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Diasporia News of Saturday, 15 March 2003

Source: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong

Ottawa Celebrates Ghana

To close the two-week celebration of Ghana’s 46th Independence, the Ghana High Commission in Ottawa organized a reception for the Ottawa diplomatic community, distinguished Ghanaians, investors, government officials and the donor community on March 14. West Africa magazine’s Kofi Akosah-Sarpong in Ottawa describes the colourful get-together

The hall at Ottawa’s Western Hotel’s Confederation One looked like a miniature durbar in either Kumasi or Keta. But this was not any of the Ghanaian villages or towns or cities celebrating a traditional festival. It was the final celebration, as a ritual in diplomatic procedure, of the 46th anniversary of Ghana’s freedom from British colonial rule. And unlike any Ghanaian traditional festival, there was no music of any kind and the food was purely Canadian. Still, in the absence of music, there was chattering and foot-dragging, as guests walked around the ballroom.

The event, or rather the party, a big one for that matter, started at 6 pm. At the entrance to the ballroom was a line-up of the good-looking Ghanaian diplomatic staff--the High Commissioner, Hon. Samuel A. Odoi-Sykes and his wife Edith, the Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Charles Agyei-Amoama and his wife Charity, the head of chancery, Mr. Eric Odoi-Anim, the Consular Officer, Ms. Doris A. D. Brese, and Col. Otchere, military attach? for Washington D.C and Ottawa--to welcome the invited guests. Except for Col. Otchere, who was in an impeccable military outfit, the entire Ghanaian diplomatic team was in an impressively rich traditional Kente cloth of various designs.

By 7 pm the ballroom has become an impressive array of Ghanaian traditional clothes of varying designs, with the Kente cloth dominating. Quiet catching was a man wearing a beautiful tie with a Ghanaian national flag designed on it. I told him I like it and he replied appreciatively, “Thank you.” At various clusters one could hear various native Ghanaian languages being spoken. However, across ethnic lines and the fact that some diplomats were there the English Language was prominent. The ballroom became some sort of giant photo studio, with camera flashlights striking here and there as people took pictures either with friends or strangers or diplomatic personnel. However, not all the people agreed to take pictures with anybody. Hon. Odoi-Sykes objected taken pictures with a lady and her male friend. He asked me whether I know them, I said, “No.” And he walked from them and the camera. Interpretation: underneath the enjoyment runs security consciousness.

As an atmosphere of friendship and happiness grew, there was a lot of exchange of complimentary cards and phone numbers. Mr. Jose Aggrey, a respected civil servant and community member, gave his official and home phone numbers. A Samuel A. Laryea, who was introduced to me by Mr. Andrew Aryee, an analyst at the Fisheries and Ocean Canada, gave me his complimentary card. With his addresses at the bottom, it reads: “Samuel A. Laryea, PHD, Senior Economist, Income Security and Labour Market Studies, Applied Research Branch, Strategic Policy, Human Resources Development Canada.” Later, I in turn introduced Dr. Daniel Tetteh Osabu-Kle, a former air force officer and chair of Ghana Civil Aviation Department and currently a political scientist at Carleton University in Ottawa, to Mr. Aryee and Dr. Laryea. Some too were telling friends about up-coming funeral ceremonies. Nana Osei-Agyemang, the new chief of the Asantes in Montreal, gave me a flyer announcing the funeral ceremony of his father on April 26 in Montreal. At the far end of the right corner of the hall was mounted a mini Ghanaian (or African) art and craft shop. A sculptured African map with a Ghanaian (or an African) woman superimposed went for C$1,450. Mr. Aryee was drawn to play a drum for a moment. As the drinks and food flow, so was the mixing of the guests naturally, with elaborate handshakes, laughter and smiles all around. If anybody hates Ghana, the atmosphere subdued it. The main talks were about Ghana’s development and the Ghanaian communities in Canada. Dominated by elites, the Confederation One ballroom became a factory of ideas as discussions about how to turn Ghana (and Africa) around made the rounds.

Near the bar at the left side Mr. Hans Duah, chair of the Montreal branch of the ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Osei-Agyemang, who will be installed formally as Chief of the Asantes in Montreal in March 5, and others were talking about the Consular Generalship in Montreal. “I think it should be given to Mr. Mike Baffoe instead of a non-Ghanaian,” Mr. Duah quipped. (Mr. Baffoe, a popular Ghanaian-Canadian Montrealer, is currently a doctoral candidate at McGill University and the Executive Officer of the very successful Montreal-based Black Star Project, an outfit, among its briefs, which finds mentors for African adolescent boys from single parent homes). Currently, one of the most contentious issues within the Ghanaian community is the issue of Consular Generalship in Toronto, especially. However, Mr. Agyei-Amoama told me that as far as the Toronto Consular Generalship issue is concerned Accra is currently considering two Ghanaians for the non-salaried position and that a decision will be made soon.

Halfway into the merriment, Hon. Odoi-Sykes mounted the podium and thanked the invited guests for coming to celebrate Ghana’s 46th independence anniversary. He reminded them that Ghana is the first country in sub-Sahara Africa to get independence from the British, opening the door for other Africa countries to get independence from colonial rule. “That made Ghana a pioneer,” he said proudly. Hon. Odoi-Sykes, said, “Right at the moment Ghana is at the forefront of good governance, the rule of law and justice and human rights in Africa,” a warm sales pitch good for investors, government officials, diplomats and donors who were in the ballroom. Later, Mr. Odoi-Anim told the receptive audience that the ceremony, which was being filmed by the Ottawa-based Planet Africa, which has some slut at the national multi-cultural television channel, Omni 2, would be telecast at channels 79 in Ottawa and 4 Toronto. By 8:30 pm the ballroom was almost empty, the final Canada celebration of Ghana has come to an end.

The next day, March 15, Hon. Odoi-Sykes, a media savoir-faire, was on Planet Africa selling Ghana to Canada. “Ghana is a friendly but tough country,” he said in an interview taped at his official residence at Ottawa’s classy Rockcliff area ahead of the diplomatic party. Clad in a beautiful kente cloth, Hon. Odoi-Sykes, who chaired the ruling NPP to defeat the National Democratic Party (NDC), talked about the two main political traditions in Ghana: the ruling NPP, an offspring of the old United Party and the Danquah-Busia tradition, believes in free market enterprise, rule of law, democracy and human rights and the opposition NDC, which derived from the Nkrumah tradition and believes in socialism and centrally planned economy. He said the two defeats of the NPP in 1992 (of which the NPP boycotted the elections) and 1996 were not free and fair but rather their defeat of the NDC in 2000 was. He said the NPP is fast opening the private sector, which it sees as main engine of growth. He skillfully tied the NPP programmes to Africa’s new development project of NEPAD (New Partnership of Africa for Development), which asks African states for good governance, democracy, rule of law and human rights today unlike the Mobutu and his cohort era where Africa was mired in corruption, dictatorship, one party system and massive human rights violations.

Hon. Odoi-Sykes talked about Ghanaian traditional festivals such as Odwira and how they are being used as tourist attraction. His face brightens up when asked about diasporic Ghanaians financial contributions to their homeland: a record contribution of US$1.6 billion last year, which is “bigger than most loans and grants,” he said in a proud matter-of-factly. He said the record remittances by Ghanaians were as a result of good governance and generally good behaviour at home. “If we start behaving well then more diasporic Ghanaians will participate in the Ghanaian national economy, “ he said. A former career diplomat and information officer, Hon. Odoi-Sykes used his case to illustrate how diasporic Ghanaians should educate their children about Ghanaian culture, among others, by taking them to Ghanaian cultural shows and joining Ghanaian cultural associations. Finally, he spoke about Ghana’s Dual Citizenship legislation, the impression of which he gave is that most Ghanaians in Canada have misunderstood. To him, as soon as one becomes a Canadian citizen, one renounces one’s Ghanaian citizenship. However, to be Ghanaian again the person has to re-apply, again renouncing his or her Canadian citizenship. Now with dual citizenship law, one can apply to be a dual Canadian and Ghanaian.