The Ghanaian Mentality: A case of our Leaders

Yajzi Craze

I usually do not repeat what has been said already, yet recent and past developments have prompted this writing. Though Mr. CNN has nailed the issue right in the head, I will clear my throat and add my voice to this. A foreigner is causing a lot of commotion in our community. Her name is Gizelle Yajzi. From what I have gathered so far, I do not believe her. This is my sacred stance, but before the Say It Loud ?editors?-those who pile up criticisms on other people?s writings take sides, let?s examine why we are in this predicament to begin with.

It may have been easier to ask so many questions, but I am not in that mood. The president appointed this woman as an advisor to the Ghana government. Her role? To help Ghana secure loans from the Arab world. I am a novice in politics, yet the little International Financial Management class I have taken tells me that a whole country like Ghana does not need a foreigner to advice or ?help? our president/the nation to get a loan. If that were the case, we would have had many of these foreigners parading in the streets and corridors of Accra. After all, Ghana owes almost every economically sound country under the planet. We should have had ?advisors? from each of these countries in Ghana.

The typical Ghanaian will more than likely help or offer a foreigner an opportunity instead of a fellow citizen. Since our leaders are a part of us, I have decided to present, to the best of my knowledge, the history of this ?Foreigner Yes, Fellow Citizen No? syndrome. Mind you, this syndrome rears its ugly head only when someone in power or with an authority is opposed by another. The powerful will instantly decide to ?show? the opposition ?something?. A whole completed hotel by the airport was razed into sand and gravel because the owner was at odds with those who had the power. The following are some more examples I could come up with from my fragmented memory so if I don?t mention everything, forgive my mind.

Allegations and Accusations

Our first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is accused of using most of our limited resources to help foreigners instead of Ghanaians. He is alleged to have help built Sekou Toure?s Guinea, erected a very tall big bridge in Benin, and ?used all our money to build the OAU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.

Jerry Rawlings is accused of ?killing? many Ghanaian individual owned businesses, among them are APINO soap, B.A Mensah?s empire, Siaw?a Tata Brewery, etc, yet saw it prudent to hand over all cargo operations at the Kotoka airport to an Arab. The goings and comings of our cargo is handled by a foreigner. Also, the former Ghana Post and Telecommunication company was handed over to Malaysians. Just think about this now. A country is so desperate to hand over how it communicates- phone, fax, and Internet to a foreign entity. These foreigners can easily record or create a database about top communication secrets that our government may engage in through the phone or the fax.

There are many good rice farmers in Ghana, yet when we needed to grow ?modern? rice, our leaders of the day chose an almost bankrupt semi-cross eyed African American to do the job. The rest is history. Our leaders are always willing to destroy the toils of a fellow Ghanaian who happens NOT to agree with their concept about life, yet when a foreigner comes up, lo and behold:

Take all you can Mr. Boutrous

How may I help you, Miss Yajzi?

Would the Sheik need seven or nine Ghanaian female companions in bed tonight?

Do you want me to put him in a real cell or ?counterback??

Akwasi Broni, give me twenty pesewas

Then there is our present boss and party in power. With the exception of Gizelle, there have been instances where foreigners have been given an opportunity in government at the expense of the citizenry. The first in point is the recent report about a position given to an African American at the Ghana consulate in Chicago, Illinois. I have traveled quite a lot, and never in my experience, had I gone to say, the consulate of Italy to find a Ghanaian or a foreigner at the helm of affairs in that office. The U.S certainly will not put a Ghanaian citizen in charge of its consulate anywhere. Not even at the tiniest and remotest locality. After all, how will that non-citizen answer pertinent inquiries by those that may need information and services?

But why blame the politicians alone? Our traditional leaders are no better. Go back to the slavery days. There are stories about how some chiefs and kings exchanged their subjects with salt. There are instances whereby a group in Ghana would help the foreigners, those who came from the sea, and have a skin like the fish, to conquer another group. Our modern chiefs and kings will more than likely allow foreigners to fell timber they inherited from their ancestors than to allow a fellow citizen. A friend of mine has a friend who, after living outside of Ghana for some time, decided to go back home and engage in the timber business. He bought some chain saws, went to his village and started to fell the trees on his ancestral land. One day, a well known Middle Eastern timber contractor came to the property with six police officers. The following ensued between them.

Police Officer: You are under arrest

Ghana man: For what?

Police Officer: For trespassing, you fool

Ghana Man: trespassing on what?

Police Officer: You dey chop chop this obroni im timber

Ghana man: how can I chop chop him timber when this be the land wey we dey farm on before I traveled?

Police Officer: The chief sell him all the timber here o

Ghana Man: Make you go tell chief to give im money back to him. Na this piece of land be my family im own.

The long and short of this story is that, the guy was not arrested but, he was not allowed to do business on his own family property until the corrupt Nana settled whatever needed to be settled with the big time timber merchant.

Two things must be clear here.

The first is that as an immigrant, I do not hate foreigners in Ghana. I can understand where they stand. The typical immigrant will work harder than a native-under normal circumstances of course. Ghana, like any other country needs diversity, but we should not allow ourselves to be trampled upon and made mockery of.

The second point is that, a typical Ghanaian does not conduct business as well as a foreigner might. When we get little money, that is when we take on twelve wives and countless concubines. That is when we become the ?masters of our domain?. Instead of maximizing profit by running the business in an efficient and effective manner, we go on ego trips. The next thing you know, bankruptcy. And of course, there are always the witches to be blamed on.

A foreigner, on the other hand, may come to Ghana with just a few thousand dollars, set up a business, and run it so effectively that our banks will be more than willing to give them loans or lines of credit. The business thrives, he/she gets more power, and can even afford to slap Ghanaians if they so wish.

In the mid 1980s, it was a foreigner who secured a Ghanaian passport for someone I know in order to flee the clutches of the ?trouble-looting?, sorry, the revolution.

Now in 2005, our country is on its bowels because a foreigner is coming to testify and reveal what she knows about the president?s involvement in the purchase of a property from another naturalized foreigner. While I don?t really care for Miss Yajzi, I don?t really blame her for taking us on this roller coaster ride. If the president had not allowed himself to ?entertain? the woman, there will be no such uproar to begin with. Sources allege that the president likes women.

Many men like women, but when you are a celebrity, let alone a president, it is difficult to distinguish between your private and public life. I will never blame any man for sexual morale deficiency. No, I take that back. With the exception of the pope, priests, and the ?holier than thou? men, I won?t judge any man for liking women. You know why? It?s because 99.99999 percent of men, especially Ghanaian men will happily take off a woman?s under wear and unzip their trousers. It is in us. Truly, who would you prefer, a man who likes women, or a man who likes men?

Sorry, that was my naughty thoughts at work.

Whatever relationship that president Kuffour had with that woman, the end was not pleasant. As a result, the woman is not amused. He is venting out by exploiting our love for foreigners. This woman is not a fool. She also knows a very popular Arab saying:

?The enemy of my enemy is my friend?.

But all these Gizzelle says this, Gizzelle says that would not have happened if it were not our innate persona to sit on our own people and always trying to please those who are not one of us.