detailed in beautiful, well-written arguments aimed at winning the sympathy of those who have already crossed to the ‘ other side’. As a matter of fact, whenever I reflect on the relationship between Ghanaians and JJ Rawlings two analogous situations come to mind: the tragedy of Nana Kofi Timothy and the extraordinary relationship between Americans and their heroes.
Nana Kofi Timothy like most Ghanaians, had strong opinions about everything,including things he would be hearing about for the first time. This was borne out a belief that wisdom and knowledge began and ended in a special
corner of his mother’s womb ,and being an only child thought it his natural right to have the final word among his peers on every issue. It was this belief ,supported by a bulky body that ensured that his will prevailed over everybody’s at all times,until he started seeing someone else’ face whenever he looked in the mirror, and started hearing another person’s voice whenever he opened his mouth to speak. And so for the first time the final words of wisdom were not coming from him but from someone else. Worse still,the face he was now wearing was known to be that of a man everyone considered to be
ULTRA NON PLUS in the modest business of stupidity. Who could tell Nana that he was having illusions, and how? In Nana’s final attempt to get rid of these two demons he scorched the voice with live coal and disfigured the face by burning it.” A man’s character ,it is said,”is his destiny”
In what behaviour are we like Americans? Examine their attitudes towards their own heroes, and you would have the answer.You see , Most Europeans think that Americans are born with a smile on their faces , and are so superficial that every expression of sentiment,surprise, joy, et cetera, by Americans should be transposed down to normal human levels by scale factor 3. This I believe contains a large amount of truth, considering the way their eyeballs virtually pop out of their sockets when they are applying their ready store of superlatives to describe things others won’t give a second’s look!. But we should give credit where credit is due, when Americans are adoring their heroes they are sincere. The
truth is, the American soul should always be filled by a super-man. That is why at one time or another urchins-turned-skull crackers, war mongers,Presidents with unbridled libidos, dancing freaks , slam-dunking baldheads and somersaulting babies could dominate their hearts and minds in a way any non-American would never understand.. I am not saying that some of their heroes are not great, no. What I find strange is the disparity in dignity and self-esteem in the class range, judged especially in the light of the ideals enshrined in their own constitution and the fact that America owes its greatness to fields they seldom choose their role models from.More baffling is the fact that other more laudable characters in their usual fields of hero selection have most of the times been vilified. Check
the stories of Muhammed Ali and Paul Robes and you would know what I
mean.Perhaps the most absurd aspect of it all is the ferocity with which they dispose of them. Don’t mind the excuses that are usually given for the divorce. The real reason is that, Americans(like most Ghanaians) cannot live without a super-man but at the same time cannot stand one, and, their anger at their fallen heroes is one of projection: their own anger, with themselves for creating a “monster” who has slipped out of their grip.. In this exercise, Americans could be said to be the first cousins of Ghanaians:people who use their emotions in their choice of heroes and apply volumes of logical analysis to dispose of them when they are forced to come
to terms with the consequences of their choice.We are now so angry with ourselves that we are prepared to go buffets, sparing no opportunity to run the innocent President down. Yea, it is not funny to be confronted all the time with what you would rather forget
with speed.This makes me believe that an understanding of politics in Ghana requires some knowledge of psychiatry!
In our dislike for our President, we are not doing anything we have not done before,and most probably won’t do again. We dispose of one lunatic today and replace him with another mental midget tomorrow.We have always loved change for change sake,expecting our one-dimensional heroes to have
qualities we never bothered to check in their characters in the first
place.We always fail to compare people on a broad range range of issues.The sportsman, musician, or politician of today is better than his predecessors because he does one thing better than them.When the poor soul fails to satisfy every need of ours we forget our own role in the creation of the problem and attribute everything to the fact that he has rather changed’. Can’t we read character dynamics? If we look for teeth in the mouth of a chicken and never find one it is not the chicken that is abnormal! People cannot suddenly possess what they have never had.
Rawlings is our own voice gone hoarse,the champion of the ethnocentric politics we have always practised, the embodiment of our understanding of corruption as a formular for success, our punishment for hypocrisy, the summary of our stentation, and our patron saint in the belief that inequalities are better addressed by pulling the successful down to our sorry levels!!!.Thus, most of the shots being directed at the poor soul should have been aimed at ourselves in the first place.Here was a man who had everything we had always hoped for in a leader: the right physical appearance and strong-handedness.Poverty had dimmed his fair
complexion (which most Ghanaians sheepishly equate with superiority), and his face had developed artificial dimples. When People later saw his dear wife they realised that the guy had not intentionally starved himself to win our sympathy ;poverty ,indeed, could have disastrous effects.And the way he spoke English ,coupled with the now infamous ‘yooko gari ‘ talk helped to subconsciously endear him to us. We never questioned his sense of judgement,or position on certain issues; the constant condemnation of the rich was enough.People thronged to see him everywhere.His photos were hot commodities
on our markets and I am sure that many innocent children were named after him.
All these were happening at a time when through his orders, women were being stripped naked and whipped in public, when many houses were demolished,when many people were killed and many rendered bankrupt for being hardworking.We openly supported him and stood in queues to buy looted goods. Our students chanted his praises and stood behind him when others criticised him for murdering people.They also saw some reason in the ‘hand-over-to –whom’
cheap shot.Intellectuals flocked to serve in his government after he had skillfully off-loaded Captain Boakye Djan and the rest.His knowledge of communist manifestos and Niccolo Machiavelli was deemed enough to provide mature leadership.
Did we not know that somebody who allegedly struggled with his ‘O’ levels would have problems with GDP’s and constitutional matters? Why did most Ghanaians have to wait till the introduction of the VAT thing before protesting against a government that seem to be heading towards everywhere and nowhere?Why did they have to wait for him to show fat cheeks before realising that he did not want to be associated with the poor forever?Why
did our students react to his lack of political orientation,only after the destruction of education in the country?
If Rawlings has done anything for which he should be congratulated, I believe that it is the ruthless manner with which he has dealt with everybody who had a hand in his elevation.I sometimes spend hours thinking of how Captain Boakye Djan feels inside whenever he sees the face of
Rawlings in the newspapers or on TV. So far ,word has it that some members of his family he could not flee the bug he planted on us with , have had to pay for the sin of their kinsman with their lives(“Se wo to adubone a ebi ka w’ano AMPA”). And so if you once heard this man maligning the President,know now that he was not being ltruistic; he was only confronting his alter ego in the JJ jigsaw puzzle.The same goes for Courage Kwashigah.His new-found love for democracy is a flight from psychological guilt When did he get to know that Ghana would be better served by the departure of Rawlings from the political scene? Mr. Arkaah’s opposition to the President
is also borne out of the same feeling.How could he take backhand slaps from a Ghanaian soldier and still be true to his natural love for opportunism,especially when you realise that he put himself in that position ?
I now hear that some reformists have sprung up in the NDC. So long for democracy in our country! My little advice is that if you don’t have anything to do with your tears pour them on any flower or plant you see, but don’t for heaven’s sake shed any on any of these so-called reformists.They always knew what they now know of the man.The only difference this time is that he is doing to them what they always helped him to do to others.It’s only ‘pay back time’.Besides, nobody knows how many of them are trying to wreck his plans because of some Presidential ‘take-aways’(slaps )they might have received from the strong man.
It is quite easy to under estimate the craftiness of our President and go along with the impression that he will go away quietly .Can’t we read the
ruse in trying to virtually impose the good old Mills on us,even at the expense of destroying his own party? Have we asked ourselves why Pro. Mills does not want to openly show his pleasure at the wonderful favour? Professor Mills knows that he is the only one who would provide a soothing contrast to the gangster-like regime of his younger Boss.That will divert attention from the President since People would be savouring the fresh air the Professor’s presence will bring about( None of the opportunists who have always served in his government has any credibility among Ghanaians to avert any possible reprisals, something that could be ignited by the mere feeling that the JJ dynasty is not yet over. This a role nobody with a conscience would relish .
But how about our own interests? Is politics about books and gentility only?Professor Mills knows the answer to this question too .That is why Rawlings is not betting on the Professor alone for a peaceful exit, and so has started currying favour with the military. Apart from the 20 billion –cedi apartment complexes he intends building for soldiers with funds virtually snatched from SSNIT, some soldiers have started forming revolutionary cadres, and don’t ask me what they represent.
Akans say that "Nipa bonefo wo ho yi ne ho nkrabea ye aduasa", and we know that the damned do not go into their graves alone. Let us therefore gently escort him out of town."Discretion,says Shakespeare, is the better part of valour". We could allay his paranoia by guaranteeing him unqualified immunity from the many evils we committed with him. We should also thank
God that he gave us this man to mirror our own poor choices.Let the lessons we have learnt from this man be a guide unto our feet into all future elections.We should not be like the first wife of my dear friend Dadaba ,who thinks that her prayers for a good husband will simply be answered in anybody who does not look like any of her first five partners!
To determine whether our local cultures in their pure forms had values which
could have helped us in our development, we would need to examine each one
them to see whether they could have made us creative, united, resourceful, hard-working, intelligent, and strong individuals. To be able to assess
our cultures towards this end, we should examine them through their various
constituents, to see the sort of values, beliefs, and thoughts upon which
their institutions were founded. Ultimately, we would realise whether we
were right or wrong to abandon their development.
In order to make a fair assessment here, no other culture should be used as
the standard of judgment or comparison, unless we believe that all cultures
should have the same contents, and move at the same pace, in the same
direction, at the same time; after all, the pedigree of any culture is
considerably affected by the historical and geographical odds it has to
grapple with [This explains why no two cultures would ever be the same].
The issue of "potential" is therefore, an important factor in the type of
assessment being attempted here.
With these at the back of our minds, we can now look back at our
individual cultures [before westernism interfered with their development], and examine their aggregate effects on the people who participated in them
.
Personally, I could see the genesis of a unique civilsation among my
ancestors, at the point where it supposedly reached its peak, or got run
over by white imperialism and greed. The most conspicuous thing that comes
up, is a unique didactic method spread through every area of life, which
makes every adult member of that society a teacher and student at the same
time. I am profoundly impressed by the aesthetic and philosophical motifs of
the umbrellas and the KENTE and ADINKRA cloths, the surrealistic nature of
their art works, the remarkable insights and mental awareness highlighted
by the proverbs, the decentralisation of political power and the complex
system of government with its various checks and balances, the symbols on
the scepters stressing social rank and the importance of clan ties, the
remarkable sense of organisation reflected in their millitary
accomplishments in the absence of a standing army, their architecture which
took climactic conditions and their sense of hospitality into account, and
the strict legal system fortified with religion; all of these to be seen
against the background of the resources-depleting slave trade, inter-tribal
wars and white man’s intrusions. With such a culture one could understand
why they were able to deal with diseases and crimes we are now having
problems with. It is also easy to see why most of them possessed the sort
of wisdom (EFIE NYANSA) which has become a rare commodity in our society
these days. Certainly, this is not a society that deserves to be tagged
‘backward’ by any standard!!.
I am sure that other ethnic groups also possessed similar lofty cultural
ideals and contents, judging from the the industry,creativity, and
resourcefulness observed about people from certain tribes. One would
therefore, expect our educationists to save and develope our cultures by
forging them into one rich subject to be studied at all levels in our
schools and universities. The intuition,sentiments and insights which stood
our ancestors in good stead could thus be modernised and assimilated by
latter generations . But with the white Man’s natural spite for our
ancestors and the "Coconut" [ white inside, black outside] natures of the
first Ghanaians entrusted with the development of education in our country, that was predictably, not to happen ! We just continued the
de-culturalisation process from where the white man left off.
At the primary school, we were served crumbs of our history, in bits and
pieces. We never learned about the intellectual achievements of our
ancestors, except how they fought each other, accepted christianity and sold
each other as slaves. At most we only learned about local (regional )
heroes, most of whom were warriors. We never learnt much about other
tribes, except the wars we fought with them. In the so-called international
schools local languages were scarcely taught. More emphasis was laid on the
speaking of foreign languages, leading to the acquisition of sentiments more
befitting of people from places like Liverpool and Paris! Apart from this,
the civilisations , myths and stories of the white race were presented quite
early to innocent children, with emphasis on their discoveries (and
sometimes they even discovered some of us and things we have always known
and lived with!).
By the time pupïls got to secondary school they had subconsciously developed
negative impressions about their ancestors, so much so that only those who
could not find a better subject would take a local language to the G.C.E.
Who would like to be associated with a race of losers? Understandably,
some of them educated with cocoa "Sika" leave school proving their
scholarship with a dead language like Latin!!
The final mockery of our culture is dramatised in the compulsory Afro-Stas
at the universities. That subject is at best, comparable to a painting on
a modern man’s wall: nothing but a cosmetic statement, to compensate for
one’s lack of interest in something others think every normal person should
have. It is so shallow that it makes no impact on anybody who studies it
In fact, it makes a statement like, "all that your ancestoers spent their
time doing was worshipping gods." Consequently, almost every student
leaves school feeling proud that he or she has been freed from the backward
influences of our cultures and languages. And so things that remind students
of the pure forms of our cultures have become insults ("AFUOM," "KURASENI,"
"LOKI" etc).
Even those who bother to talk about our culture, only indulge in
apologetics and reflective equillibrium, offering no new lines of thought, but only lenghty explanations on how similar they were to white versions
. I had to read a book by a Russian to know that some of the common Ananse
stories were of deep philosophical import. They taught us about Brecht’s
effective use of ENSTRANGEMENT as a literary device, but forgot to teach us
that the "mmoguo" in Ananase stories had the double effect of ENSTRANGEMENT
and MODULATION. We learnt about the literary effects of the CHORUS (in
AESCHYLUS) but we did not learn about in relation to our Ananse stories.
And so because of neglect this wonderful genre is dying out, while we
continue to teach our children foreign literarures (just ask any non-
African student how much he knows of Soyinka or Ayi Kwei Armah). We are
waiting for others to discover the good things in our cultures, just as
we waited for our American brethren to show us the beauty of Kente when
used in all forms of clothing. Just as we waited for Picasso to achieve
fame and virtuosity with our concepts of art!
We sometimes wonder at the quick economic progress being made by some Asian
countries, but fail to see that they developed some of their corporate
stratergies from their own cultures. Development would therefore, not be a
groping, foray into the unknown. It would contain familiar aspects which
would make every phase a smooth synthesis [and not the hopping and leaping
processes we are used to]. We on the other hand, have reduced our minds, bodies, and society to experimental laboratories. No foreign idea is too
bad to be tried on us. If socialism fails, we order a course of American
or British style of democracy or UNIGOV. If our football teams lose, it is
because we do not have a better white coach. We feel better when we are
attended to by a white medical doctor. We sleep better in houses built
after western types, with materials from the west. With these trends, I
know that very soon we would be giving our children mongolian and eskimo
names !
We should remeber that God never made any mistake in us. The successes and
struggles of our brothers in diaspora should tell us something. Those who
can remember that culture is a resource would find unlimited creativity in
blackness, leading to the creation of new art forms and new ways of doing
things. Those who fail to do this would have to foot the white man’s bill
for the services provided in the form of spiritual and physical correction
of original faulty natures. And that could be huge!
TO BE ON OUR GUARD, I SUGGEST THAT WE KEEP THE LYRICS AND MELODY OF FELA’S
‘FOLLOW – FOLLOW’ IN OUR HEADS, GETTING JIGGY WITH IT WHENEVER WE FEEL
TEMPTED TO GO FROG PERSPECTIVES .
In one of his essays in ‘White Man, Listen!’, Richard Wright talks about a
certain pathological mentalstance which, he claims, describes the attitude
most black people adopt towards White people and theirculture(s). This
attitude, which he calls ‘FROG PERSPECTIVES’ [a term borrowed from
Nietzche], takes the form of self-negation and the tendency to expect
everything positive to come from the white man’s world. It is born of the
desire to rise to the tantalising [superior] "levels" of the ‘master race’
andthe desperate struggle to free one’s self from the crippling effects of
poverty and ‘retrogression’. Invariably, such an attitude drives the
affected to ‘re-arrange’ themselves in values, mannerisms, and (physical)
appearances usually associated with white people.
On the surface, Wright’s assertions might sound like one of the familiar
reiterations on the sort of inferiority complexes the weak-minded or
dis-advantaged develop about themselves, which result in their adoption of
obsequious attitudes towards the rich and powerful. However,a careful
analysis of the imagery (of a frog at rest, gazing upwards), reveals an
ugly, futile, fatalism about the nature of the particular complexes he
talks about; which in effect, adds a unique dimension to the phenomenon.
With a little stretch of the imagination, it is even possible to see a
certain ‘genetic’ determinism about the aquisition of such an attitude,
because like the frog, the individual will naturally pass on his behaviour
to progeny. Thus, this unique group attitude once aquired, procreates itself
in a society through the tacit instruction from one generation to future
ones to look elsewhere for ‘progress’ and self-validation.
As Ghanaians and Africans for that matter, we should be familiar with all
aspects of this phenomenon, since instances of it abound in our society.
Very often, no serious attention is paid to the threats such attitudes
pose, because for some reason, we decide more or less, to limit our
understanding of culture, to the wearing of certain clothes, dance forms,
festivals, and customs and traditions. Consequently, our observation of the
driving forces behind changes in patterns of social behaviour is often
partial, if observed at all. It is only when their cumulative effects hit
upon us in the form of crimes and other unbecoming behaviour that we begin
to see the need for redress.
For example, some of us can easily see the insulting nature of the Miss
Ghana Beauty Pageant, because as a multi-ethnic society it is obvious that
we cannot have any meaningful criteria to determine a ‘local’ ideal of
beauty without being unfair to certain ethnic groups and people from certain
bakgrounds. We could also see the obvious mis-representation in the
compromise [the resort to western models], and so many are calling for the
cancellation of the show altogether. That, I think, is a laudable idea,
but it would be naive not see it as a slap on the wrist of a malaise so
multifarious and deep-rooted [in our society].
A consistent follow-up to such a move would also have to deal with other
similar nauseating trends towards the frantic search for self-validation in
the white man’s psyche. Our pop musicians and those who patronise their
music would then have to answer for the impression that the more western a
musical arrangement is, the better. Even our ‘Men Of God’ would have to
convince people that they are not into the monkey-see-monkey-do game; because
it is not easy to understand why they have suddenly been imparting the
mesages of our Lord in english only to congregations half of whom still have
open ‘O’ Level (English Language) accounts at WAEC. Would some of them be
able to tell us why they rate the western style of marriage (‘Aware Kronkron‘) above the traditional version(s)? What would one also say to our
sisters with bleached faces? The list could go on ad infinitum. He who
decides to take on such a problem would therefore, have to look beyond any
one instance of it, since all of them are branches of one sick stem, whose
roots [in my opinion] are traceable to our institutions of learning, where
the basic attitudes are formed, nurtured, and later on, passed onto the
larger community, who are quick to imitate them; because the they see the
educated as the lodestar in the quest for progress [Talk of the blind
leading the blind!].
If a country (like Ghana) produces educated people whose main claim to
sophistication and refinement is either their inability to speak any local
language properly, or their ignorance of their own culture, then it could be
said that there is something terribly wrong with it’s academic curricucla;
unless evidence could be provided to the effect that languages and culture
are of no relevance to national development. If it could however, be proved
that languages and cultural contents are storehouses of useful values and
other perculiar instincts and intuitions which enhance the aquisition of a
form of knowledge relevant to social progress, then cultural ignorance and
the loss of language control could, in a way, be said to be inimical to the
ultimate survival of any country as a progressive entity. Any country that
takes its future development seriuosly, should not take any social trend
that threatens to alenate its citizens from their cuiltures and languages
lightly.
It should therefore be investigated if the tendency on the part of educated
Ghanaians to identify less and less with typical Ghanaian mannerisms, of
speech, thought, ethics, values etc, is the direct result of the structure
and content of its academic curricula, and whether such a tendency has a
hand in the lack of certain material and immaterial information which
anyone who seeks to make any positive impact on society should possess.
With my little knowledge of TWI I can prove that languges are of
aesthetic, poltical, religious and philosophical significance, and that
their loss represent the loss of things which could enhance any society’s
intellectual development.
Let’s analyse the proverbs ‘ti koro nnko agyina’ and ‘baakofo mmu man’.
These two proverbs tell us, inter alia , that the people who speak such a
language have a conceptual understanding of democracy. The word ‘ti’ here
means ‘mind’ (the seat of intelligence or thinking faculty), which makes
it clear that those who speak this language understand that it takes more
than one mind to bring up opposite ideas; they therefore value
opposition. It also sheds light on the fact that any speaker of these words
directly or indirectly, acknowledges the mind as an entity [through the
device(s) of synodeche and personification], independent of the body; to
what extent is however, is not stated. If we could find empirical evidence
that such words were not merely spoken but put into practice,we could have a
grasp of their sense of democracy, their linguistic psychology, and their
awareness of the Mind And Body problem (in philosophy). Any political
stratergist who fails to take these into account in his dealings with such a
people is bound to run into serious problems.
Those who have a knowledge of artistic appreciation could also see the
"perception of similitude in dissimilitude" [and the religious undertone]
in the proverb, "Nyankonton ko nyaa, me hwe dee Nyame beye me," and the
practical thought drawn from it. One could also see an understanding of the
principle of contradiction in the proverb "ye nnwo Agyaako nntwa tuo aboba." If therefore, any turkey were to say that Africans have no sense of
democracy, or aesthetics, or not capable of abstract thinking (as Herbert
Spencer said) one could buttress one’s reference to historical facts with
linguistic analysis to rebutt such an assertion.
Thus, countless examples could be given to prove that languages carry in
themselves the dialetics of intellectual development, because they give
the speaker automatic access to certain abstract concepts, which when
reflected upon foster the development of ideas, which can be translated
into action.
"NOTHING EXCEPT A BATTLE LOST CAN BE HALF SO MELANCHOLY AS A BATTLE WON"- THE DUKE OF
WELLINGTON.
When I was in primary school my Uncle used to tell me that as an African, I should not see myself as an ‘individual’ because, as he said, I “ would never be allowed to be an individual’, even if I so wished”.
For some time I thought he was insinuating that he and other members of our [extended] family would harass me if I failed to return their generosity in future (They had played a major role in my upbringing and custom demanded that I reciprocated their kindness at some time in the future).
I took things literally and vowed to share my good fortunes with them someday. It was only when I got to Europe that I understood the wider import of my uncle’s statement.
Over here in Europe, one is forced to live with the feeling that Africa is on trial in the court of European Reason. The charge? Refusing to step out of the Middle Ages into modernity and being disturbingly dysfunctional! (Which one you dey, my Nigerian friend would ask).
Every African living on this continent would, at one time or the other, receive a summons to testify before this court, as a defense attorney, witness, and co-accused. And whatever one’s background or personal role in Africa’s present plight, the verdict on any given appearance before this court would always be the same: guilty by association!
I may rightly be accused of gross generalization, but this is how I would like to see the basic attitude that produces the patronizing remarks and the silly questions about Africa which, [Europeans] strangely think every African must find entertaining!
It is an experience that translates my uncle’s statements into a reminder on the unique obligation thrust on Africans to review the usefulness of their personal pursuits and achievements in the light of the many perplexing situations on the African continent.
This obligation does not emanate from, or lie in the pain inflicted by the spiteful queries of our White European Prosecutors. It is an imperative resident in our awareness of the missing contents of our world; a sense served on our plates by the blanks drawn by our search for a dignified existence as a collective of humans. We long for peace, long life, and respect but do not find them, at least, not in the same enduring magnitudes obtaining on other continents.
This nudges every adult African to find fact-based explanations for the continent’s apparent departure from the paths of progress. It also challenges us to find the rational grounds for our belief that the continent might not, after all, be a lost case.
There is a causal relationship between a certain level of collective rationality among a people and their ability to achieve a socio-economic advancement of a certain kind. The underbelly of this type of rationality is a spiritual virility that fuels a peoples’ resolve never to conduct their lives below certain minimum standards. The African knows this for a fact.
He also knows that Africa abounds in natural resources, and that, every country on the continent passionately aspires to material prosperity. Then comes the disturbing fact: “Africa has become a cue for diseases, plagues, hunger and famine, high rates of illiteracy, infant mortality, dangers of childbirth and related issues of prenatal health, among others; issues which do not affect other civilizations to the same extent any longer”.
Juggling all these facts together, Africa could emerge in the mind of the honest African as a hapless, hungry chap that sits on a pot of water while complaining of, or dying of thirst! Some of the continent’s internal impulses would appear shut off, the fires under her pots would appear quenched, chaos and all forms of nonsense would be seen running through her veins muscles and head.
These sensations evoke diverse stock reactions among Africans!
Some Africans would seek the easiest way out, by opting not to identify with the problems of the continent (because ‘they are individuals and therefore cannot answer for the failings of a whole continent’). But common sense would quickly reveal the immediate vacuity of this attempt. Others would never see them that way, simply because human perceptions are not derived solely from what the objects of perception think about themselves. This route soon emerges as a deep thrust of the head in the sands to avoid an unpleasant sight. In areas and instances where the perceptions of one’s fellow humans matter, such people would be impelled to come up with a more realistic resolution of their “Africaness". No cheap exit here, Abokyi!
Others would take the opposite route by resorting to a verbal, ideological, propagandist defense of Africa and her peoples as ‘nature’s finest and the embodiment of the noblest cultural and moral values. “Africa has a unique democracy (hacking limbs of innocent children, maybe)”, “Africa is the Garden of Eden”, they are won’t to say. They would look for Africa’s greatness and supremacy in the past, not in the present or the future, in intangibles and values modern Africans (including those preaching a glorious Africa while squatting on Western generosity) have no use for. Thrown against the hard walls of facts and everyday realities, this type of ‘defense’ would hardly bounce. In the course of its delivery, a WAR LORD, or a young, irate, hungry soldier would burst on the scene, supported by barefooted clansmen and the cream of the continent’s intellectuals, to slaughter and maim innocent civilians. The comedy is concluded with a plunder of the national kitty. The African seeking a way out in the cloaks of irrational Afrocentrism becomes Baghdad Bob of a sort! Mo better Blues!
A great number of Africans, too, would try to apply their knowledge, skills, and financial resources to remedy some of the unpleasant situations. This, among a people that are usually not receptive to change, would often turn out as an attempt to stop a diarrhea by plastering one’s backside. Personal impatience to change things overnight, combined with the nonchalance and indifference of people who should know better ultimately create frustrations. Either Game Warden turns poacher or Savior packs bag and baggage and returns to the comforts of the West to live the rest of his life as a critic! Adom Tomorrow!
Meanwhile, the African continues to be pressurized to create a better future for his children. This earth, my brother!
For any individual going through these experiences and thoughts, things could get even more distressing if he finds himself within the range of the White Man's contempt. He could feel like a man placed between two chairs being pulled in different directions by two malevolent forces. The effects of such an experience on the ‘sanity’ of the individual could be quite disturbing, as demonstrated in an incident I watched on the TV (in Holland) in the late nineties.
Five African intellectuals, including our own Amma Atta Aidoo, were featured on a program on which they were expected to respond to questions about Africa filed on behalf of a large audience by a Dutch Sociologist. Right from the beginning I observed a certain apprehension among the Africans. I realized immediately that the discussion was not going to be conducted in a pure academic spirit---you know how difficult it is to have a fruitful discussion with somebody who knows what you mean even before you speak.
True to my expectation, they waxed defensive about every issue about Africa. They would try through all means to justify everything about the continent, to an extent that made me wonder whether they were not perhaps talking about some new Africa they had just created somewhere. If a question proved too difficult for anyone of them to handle, the rest would quickly jump to his/her defense without any attempt to consider the merits of the points raised by the audience. Well, a lot of funny things were said but none was more hilarious than the response the learned Africans gave to the issue of VILLAGEALISATION - explained as the notion that the unadulterated values of any peoples are most likely to be found in areas far removed from life in the metropolis.
Somehow, the learned Africans managed to understand its reference to African societies as a repetition of the derogative theory that Africans never lived in cities before the arrival of Europeans in Africa. They launched into a verbal count of cities they claimed existed in Africa before the Europeans came to Africa. The audience was surprised at the aggressive tone and the irrational nature of the answers to their simple questions. I was not. That is what the hearing of too much nonsense can do to otherwise intelligent minds. (Wouldn’t you get ticked off, if a more prosperous person were to set up your personal problems and hardships as a theme of academic discussion between you and him?).
Many of us have had to spend hours telling so-called experts on African Studies that Africa is not a country, and that the tigers, bare-footed soldiers, and our sense of rhythm are not the only remarkable things about Africa.
I have lost a couple of white ‘friends’ just because I would not allow them to fondle me with their regular insulting ‘YOU-ARE-DIFFERENT’, patronizing remarks. The Africa they knew or wanted to know, was a dark, uncivilized COUNTRY. I did not behave like the Sambo they had been seeing in the Tarzan films, and so I deserved to be complimented! Haba!
Can we overcome all these agitations? Yes, I think so. It begins with the individual. I think we should stop casting ourselves as some crusaders and quick-fix saviors. That would relieve us of the compulsion to play to the white man's whistle. The pressure to do or say something radical or mighty to atone for the continent’s slips and mishaps is thereby abated. The awareness that our accusers will always find ways to prove their superiority offers a useful balm for the smarts that induce comical reactions in some of us.
Finally, it is essential for all of us to know that it is Africa's poverty that makes her negative situations seem so abnormal and unusual: Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Colombia are not in Africa, you know. Everybody plays the fool, sometimes for a long time, and in so many things. We should therefore desist from hurrying Africa forth with any borrowed urgency. Time spent spinning ancient yarns and old mama lores would be better spent mending that piece of the tattered net in our hands!
‘Brighten in the corner where you are’.
We should just remember that when the ship of radical progress calls Africa will be ready. The sun appears in different places at different times. As Achebe says, "the time a man wakes up is his morning."
