Rastafarians are not criminals – Manan Jibson throws weight behind dreadlocked students

Philanthropist and Yendi Member of Parliament hopeful, Manan Jibson, has said the rejection of two dreadlocked students by Achimota Secondary School is highly discriminatory and sends a bad signal about Ghana to the international community.

Manan Jibson said in a Facebook post that the action of the authorities at Achimota School feeds the misconception by a section of the Ghanaian population that people with dreadlocks or Rastafarians are all criminals.

“Ghana has just criminalised all Rasta people. I will be meeting up with my Rasta family here to educate them about Ghana’s hypocrisy. A Chinese man gets a red carpet in Ghana. A Rastaman no?” he wrote on Facebook from his base in New York, USA.

His comments follow a decision by Achimota School to reject Nhyiraba Nkrabea and Tyron Iras Marghuy because they have dreadlocks.

Although the Ghana Education Service (GES) intervened with a directive for Achimota School to admit the students after public backlash, that has not changed the situation.

The GES indicated that per the Constitution, no child must be denied admission on grounds of his or her culture and religion — the same views millions of Ghanaians have expressed on social media in the wake of the news about the students’ rejection.

Backed by its powerful student union association, Achimota School said it will not accept the directive by the GES to admit the students against its internal rules on decency.

And subsequently, GES backtracked on its directive after a short meeting with parents and school authorities.

“Does Ghana understand what Rasta means? Are we calling Rasta people criminals? This is barbaric. Rasta people are proud Africans irrespective of their geographical location. Very shameful,” the Philanthropist stated in another post on Facebook.

In his view the brouhaha over the dreadlocked students is backward and unfortunate.