Ceasefire in the Ethnic Blame-Game

In 2003, before I set off for a holiday in Ghana, I had two things on my mind: Ghana is sitting on a time bomb and Ghana is very much underdeveloped. Each of these ideas was nourished by what I read in the features column on our news pages. There had been so much name calling among the political groups. NPP and NDC activists refuse to see any good in the other. The voters in Volta were constantly insulted and castigated for voting en masse for NDC and the voters in Ashanti were regularly cursed for voting en masse for NPP. They were described as fuelling ?tribalism? based on their voting patterns.

I was totally wrong. In Ghana there was no sign that Ashantis are fighting Voltarians. The city of Accra had bus stops and even dust bins. There were broad pavements in Accra. The people all looked hearty and cheerful. But I must confess, I was no more conscious of the colour of my skin.

In 2006 again, I am feeding my imagination of Ghana with such ideas. There is fire in Ghana; there is a great divide between Ashantis and Ewes. There is a great plunder of our national coffers. The divide between Ashantis and Ewes is certainly fuelled by individuals who have the means of communication and destroying my wonderful ideas of Ghana by what they post in the name of ethnic blame-game.

In a recent piece I posted here under the title: ?Ethnic hegemony or Racism?, the number of comments it attracted was wonderful. As of now there were 215 comments; of course as usual some were ?exo-sylla?. The responses showed how much Ghanaians cherished their peace and what distaste Ghanaians have for the ethnic blame-game. Most persons live in two cultures through mixed-marriages; schooling in other parts of Ghana and making wonderful friends across the ethnic groups. This is the most beautiful part of being Ghanaian. The responses made me in particular so proud of being a Ghanaian. Our diversity, our differences has not made us enemies of one another.

The main point of divergence here is: those who consider that a call for ceasefire in the ethnic blame game is loudest from the Ewes because they are now at the receiving end (summarised in the rhetorical question: since when did you realise that there is ethnic hegemony in Ghana?) and those who consider the ceasefire as a timely call to bury a part of our painful history and move ahead.

To make a correction, I wish to state here that there were Ewes who were equally opposed to the excesses of the unfortunate days and who actually opposed any semblance of dictatorship. The best example is the Catholic Bishop of Ho. Did you ever hear on radio and in the print media how he was castigated and insulted? And he is an Ewe. Already in 1992, I undertook two critical projects on the political situation in Ghana at the time. And these were periods where everyone feared for his life. It is never correct to accuse all Ewes for the misdeeds of a few people.

Ironically the most important woman at the time was an Ashanti. And by Akan matrilineal inheritance, her children should have inherited their Akan uncles. What a beautiful mix of cultures. So what made the government at the time Ewe? Had the most important woman in Ghana no power to control affairs? And she was a graduate. For me that regime was a representative regime. The Volta Regional Minister was for a time from Northern Ghana. And yet such people are accused of hegemony.

Then the voting patterns in Ghana are never unusual. All over the world voters cast their votes based on traditions. Voters in the Ashanti voted based on what their politicians who were loudest told them. Those in the Volta voted based on what their most influential politicians told them. And their vote is free.

Once, I went to my village and asked: do we (Voltarians) know of only one party? The answer is in what the politicians told the people: the Ashantis wanted to drive the Ewes away from Ghana by creating an Ashanti state; Voltarians needed visas to cross the Adomi bridge to come into Ghana, the ?elephant? was used as a symbol to crush all who stand their way. In order not to be driven from their present state to become refugees, the Voltarians voted en masse for a party that would ensure their continued stay in Ghana. So the ridiculous numbers were generated by survival instincts. In any case elections in Ghana are hardly based on informed choices.

And politicians of each divide played the game properly. And they believe in God and Jesus? injunction to them: Love your neighbour as yourself. And yet they are honourable women/men. This is the ethic of politicking in Ghana.

I think the present government gave political appointment to people who made themselves available for political office. So we cannot even accuse them of hegemony either. If all the most intelligent and smart guys are from one family in Ghana, and they are the best people, let them lead our country, so long as they would let us all breathe air.

Lesson:

Stop the ethnic blame-game. Most readers are never interested in such things anymore. Let us be one people. Blame the individual politicians because none of them put ?akple? on my table; neither did they put kerosene in my latern or battery into my akasanoma wireless when I was in my village.

Do you also know of any profile of other ethnic groups woven into political campaigns? Please post them on the comments section or to my email address.

I am a Ghanaian, and a peaceful man, hospitable and tolerant. Bye?.!