Love and Tribalism

About one month ago I was set up on a date with a schoolmate of one of my good friends from Ghana. My friend could not stop singing his accolades. He’s so nice and sweet. Easygoing. And of course…..cute!! I did not really care to be going on a blind date especially since I had never been on one before and was convinced I was going to meet the rudest, most insensitive person I had ever met before in my life. I was very skeptical. But I thought, “What do I have to lose?”

At least I might be able to make a good contact for the future. I never thought that I would meet a guy who was sweet, sensitive, smart, caring, intelligent and of course – cute! What were the odds? We seemed to be a perfect match. Almost too good to be true. I congratulated my friend on a matchmaking job well done.

Everything seemed perfect. Then I found out where he was from. I knew he was Ghanaian but the name did not sound like a “typical” Ghanaian name to me. I asked him what it meant. “It means praise God”, he told me. What a beautiful name I thought. I asked him where he was from. Aflao. The name sounded familiar. “Where is that”, I asked. It’s in the Volta Region he replied. An Ewe! I thought back to a comment an acquaintance of mine made about an Ewe guy that he worked with.

“Those people are evil.” He mentioned it so casually.

A guy that he worked with, shared food with and treated just like his own brother. Yet he was evil. How could that be? I never understood how it was so easy for him to proclaim all Ewes evil. I remember another close friend’s reaction when I told her about his background. The inevitable question of “where’s he from?” came up. Oh, he’s from a town called Aflao. Where’s that, she asked. Where’s that? Why did she need to know? Wasn’t the fact that he was a fellow Ghanaian enough? I realized I could not hide his background any longer.

“Ummm, it’s in the Volta region”, I replied. There was complete silence. “Hello…hello?” I shouted into the phone. “All that I can tell you is that you need to be very careful”, my friend suddenly replied. You need to be very, very careful with those people. “Why?” I asked. Because of their traditions. So many of them are idol worshippers. “Really?” I replied. “That’s interesting. Every last single one of them? Are you sure?” I asked earnestly. “It’s not interesting. You need to be careful!!” “Okay, I will.” I realized there was no point in continuing the conversation.

I just could not understand what the big deal was. Was he not a Ghanaian? From the way my friend was reacting he could have been from an entirely different planet altogether. Is it possible for an ENTIRE tribe to be evil? Or an entire town? I remember my cousin in Ghana who was forbidden to marry a girl from a certain town in the central region.

A very beautiful, intelligent and sweet lady with a good character. But unfortunately she was from a certain town in the central region which was evil, and which shall remain nameless. Maybe I am naïve about how evil Ewes are but something within will not allow me to believe that an entire tribe is evil. Certainly not this guy. Am I so wrong to look at him as a person first and not the fact that he is Ewe? I think not. My friends and family think otherwise. My cousin has tried to explain that we Fantis and Ewes just don’t get along. But I still don’t get it. My mom tells me to “watch and pray.” But I’m sure she’s praying that God reveal this Ewe boy for who he truly is!

Perhaps if I had been born and raised in Ghana everything would be perfectly clear. However I did not have this privilege and apparently I am ignorant of the so-called tribes and towns from which Fantis are forbidden to find potential marriage partners. So maybe you can see my dilemma. And maybe you can help me find an answer to this question. Are all Ewes truly evil?