Konadu‘s Rite: Ghanafo Have Neglected the Rawlingses

*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.

“Former First Lady Konadu Rawlings has lashed out at the [NDC] government for
failing to take proper care of the former first family. She indicated that the
government has turned a blind eye to the needs of her family and neglected certain
privileges that should be accorded the husband [JJ. Rawlings] as a former president
(Ghanaweb” September 30, 2011).

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
Of wanton greed
Of crass materialism
Of shameless entitlements
Street kids are not crying
Konadu is crying for more
The filthy rich family
For more entitlements
Like Ridge Park lizards
Who have no boundaries

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
1979 was JJ’s birth
JJ became a child
A child of the state
Since chaotic 1979
JJ has not paid for housing
JJ has not paid for food
JJ has not paid for water
JJ has not paid for petrol
Champion of the masses
The leach on the masses
JJ, the charitable robber

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
Ah! JJ is filthy poor
Friends has paid it all
Tudu dope/wee
Education of kids
Mansions, lands, farms
Speed boats, cars
Designer clothes
Nsawam Cannery
Ridge fire-storm

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
Mother to her family
Kids in designer clothes
No ghetto schools
Never in want
Of electricity
Of water, food
Of shelter, cars
Of kerosene & fire

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
Konadu is mourning
NDC has neglected JJ
JJ the murderer of hope
Shallow priest of probity
JJ’s cronies won’t help
The stomach politicians
Cronies with bellyful
JJ’s potbelly is empty
Socialist-stomach elites
Preyed with JJ the Vulture
Preached with JJ’s beak
Perched with JJ’s claws
Soaring up, circling on
Hovering with JJ like flies
Like flies over Ghanaians
Ghana the political corpse

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
Ghanaians owe JJ
For seer-ing hooliganism
For being sanctimonious
For his acidic oppression
For slaughtering judges
For firing squads
For kangaroo courts
For Rawlings’ chain
For abusing women
For closing down schools
For burning down Ridge

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
JJ’s doting FRIENDS
JJ-made billionaires
Friends with rags-to-riches
Rags-to-riches biographies
The who is who of thieves

Yes, Konadu’s rite
Yaa Konadu’s right
Her right to her rite
The family of a Greedy Bastard
Elitist thieves without shame
Masses with political amnesia
Yes, we the foolish masses
Oh! The lost postcolony
Oh! Of Dreams deferred
To fill JJ’s big potbelly

Akadu N. Mensema, Ph. D., is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained oral
historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in Pennsylvania with
her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at a college in Maryland. In her
pastime, she writes what critics have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical”
poetry. She can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com