Book Review: Beyond the Ballot Box – Secrets behind Election Fevers

Read Comments Comments (1)

• PAUL-MARIE NTIECHE-TENEJOU 11 years ago

  BEYOND THE BALLOT BOX – SECRETS BEHIND ELECTION FEVERS BY Dr. ALFRED B. CUDJOE
  (Comment by Paul-Marie Ntieche-Tenejou #1
  A Snr French/English Trainer & Translation Reviser of Le Roi Mobile Language Foundation (Roi Mobi-La ...
  read full comment

  BEYOND THE BALLOT BOX – SECRETS BEHIND ELECTION FEVERS BY Dr. ALFRED B. CUDJOE
  (Comment by Paul-Marie Ntieche-Tenejou #1
  A Snr French/English Trainer & Translation Reviser of Le Roi Mobile Language Foundation (Roi Mobi-Lang).
  
  Dr Alfred B. Cudjoe, congratulations! I always had a feeling that there could be something great behind your protracted stay over there; today the good news from your mail of the golden book of yours titled Beyond the Ballot Box – Secrets behind Election Fevers, is a cause for jubilation.
  
  I need not over-emphasize that a theme such as African democratization is hot on a delicatessen shelf of topicality: All serious enlightened Africans may like to address an issue pertaining to it, reasonably and practically, in any capacity everywhere. Your novel should be a great motivation for sober reflections and actions. The great sacrifice you have made in the process, coming out with a fine piece of art for the good of Africa could be similar to the one that is worth giving as discussed in the prologue.
  
  Africa is in dire need of durable solutions that should relieve its dynamic populations better from hardships. There are an untold number of poorly or yet unsolved political and socio-economic issues also worsened by the surging negative clashes of personalities, competing interests, wars, forced displacement of people, their uncomfortable settlement in the benefiting host countries etc.
  Good assessment of achievements should not be short-lived, neither viewed only in terms of how much of the devastating costs of the yearly investments are made to waste continuously, or how many more tons of the dilapidated resources may still be going down the drain unconcerned. Well-monitored investments and practical policies should not fail to measure up to glaring and lasting results from leaders with missionary. Unfortunately, most of them are seen to be failing and failing!
  For far too long already, our dear continent seems to be swimming tirelessly for survival in drowning waters, far from its shores of economic safety and large-scale wealth generation. The few fortunate ones - who may now claim to be safe thanks to the common effort of others - dread to launch rescuing crusades back into the raging polluted waters. The spirit of sacrifice is a one- way sharp curve in poor leadership - always from the populace in favor of the leaders who would rather withhold a lending crucial hand in an attempt to rescue more exhausted hands still drowning anxiously behind. More dirty waters have been stagnant for far too long, leaving no room for peace among the people around!
  Out of selfishness and disregard for the sacrifice made by others, the winners of political powers are seen, after crossing to safety lines, to be filtering any access to reach them at the top. Strong protective barricades to secure the one-way sacrifice from the masses would increase continuously, irrespective of whether the raging and stagnant dirty waters may be raising more toll on more frantic victims. This way, today’s thirst for political powers is noted for merely creating, pretentious sophisticated expertise that is arranged as a cover-up for more manipulations!
  Human rights abuse of all sorts in the name of democracy is endemic, at least until the victims themselves may demand that their one-way sacrifice offer is up to date accounted for, and duly reciprocated from leaders. A true leader should have no regard for his own life even when this may mean taking more risks to pay back for the sacrifice he had enjoyed from others. The lives of biblical shepherd like David or much closer like, the legend Mandela could be but an all-time model of true and sincere sacrifices!
  Doc! I am already longing to having the novel on my shelf soon! Being written for a wide spectrum of readers of all ages, I can’t wait to have more insights of the historical background and colorful growing stages of the lives of the chosen characters, together with their choices of a changing environment. Interested readers like me would then enjoy and identify themselves with the story, meditate and resolve to sacrifice more in turn. This could in a way restore or build more dual-carriage ways of sound human interactions for our common prosperity, instead of deceivingly keeping to the one- way forward expectations from the worried masses as widely spread now.
  Like a docile listening and observing learner under sound parental, societal and tutorial care, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were not already molded into the transforming vision peculiar to keen writers, as early as a growing teenager in full admiration of the societal orders, then through a partaker of customary festivities in adulthood. Perhaps all these stages might have added up in generating more matching colorful decors that you have so meaningfully painted with the depth of your academic pursuits and achievement. Bravo!
  No doubt, you have sought to embrace your own immortal style closer to the caliber of great Chinua Achebe - interestingly enough - being himself your model in African literature already. Above all, you have put the genius of a creative mind to blend the present and the past in an interesting piece of a ” must-read” novel, that should set the new perspective of the young African entrepreneur right to be more productively and qualitatively choosy. As we are reminded not to continue to battle or dream in vain promises, the novel itself is a challenge not to be too soon oblivious of who we are, where we came from, and what we should stand for in facing the future.
  Dr Alfred B. Cudjoe, your admiring stand to delve headlong into post-colonial era of African revolutionary independence, and then now into the controversial multi-democratic system is indeed a courageous one. May the unique troubled African political landscape sieve all dirt behind to settle finally - and transparently enough - pointing at a much-coveted light of the tunnel’s end! Before then, the talented weight of our common sacrifice as writers to uncover the depth of human mysteries may have to continue to pull further in greater hope, until the expected change is favorably received, to effect the right adjustment in the mind and thinking constructively.
  #1 Apart from at least three-documented bilingual teaching notes awaiting publication in French and English, the writer
  is currently involved in extensive writing of four main publications of over 20,000 words each titled:
  
  1. Our Peace Legacy in Ghana for Africa and the World
  2. Revealed Polemics involving Roi Mobi-Lang in Ghana and West Africa (over 40,000 words)
  3. Promotion de la Francophonie Au Ghana
  4. Speak French with Missionary

  reply
• ABDULAI MOHAMMED HAFIZ 10 years ago

  Hurray to Dr Alfred.B. Cudjoe and readers of beyond the ballot box. I have really enjoyed the book after reading it. Considering the literary terms and the beauty of language it portrays. In fact,it is an element of sense and ...
  read full comment

  Hurray to Dr Alfred.B. Cudjoe and readers of beyond the ballot box. I have really enjoyed the book after reading it. Considering the literary terms and the beauty of language it portrays. In fact,it is an element of sense and a warning to the electorates to better wise up before being fooled by the politicians.

  reply