Haha,this author is living in utopia that no tribe can dominate others in Ghana.The kikuyu in kenya certainly have singlehandedly dominated all other 40+tribes there.Asante don't have anything close to the power exercised by ... read full comment
Haha,this author is living in utopia that no tribe can dominate others in Ghana.The kikuyu in kenya certainly have singlehandedly dominated all other 40+tribes there.Asante don't have anything close to the power exercised by the kikuyu in kenya but with the right mix it can very easily happen.
CARDINAL 10 years ago
This Author tried to delve into the meaning of the word Asanti-phobia but he needs the help of the person who came up with that word. Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always ... read full comment
This Author tried to delve into the meaning of the word Asanti-phobia but he needs the help of the person who came up with that word. Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always attribute anything bad that is done by any Akan to Asantes. Let a Boateng, Opoku, Sarpong or any other Akan name commit a crime even in Central Region where these people come from and you are sure to get those who hate and fear Asantes to blame Asantes despite the fact that these people are not Asantes.
Maybe Nii Bannerman can explain why people accuse Asantes by all crimes committed by other Akan tribe. Is it hate, fear or jealousy? Over to you, Bannerman
CARDINAL 10 years ago
ASANTEPHOBIA IS REAL
This Author tried to delve into the meaning of the word Asanti-phobia but he needs the help of the person who came up with that word. Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear ... read full comment
ASANTEPHOBIA IS REAL
This Author tried to delve into the meaning of the word Asanti-phobia but he needs the help of the person who came up with that word. Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always attribute anything bad that is done by any Akan to Asantes. Let a Boateng, Opoku, Sarpong or any other Akan name commit a crime even in Central Region where these people come from and you are sure to get those who hate and fear Asantes to blame Asantes despite the fact that these people are not Asantes.
Maybe Nii Bannerman can explain why people accuse Asantes by all crimes committed by other Akan tribes. Is it hate, fear or jealousy? Over to you, Bannerman
BISHOP 10 years ago
"Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always attribute anything bad that is done by any Akan to Asantes. Let a Boateng, Opoku, Sarpong or any other Akan name commit a crime even ... read full comment
"Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always attribute anything bad that is done by any Akan to Asantes. Let a Boateng, Opoku, Sarpong or any other Akan name commit a crime even in Central Region where these people come from and you are sure to get those who hate and fear Asantes to blame Asantes despite the fact that these people are not Asantes."
I think many negative Akan attributes are attached to Asantes for a number of reasons that might be coincidental.
1) Asantes been the majority of the Akans means that most people will automatically attache anything negative sounding like Akan to Asantes
2) Asantes among the Akans also tend to be more straight forward with people, they say it like they see it which tends to portray them as negative and arrogant especially in a Ghanaian setting where people are expected to be decorous in whatever they do and say
3) In those days where people traveled little there was little knowledge and understanding as to who was Asante, Akyem, Fante, Akuapem etc and therefore attributed anything to the most populous Akan group which was Asante.
But now that there is more knowledge and education I believed that will also change with time.
So i dont think there is anything as Asante phobia rather the problem is people attaching everything NPP to Asantes though some of the most controversial NPP men such as ken Agyepong and Okoampa arent Asantes.
Like i said as diversity increases in the leadership of both parties these things will change.
CARDINAL 10 years ago
I respectfully disagree with you on your assertion that there is nothing like Asantephobia. When I wrote an article about Asatephobia, the word was put in quotation marks to warn readers that, the phobia being talked about sh ... read full comment
I respectfully disagree with you on your assertion that there is nothing like Asantephobia. When I wrote an article about Asatephobia, the word was put in quotation marks to warn readers that, the phobia being talked about should not be viewed in a prism of a single lenses. There is real Asante haters out there who came by that point maybe out of fear or jealousy.
Is there "Ewephobia"? Yes there is. Let's Ghanaians be real and bring out these hidden beliefs and for well meaning Ghanaians to have a straight conversation about our beliefs
about others so that we can all understand why each tribe in Ghana do what they do.
Let any Asante in this forum tell me that when we were all growing up, we were not made to fear Ewes when it was inculcated in us that Ewes harvest children's Adam apples. They were referred to as "ATETENKONONA" people who kill children for their LARYNGEAL PROMINENCE(Adams apple) whether this was true or not, as children, we developed fear for Ewes.
Without bringing these fears and talking about them respectfully as those of us living outside have seen American whites talking about their fear for Blacks and their views on homosexual s that have brought some improvement between these groups, Ghanaians can choose to act like the proverbial bird and put our heads between our legs and act like we don't have tribal problems in the country.
Let's respect each other but be open and hold dialogues about ourselves that will bring tribal unity instead of acting like an ostriche.
Kanawu 10 years ago
I totally agrees with your argument here. Ghanaians have a tendency to close our eyes to problems wishing they will go away if we act like those problems don't exist and that is why we are where are today because people are a ... read full comment
I totally agrees with your argument here. Ghanaians have a tendency to close our eyes to problems wishing they will go away if we act like those problems don't exist and that is why we are where are today because people are afraid to say it as it is.
Mathias 10 years ago
Was it that bad in Asante regarding the fear of Ewes? I thought growing up in Takoradi as an Ewe was the worse experience i ever went through in my life. Comment like "Awoneni" did really upset me.
Was it that bad in Asante regarding the fear of Ewes? I thought growing up in Takoradi as an Ewe was the worse experience i ever went through in my life. Comment like "Awoneni" did really upset me.
Mark (UK) 10 years ago
Perhaps the author of this article should have consulted you before writing this piece. He talks of Asante-phobia and forgets that to do justice to this he needs to talk of other tribal phobias in Ghana. Besides Ewe-phobia do ... read full comment
Perhaps the author of this article should have consulted you before writing this piece. He talks of Asante-phobia and forgets that to do justice to this he needs to talk of other tribal phobias in Ghana. Besides Ewe-phobia don't we have Northern phobia too.
ne of the forumes got it right when he inferred that education will do a lot to open our minds to this. People of small minds still hold to these beliefs of superiority of one trbe over another. Let respect for all tribes hold in Ghana
C.Y. ANDY-K 10 years ago
Cardinal,
Since I am in the middle of editing my ultimate take on the ethnic imbroglio, I won't say much on this piece and your comments except to say that I agree with your thrust. After all, I had posted enough to make m ... read full comment
Cardinal,
Since I am in the middle of editing my ultimate take on the ethnic imbroglio, I won't say much on this piece and your comments except to say that I agree with your thrust. After all, I had posted enough to make my point already. Others besides you had been candid in admitting the fear of Ewes your parents [and even some Ewes] put into you. One Asibey on Okyeame in the '90s wrote of how a string arm-band was put on them as kids as protection against Ewes! Phew! I did not know about that until then.
Akan kids must have lived in perpetual fear of strangers, as my Akan teacher colleagues in Nigeria told me of why one must fear "Mossi" or "Northerners," when Yorubas who met them in the bush, where some took land to cultivate maize, started behaving like Akans used to do when they met them on the farm paths: tried to dodge into the thick bush without a path! "Ah! We've become like Mossi" was the refrain prompting my query. We finally queried our colleague Yoruba teachers and they told us some weird stories about us Ghanaians which were brought to them by Yorubas who lived in Ghana. I wrote some of those things in my pieces.
Personally, as an Anlo, I wasn't brought up to fear or hate Asantes in particular. Rather, I heard early that Asantes were our friends and a suburb of Kumasi is named after our capital, Anloga (more on that later). Of course, "Kotoko" is the popular name for the Asante storekeeper who had made Anloga his home, from whom we bought anything we wanted. Asantes who found themselves in Anlo, to their surprise, are given very good reception, just like the son of the goldsmith I met here in London and he regaled me with his stories about how he travelled in the '80s the nook and cranny of Anlo buying old golden trinkets ("sika xoxo", as he put it) from people. He knew Anlo far better than I do. He even lost fear of our fetishes: "haa! those fetish houses, they said you can't wear a shirt and enter, me, I took off my shirt and entered!" I'd laughed and laughed as he narrated his exploits! He is one guy I can't deceive with "kporsi" - "see and run"!
Having said that, any negatives I picked growing up was about Akans in general, not Asantes in particular. For the severely land starved and even landless Anlos who have to spend several decades reclaiming land from the Keta lagoon flood plain or the depression by the sea side in order to farm, they are said to be lazy: their land is so fertile but they don't farm it! And when they gave you land to farm on abusa or abunu basis, after the arduous clearing and planting for a season or two, they want to take your farm away from you even if you had planted perennial crops like cocoa, plantain, bananas, and palm trees! If you resisted, then the cheats would sneak on you and kill you in your farm one day! And everybody has an example to support these claims, just as I have mine too, incidences which happened to close relations in Tafo (aunt's father in-law killed on their cocoa farm) and Sefwi Wiawso (uncle's farm seized by the chief in the late '60s). Call them stereotyping but that's the images we have too of Akans, people who will kill you if you resisted their cheating nature!
And then, if you are a woman and you made the mistake of marrying one of them, after the death of your husband, everything you and your children had toiled to acquire with your husband would be taken away from you, after being subjected to some very degrading widowhood rituals like your head shaven and kept overnight in a locked room with the copse! Don't know how true such claims are though, as I never tried to verify them. True or false?
BTW,the apt answer to why some people blame Asantes for things done by presently non-Asantes is possibly a carry over from the days of old when all those people were under the the Asante kingdom. Remember, until 1958, the whole of present Brong Ahafo was also Asante. The history of all those people since 1700 is the same as the history of Asante! They therefore often hang onto that and try to embroil Asantes (now ltd to the Ash/R) into their own mischiefs, just like Agyapong, an Assins did. "Asante hangers-on" I have dubbed them.
Andy-K
CARDINAL 10 years ago
KOFI AWOONOR IS MY WITNESS
Actually Rawlings started it in 1982 when his chief political policy Advisor, Kofi Awoonor reveasled that, the purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asantes e ... read full comment
KOFI AWOONOR IS MY WITNESS
Actually Rawlings started it in 1982 when his chief political policy Advisor, Kofi Awoonor reveasled that, the purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asantes economic hegemony. A whole revolution was done just to settle perceved economic power by one tribe by the leaders of a country and you want to tell me there is no "ASANTEPHOBIA"?
The June 4th revolution with Ewes dominating targeted Asantes in particular and Akans as a whole by seizing their properties as Kofi Awoonor has intimated, to stop the economic power of the Asantes and redistribute wealth which they did by selling mre than 300 factories and government properties to the so called deprived tribe and in some instances where Ghana properties were given to Togolese like Gilchrist Olympio, who was given the ABOSSO GLASS FACTORY for free.
Kojo T 10 years ago
Fibbs . Some Grand ma tales
Fibbs . Some Grand ma tales
GEORGE 10 years ago
KOJO T, WHAT HOLE HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN? IT IS IN THE BOOK WRITTEN BY KOFI AWOONOR WILLIAMS AND HE HAS. APOLOGIZED FOR THAT.
KOJO T, WHAT HOLE HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN? IT IS IN THE BOOK WRITTEN BY KOFI AWOONOR WILLIAMS AND HE HAS. APOLOGIZED FOR THAT.
ROYAL AKANLAND 10 years ago
THIS WILL BRING PEACE
THIS WILL BRING PEACE
Vodoo Xebieso 10 years ago
Cardinal, please stop peddling that half-truth. The June 4th Revolution was led by an Akan - Major Boakye Djan and not Rawlings. Kofi Awoonor has more Akan friends than Ewe friends.
Late Victor Owusu's "inward-looking" tag ... read full comment
Cardinal, please stop peddling that half-truth. The June 4th Revolution was led by an Akan - Major Boakye Djan and not Rawlings. Kofi Awoonor has more Akan friends than Ewe friends.
Late Victor Owusu's "inward-looking" tag on Ewes was always quoted out of context. He actually never meant any insult, and likewise Awoonor in his book. Good night.
C.Y. ANDY-K 10 years ago
Cardinal, shame on you! That's a blatant lie if you had really read that book, which MOST of you DIDN'T. You simply reguritate the dubious lies of mischievous characters. Prove me wrong by quoting the whole paragraph in which ... read full comment
Cardinal, shame on you! That's a blatant lie if you had really read that book, which MOST of you DIDN'T. You simply reguritate the dubious lies of mischievous characters. Prove me wrong by quoting the whole paragraph in which Awoonor that. I've been challenging people like you since the '90s but not SINGLE has produced those passages, which must be read within the context of the whole chapter dealing with his explanation of the tribal imbroglio in Ghana.
Awoonor wrote his book long before Dec. 31 1981 He only added a preface to it, opportunistically taking advantage of the 31st Dec. uprising. So his comments in the book proper couldn't be on events after 31 Dec, 1981. He was commenting on the events - the anti-Ewe campaign of Busia and the PP and subsequent sacking of mainly Ewes from their posts, and the continuing fall-outs - which led to his own imprisonment by Kutu Acheampong for assisting his friend Birg. Kattah to evade arrest on trumped charges of planning a coup.
Rawlings didn't start any tribal attacks in Ghana, Busia, leader of the PP, started it, taking of from where he stopped in the 1950s as leader of the NLM!
Andy-K
C.Y. ANDY-K 10 years ago
WILFULLY BLIND OR JUST PLAIN IGNORANCE?
I have been amused, and somehow puzzled, at the rumpus being raised about what crazed Agyapong said. But what I find surprising is the virtual hypocrisy and mendacious attempts to br ... read full comment
WILFULLY BLIND OR JUST PLAIN IGNORANCE?
I have been amused, and somehow puzzled, at the rumpus being raised about what crazed Agyapong said. But what I find surprising is the virtual hypocrisy and mendacious attempts to brush this issue under the carpet by some linked to the NPP as just a one off aberration. These people pretend or do not seem to know that Agyapong’s threats were not the first admonishing the killing of Ewes, something the readily available facts betray. Facts I have been referring to from 1994 in cyberspace, recounting my own personal experiences with some of those advocates of Ewe killers in Nigeria during the early years of the PNDC. Of course, I have not as yet told the full story. But as Fela said, “I no kpata de finish!”
Hmm! As I found out when I was insulted “basabasa” by a man who turned out to be one of my many uncles, (when I apparently misspoke on the hike in petrol prices in the 1993 budget), on a bus from Anloga to Dzelukope in 1993, for being mistaken for a Quashiga hireling who had joined the “Eblutorwo” (Akans) preparing to come and kill them, my people back home were fully prepared and waiting for the quislings to start the attacks; I was assured. That was long before anyone heard of Justice Kpega as a political pundit! Phew! Me, a die-hard Nkrumaist in league with NPP assassins, to go and kill my fellow Anlo-Ewes? Well, after all, it was in Lome, an Ewe centrepiece city even if many are of Ga-Anyi extraction, that they first congregated and started those lose talks against Ewes, thus forcing most Ewes in exile opposed to the PNDC to abandon the opposition to the PNDC and the anti-Ewe bent it had taken. So, many of us Ewes knew about their evil intents a long time ago, as they were eating our akple and fetri detsi and planning it in our kinsmen homes! Hardly any of them knew that much of the land of Lome is owned by people from Aflao and environs. Ignorant morons come in all shapes, you know. They were lucky no one poisoned them in Lome.:-)
Equally, I have read opponents to Agyapong’s utterances, including some Ewes, made some false and misleading statements, which shows that they are ignorant of the facts of the origins of the ethnic imbroglio in Ghana, despite my persistent efforts and write-ups sketching that sordid history, from the pre-colonial to the post-independence era. I read someone situated in the 1979 elections period Victor Owusu’s scathing attacks on Ewes as “inward-looking” during the exchanges with Dr Agama in Parliament after the Apollo 586 sacking of mostly Ewes by the Busia regime!
Ignorance and superstition are recognised as key cogs in the vicious cycle of backwardness that is our lot as developing people but the extent most so-called educated Ghanaians wallow in these two inhibiting traits is just stupendous and disheartening!
Many try to claim that Rawlings introduced tribalism into Ghana by employing predominantly Ewes into sensitive public posts, especially the security sector; whereas the same claims of Ewe domination of posts had already been used effectively against Gbedema’s NAL by Busia’s Progress Party during the 1969 General Elections, as I had quoted from Dennis Austen but something all grown-ups at the time knew about. It was therefore unfortunate, that the late Prof Adu Boahen, as a historian who knew or ought to know better, fed into these fabrications of Ewe dominance, creating his own when he reportedly claimed in a British Council lecture in the 1980s that Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, a Ga who was given the VC post which he thought he deserved at the time, was an Ewe, and promised in his interview granted to Mahoney and his Africa Watch magazine to redress the presumed ethnic disparity when the NPP was elected into office. To me and many discerning Ewes, especially the Ewe elite, it was all déjà vu. But I was still surprised to find out that some decade long opponents of the PNDC voted for the NDC in 1992! It would not even surprise me if someone who knew Justice Kpegah’s political views very well in the 1980s came out to say that he was an arch-enemy of the PNDC in the Bar Association. I was visiting Ho in 1990 when the people of the VR angrily rejected the no party idea that the PNDC was then lobbying for, effectively halting the campaign for it. Those in BA had already voted yes.
Yes! The NPP had itself to blame for their dismal reception in the VR, as they lost the plot with their tribal agenda reminiscent of the 1969 campaign. In Accra, they lost a lot of Ga support when the same Prof Adu Boahen at a rally, in trying to whip the anti-Ewe venom made that gaffe about Gas being pushed by the PNDC to be sleeping 10 persons to a room, after many of the main speakers had spoken in Twi! In 2000, they (NPP) won simply because of JJ’s unwholesome Swedru Declaration and the disrespectful Obed Asamoah led attempts to impose sitting candidates on their constituents, which nearly got him beaten at Dzelukope/Keta.
Fact is, I have been aware, just as many other people, since the early 1980s of various threats by some Akans opposed to the PNDC to have Ewes killed and had written about that many, many times on Okyeame and SIL. Perhaps, adding Gas to those to be killed is just the new dimension added by Agyapong, since it appeared, this time, the Gas, in Agyapong's warped mind, had acted in prosecuting the "Ewe agenda" by beating up Ursula on behalf of the Ewes! Well, warped minds think in strange, circular terms!
After all, the threats were so opened and so rampant that one Ewe, the late Dr Kodzi who died here in London in exile, pointed out the "Anlo-Ewes in his own virulently anti-Rawlings/ PNDC book, "Ghana: Worse than Apartheid S. Africa," as the Ewes to be killed, for being the culprits of the complaints and angst of the Akans! That was long before anyone heard of Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe and his renewed “war” on Anlo-Ewes, a war his ancestor joined the Akyem Gen. Dompey to fight in "Krepi" against the Asantes and lost way back in the 1860s and got stranded there, lucky enough not to have been killed like others. That’s another story I had re-told elsewhere and needs a re-visit soon in order to let the populace know what makes bozos like Ahoofe tick. For a man, (I mean Dr Kodzi, not the jerk Ahoofe) who, due to his sterling stewardship when in charge of the Keta Govt Hospital, was much beloved by Anlo-Ewes, regarded as an hononary Anlo and entrusted with pouring the libation at the Hogbeza celebration of the Noviha group here in London, that was something to write! How could he be sure that the would-be killers would not mistake him for an Anlo man, in spite of the pain he took to identify the other Ewe groups in his book? Well, the failure of the so-called Ewe elite - academic and traditional and the political - to deal rationally with this animus against Ewes is itself an intra-Ewe shambolic intellectual failure I shall deal with by and by. I have right here on my table the rantings of some other Ewes from northern Eweland, or Ewedome, as we Anlos refer to the area referred to by Europeans as Krepi, against the PNDC and Anlo-Ewes in particular which I have not even as yet dealt with in my writings.
I must, however, make exception here, as Prof. Kofi Awoonor’s much distorted and maligned prison book (in league with Soyinka’s The Man Died) is probably the first book by a Ghanaian which tried to explain the tribal imbroglio and to point the way forward. His only mistake was that he fell prey to the standard Western simplistic, linear and reductionist methodology of reducing what is without doubt a complex articulation of interests and forces which cut across the ethnic divide with people from all ethnic groups found in both or all contesting camps for political ascendancy, or “hegemony”, as he put it, in Ghana. So, for instance, those who imprisoned him for helping Brig. Kattah to escape to Togo were not only “Akans/Asantes” but included Ewes, Gas, Gonjas, etc., as Kutu’s NRC comprised a cross-section of Ghanaian ethnic groups.
You have to be wilfully blind or totally ignorant of what has been happening in the opposition to the P/NDC camp in order to claim today that you are not aware of talk of and even attempts to foment what would have become an ethnic war in Ghana prior to 1992. I personally had to intervene and quelled a serious fracas on Okyeame between two well known non-Ewes when the “brave Asantes” were queried again by a non-Asante why they could not deal with the apparently Ewe P/NDC which allegedly committed atrocities on they Akans only, I suppose. I bet many can remember J.H Mensah's arrest in America for allegedly attempting to buy weapons to prosecute their “liberation war” to get their country back. It is no wonder the NPP gurus, many of whom shared in those nefarious ideas, talked about it, plotted to carry it, etc., are finding it very hard to distance themselves from this public utterance of it again. How can they desert their fellow journey man, without being double hypocrites? At least, there must be some honour among thieves!
There are many questions to ask and many issues to take up. Had my PC not kaput and eventually leading to the loss of a huge part of what I had painstakingly written with references while in Norway with additions in London, my intended book taking up those issues would have been out years ago.
Incidentally, my next intended article after writing "How Some "Ewes" Became a Part of Ghana" is titled "Who Are the Ewes". It is just a revisit to my first ever post to a cyber forum in early 1994, Okyeame precisely, which Azar should remember so well, as in spite of my providing a reference, he still challenged me to give that! It was sent as my contribution, incidentally, to another NPP instigated scare against poor but hard working Ewe and Ada fishing cum farming pioneers (won't call them settlers) displaced by the effects of the Akosombo Dam on the neglected downstream people who opened up the mosquito infested and disease-ridden Afram Plains. The claim was that the NDC wanted to carve a district for them there and thereby claim the land for them! Wives and children were hastily sent home in order to keep them out of harm’s way in the event of attacks on the communities. That was when I decided not to sit any longer on the fence, just like the majority of my fellow educated Ewes, who think responding to such attacks on Ewes is beneath them, since madmen, "dzimakplawo" and "gbemelawo" were responsible! That was the common “wisdom” repeated by Rawlings at Tsiame, when he was queried by the worried chiefs and people about the ongoing Ewe demonization in the opposition media and political platforms in the ‘90s.
Gratuitous counter abuse, especially directed at Asantes ad nauseam, is not the way to tackle the issues, as some are presently doing on Ghanaweb. In the ‘90s, the Ghanaian stage was left to a novice like Komla Dumor to deal with on JoyFM with his “Ayigbe Jokes” series., which horrified and mortified me when I first listened to it online in 1997 or so. A programme like that would have found him and JoyFM foul of the Anti-Vilification Laws of any of the Western Europe countries and sanctioned appropriately. I doubt though whether half of our “honourable” MPs have heard of such a law, but that is the way we must go and huge revision of the school curricula. But that calls for another article.
Well, simply, many do not know how to deal with the madmen who repeatedly take their loins cloth while in the bath house! I know how! After all, I know the story of how the Anloga man dealt with the mad man of Tegbi and remained sane; the mad man who used to way lay the “asisiawo” - the market women - from the Keta market with a club and the question: axor a ava lo, alo axor a ekpo?, i.e., do you want penis or do you want club? And one day he raped and killed the heavily pregnant wife of the Anloga man. Of course, it is a taboo to deal with mad men in our society.
Ahoofe and his ilk’s tribalistic insults directed at Anlo-Ewes in particular and Agyapong's call to mayhem can be placed in perspective if you are informed about their origins. They used the tribal card so well in 1969 and think they can continue using it forever. No! Some of us decided long ago that ourselves and children shall not remain objects of demonization and vilification for the political objectives of some people who are still suffering from the mental warpedness that the slave trade had foisted on our ancestors. We shall therefore make sure that these appeal to ethnic differences backfire big time on their stupid faces!
I am therefore re-sending and shall continue re-posting this short piece I had put together especially for the readership of Ghanaweb and shall continue with my series on the Ethnic imbroglio in Ghana. Agyapong's outburst is simply the tip of the canker that permeates our body politic that must be dealt with at its roots. They are not the only Akans who suffer from what I have dubbed “Ewe angst and fears”, which afflict the generality of Akans due to how they are weaned and socialised. What do you expect from people who, as kids, are frightened to drink their Mist Alba, behave themselves or go to bed early with the Ewe bogeyman imagery?
Andy C. Y. Kwawukume
cyandyk@ymail.com
London
CARDINAL 10 years ago
I thought you idiot is going to shed your ANLO nonsense today and face facts but your bigotry will not allow you to admit that we have bigots like Awomoor among Ewes.
KOFI Awonoor wrote,
"The purpose of the June 4th re ... read full comment
I thought you idiot is going to shed your ANLO nonsense today and face facts but your bigotry will not allow you to admit that we have bigots like Awomoor among Ewes.
KOFI Awonoor wrote,
"The purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the AKAN, especially the Asantes economic hegemony and to redistribute the wealth of the country"
I have quoted this Awonoor nonsense many times in this forum and anytime an Ewe counters this Awonoor ethnocentric nonsense, their defense have always been that, Awoonor had apologized. This is the first time an Ewe is arguing that Awoonor Williams did not say this and coming from you is not a surprise at all because you don't believe Ewes especially the ANLOS are innocent of bigotry. You have never seen an ANLO bigot in your life despite the fact that you yourself is an ANLO tribalistic.
The only time you accuse any Ewe of wrongdoing, is when that Ewe is not ANLO Ewe.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago
I AM 50% EWE AND 50% AKAN WHO SHOULD I FEAR?I AM AFRAID OF A TILAPIA THIEF AND GRASS CUTTER THIEF.
REMEMBER IF A WOMAN IS HAVING ORGASM AND SAYS"MEVA,MEVA"I AM COMING IN EWE AND MEBA,MEBA"I AM COMING IN AKAN IS THE SAME THIN ... read full comment
I AM 50% EWE AND 50% AKAN WHO SHOULD I FEAR?I AM AFRAID OF A TILAPIA THIEF AND GRASS CUTTER THIEF.
REMEMBER IF A WOMAN IS HAVING ORGASM AND SAYS"MEVA,MEVA"I AM COMING IN EWE AND MEBA,MEBA"I AM COMING IN AKAN IS THE SAME THING.
Kojo T 10 years ago
Ewes and other tribes were not made to be afraid of or to hate Asnatefo. No , that did not happen. I knew all along it is what happened to you folks in your up bringing that is the cause of the problem
Ewes and other tribes were not made to be afraid of or to hate Asnatefo. No , that did not happen. I knew all along it is what happened to you folks in your up bringing that is the cause of the problem
Ghana 10 years ago
You are not a truth teller, at least ANDY K has admitted to things that they were made to afraid Akans and Asantes as cheats. We all know you idiots were trained to hate Asantes.
Asante mothers were right to warn their kid ... read full comment
You are not a truth teller, at least ANDY K has admitted to things that they were made to afraid Akans and Asantes as cheats. We all know you idiots were trained to hate Asantes.
Asante mothers were right to warn their kids about Ewes because they killed a lot of children and harvested for their body parts which still goes on in Trokosiland.
KATH 10 years ago
Ashantis rather kill for money because of their evil love for money!
Ashantis rather kill for money because of their evil love for money!
Vodoo Xebieso 10 years ago
Thanks, Cardinal. But in your heart of hearts, do you think Ewes are that bad? Or in my own heart of hearts, do I believe Akans [Ashantis] are all that bad? All human beings are bad and good.
Thanks, Cardinal. But in your heart of hearts, do you think Ewes are that bad? Or in my own heart of hearts, do I believe Akans [Ashantis] are all that bad? All human beings are bad and good.
Kojo T 10 years ago
What Sarpong has described is practiced by the Akan tribalists. If some one opposes the NPP then he is Ewe. If a Voltarian commits incest then Voltarians are like that. Kofi Awoonor is cited time and time again . It is the Ak ... read full comment
What Sarpong has described is practiced by the Akan tribalists. If some one opposes the NPP then he is Ewe. If a Voltarian commits incest then Voltarians are like that. Kofi Awoonor is cited time and time again . It is the Akan tribalists who like to provoke others. What is worse than rejoicing when Voltarians drown in the Volta lake?
BISHOP 10 years ago
There have been many instances when Asantes have also been so labled, its not just Ewes. This finger pointing will not lead us far. We know and admit we have a problem, the questione next should be how do we confront it?
T ... read full comment
There have been many instances when Asantes have also been so labled, its not just Ewes. This finger pointing will not lead us far. We know and admit we have a problem, the questione next should be how do we confront it?
Thank You
C.Y. ANDY-K 10 years ago
THE ETHNIC IMBROGLIO IN GHANA: THE ORIGINS, PART 1
The tribal imbroglio, rather than starting in recent times, has been brewing for a long, long while now. In fact, the roots of the prejudices and the insults we see some r ... read full comment
THE ETHNIC IMBROGLIO IN GHANA: THE ORIGINS, PART 1
The tribal imbroglio, rather than starting in recent times, has been brewing for a long, long while now. In fact, the roots of the prejudices and the insults we see some raining on others date back to pre-colonial times. So, any attempt to understand the worrying phenomenon must address the canker from that era. That is what I intend to do, with special focus on the apparent cleavage between Ewes and Akans (and any others). But now, I’d begin with the colonial times. When you hear the cry of lamentation:
Dza le le leeeeeee!
Me zu kluvi
The road to Kontsiabu
Strewn with gold dusts.
Only those without
in their eyes gold dusts
felt the pangs of hunger and thirst…
then you’d know that the time to narrate the doleful tales of the pre-colonial era, where it all began, has arrived; but you’d get a glimpse now.
Not to waste time apportioning blame, the Akans (and Gas, if I may add them), started these tribal abuse and attacks on Ewes many decades ago; nay, centuries back, as I said earlier. But as mentioned above, I won't delve as yet into the pre-colonial times when it was free for all, with even some Ewe states joining in marauding and plundering other Ewe states for the slave markets of the Gold Coast. I had indeed provided a write up on that sordid era on Ghanaweb’s SIL in the 1990s, which is available. One German businessman with biz connections to Ghana who used to read the nonsense on SIL wrote a private mail to me saying that he was always wondering why Africans sold each other into slavery to Europeans and Arabs; reading my detailed historical account enlightened him on how and why it happened for the first time. That story must be re-told all over Africa in other to understand the roots of the conflicts that bedevilled the continent after independence.
In Ghana, the colonial times modern version started after the WW1 when Anlo, Tongu and Peki migrants from within the Gold Coast and those from the newly acquired TVT from the Germans started moving to the Akan and Ga areas to either fish, farm or seek paid employment. Ewes from Togo and Benin Republic (Dahomey) escaping from French repressive rule came later. Some Ewes, esp. the educated ones, also got jobs with the commercial houses and the colonial administration. Some, such as Gbedema and Nkulenu, started their own private businesses. Soon, they were becoming prosperous in their chosen fields and/or rising up in the ranks wherever they were employed due to the usual hard working nature of most migrants. After all, the far superior German missionary vocational educational set up, compared to the British, had equipped them much better with skills in the crafts and building, such as carpentry and masonry, which were in much demand by the colonial authority and the other natives of the Gold Coast and Asante. That was when trouble began and the attacks started, as far back as the 1930s.
Below is a brief quote from S. Greene about how the Fantes started perceiving Anlo-Ewe fisher folk; a perception or prejudice which is not much different from what permeates the Akan ethnic group as a whole up to today (not only a few bigots on Ghanaweb). Ewes find out to our chagrin or amusement, often as a kid, that that was how our fellow country men and women perceive us. The encounter is therefore a personal story too.
Not much has changed in the prejudiced minds of too many Akans, as we daily witness on Ghanaweb, even though many too have developed over the years an obsession or desire to marry Ewe girls, failure which often brought in its wake stories of tribalism heaped against Ewes. As I told some Akan teacher colleagues in Nigeria, it was the scary and “irrational” Akan “wofa” (uncle) inheritance system, stupid! Horrible stories of how Ewe widows were in particular dispossessed and treated shabbily were enough to dissuade any idea of marriage to even a most love besotted Akan man! It is no wonder that, with the interstate law of inheritance in place, marriage to Akan men has been on the increase.
I know an Ewe from the Peki area who swore that it’d never be possible to change the jaundiced perception of Akans of Ewes from his own experiences attending Mpraeso Teacher Training College, and then teaching at Mpraeso and in Kumasi. He said one particular woman - a cook in the school - they used to go to church with wouldn’t believe that he did not have any “akpeledzi” under their bed! I said it was possible and gave an example of my own experiences in Nigeria. I managed to convince my fellow Akan teachers that I don’t indulge nor believe in those things - juju or voodoo or even any god (white or black), and wouldn’t drink “ogogoro” with them – when there is original Gordon’s gin and lime cordial to have – and they somehow lost some “respect”, (or was it fear?) for me. They’d say I wasn’t a proper Anloman and fool around with me!
Between 1982-4, when their Anti-Ewe diatribes had reached fever point and they were advocating massacring Ewes as done to the Ibos in Nigeria who they claimed were also allegedly dominating Nigeria in the 1960s, I thought of putting some fear into them by creating some “kporsi” (“see-and-run”) to scare them. Fact is, practically every smart Ewe knows how to scare Akans and Gas even though they don’t have “foko” (anything), as we say in Anlo but I will keep that out of this write up. Good I didn’t do so, otherwise they’d be giving testimonies up to today about what an Anlo teacher did to them in Nigeria – they’d have packed out and run from their rooms on the ground floor of the storey building we were hiring. I “protected” myself practically by chocking the door handle with a chair, as I had seen in movies, before I went to bed, in order to prevent them from making me the first casualty of their let-us-kill-Ewes mania! Funny some of them even became staunch PNDC supporters, only to change their minds again years later when I met some on a visit to Ghana.
Anyway, enough with the digression into the personal narrative and to Sandra Greene.
From p.148 of Sandra Greene I quote:
"Increased Anlo identification with their northern Ewe-speaking neighbours may have also been enhanced by the experience many had while participating in migrant fishing. After World War I, numerous groups of Anlo men and women traveled to other coastal areas, including the Fante area of the Gold Coast, in order to pursue their commercial fishing activities. For many, this was probably the first time they had traveled outside their home area, and/or to a district where they were a distinct linguistic minority. In these locations, they conducted themselves as they had in their own home villages, but those among whom they come to live - often temporarily, just for the fishing season - came to view the Anlos' prosperity with jealousy and suspicion. Stories circulated that associated the Anlo with "blood-curdling" crimes. R.W. Wyllie indicates, for example, that from at least the 1930s "Fanti [children] learned to view the Anlos as thieves, kidnappers, sorcerers, and ritual murderers." The social tensions that accompany these beliefs - and the very fact that these beliefs were held by a non-Ewe speaking people - must have heightened the Anlo's awareness of their linguistic and cultural background and generated some sense of identification with their Ewe-speaking peoples whom they would have encountered in the Gold Coast."
The encounter with the Gold Coasters was enough to turn any Ewe into a paranoid schizophrenic, developed a siege mentality (become “inward-looking”?) and very resentful towards any idea of union with the Gold Coast, not to mention marry an Akan.
As some of you know, the Anlo area through Tongu to the Peki area had been part of the Gold Coast colony proper, effectively from 1874 though the British “bought” and claimed the area from the Danes in 1850; hence the freedom to move to other parts of the Gold Coast and Asante later. Besides, many southern Ewes are descendants Ga-Adangbe, Elmina and Denkyira fugitives dating back respectively to 1687 when the Akwamus first thrashed the Gas for cutting the “bolobolo” (foreskin) of their prince sent to the Ga Mantse Okai Koi’s court to understudy courtship, and 1700, when the Asantes defeated the Denkyiras and took over Elmina from the Denkyiras. Going back to Ge (Accra) and Sima (Shama) with their new kinsmen was just like returning to the ancestors' land. In fact, it was the descendants of those fugitives who were the first migrants, having maintained links with their ancestral lands during their long period in exile. Reindorf had written about that back and forth movement among the Ga fugitives long ago. That’s how Osu-Anecho came to be founded and how all Ewes got the derogatory epithet “Ayigbe” (Ayi refuse), whether they were descendants of fugitives or not. The “dzulor” bit the Gas added originally referred to the Okai Koi stool regalia which the Ga-Ewes in Togo refused to return to Accra and still claim to be its protectors. Remember the trips with pre-colonial undertones their chiefs made to Ghana when the NPP took over power in 2000?
I can make long comments on the above quote but suffice it to say that it was the beginning and end of the love affair which started as unification with the Gold Coast movement ending up as the drive to secede from the Gold Coast. So we read from the December 6, 1919 edition of the West Africa magazine a letter sent to the colonial government of the Gold Coast:
“We PEOPLE of Togoland, descended from two principal countries, Elmina
(Ane) and Accra (Ge), both of the Gold Coast Colony, ask to have British government because it is the government of our fathers, whose customs are our customs, and a British Colony is half-an-hour distant from us.
We ask to have British government because it is the government of our kith and kin, our race and our tribe.
We ask for British government because of our relationship with our people on the west, which must assert itself..” (culled from West Africa 12-16 Dec. 1994)
And so on it went. One may wonder why the petitioners did not even acknowledge the Ewes, Dagombas, Konkombas, Akans and the host of other ethnic and tribal groups in Togo who also have their “kith and kin” within the Gold Coast and the Northern Territories. I guess this piece of history may come as a surprise to the ingrates who make a living of always reminding us that Ewes come from Togo, some of whom carried a video to Lome to trace the roots of Fiifii Kwetey there, instead of doing so in Accra! Well, he said he was from Nogokpo, which rubbed a sore spot for me, but that’s another story.
THE EWE BACKLASH
By the 1940s, Ewes, Anlos in particular, in the Gold Coast had had enough of the vilification and undeserved demonisation their successes were arousing. The returnee Anes and Ges (Gas), now fused as the Genyi, as Anlos refer to them, through intermarriages, also soon discovered that they were not welcome, or often welcomed with shouts of “Ayigbe dzulor”! Disenchantment set in and secession from Ghana became a far better option. The result was the 1956 plebiscite and the rest is history.
Then come the post Feb 24 1966 coup era, when Busia and his PP turned this traditional vilification of Ewes into a political tool to win the 1969 general elections. It was preceded by an internal struggle within the NLC to share the spoils of office after the coup. An extended quote from Dennis Austin, that great chronicler of Ghana history, captures the gist of it, so here we go:
“A surprising and disagreeable novelty of the election was the extraordinary anti-Ewe sentiment that was express1ed in conversation with many of those who were against Gbedemah and his party. One can explain this strong animus not simply by a dislike of Gbedema’s reappearance in political life but in relations to events after the 1966 coup. Suddenly there were the soldiers and the police, and everyone burst out singing, but when the music died down away it was noticed that the NLC (it seemed) was commanded by minorities: Ewe and Ga. When Ankrah (a Ga), was moved out, and charges were brought over-hastily by Harlley against the Chief of Defence Staff, Michael Otu, the evidence to many was overwhelming. It was all an Ewe plot. Soon Ghana would be run for the benefit of an energetic minority, operating first within the armed forces, and now behind Gbedemah. ‘Appoint an Ewe to a public corporation or to a government department and within a year the entire hierarchy down to the messenger will be an Ewe.’ So the argument ran. And there was always some evidence for it, since the Ewe, deprived of any natural wealth in their own barren region, have been energetic in seizing the opportunities of public employment, including positions in the army and the police, which wealthier communities (like the Akan) did not wish to occupy. In practice, looking through the list of senior officers in government department and the public corporations, the evidence is certainly not clear of any Ewe domination: it could hardly be in view of their number. But a belief does not, of course, have to be true before people hold it fervently.
Now there is an Akan-dominated government of an Akan dominated society. Were I to become, by some improbable chance of fate, leader of the governing party I would be much less apprehensive of my Ewe opponents in front than of the large and expectant following behind. I would be fearful too of the ambitions of those now excluded from power, remembering the Songs of Innocence that:
The strongest poison ever known
Came from Caeser’s laurel crown” (D. Austin 1976:125)
Austin was writing with hindsight about what befell Busia’s regime, overthrown in a coup led by an Asante.
In Part 2, I intend to examine the hate campaign against the Ewes and the consequences or reactions from the 1970s which led to Kofi Awoonor’s infamous prison book, The Ghana Revolution, which he claimed he wrote in prison when gaoled for helping Brig. Kattah to escape from Ghana. It’d be necessary to focus on the Ghana Army, from its origins and recruitment trends since it is at the crux of the matter.
.
Andy C.Y. Kwawukume, better known as C.Y. Andy-K, is a freethinker, Pan-Africanist and an ardent Nkrumaist.
cyandyk@ymail.com
References:
Dennis Austin (1976): Ghana Observed: Essays on the Politics of a W. African Republic.
Manchester Univ. Press.
Sandra E. Greene (1995): Gender, Ethnicity, and Social Change on the Upper Slave
Coast: A History of the Anlo-Ewe. Heinemann and James Currey
Robert W. Wyllie. “Migrant Anlo Fishing Companies and Socio-Political Change: A
Comparative Study.” Africa, XXXIX, 4 (1969), 396-410.
Agyeman 10 years ago
I think its most unfortunate that you and other Ghanaians only attach the word "phobia" to negatives in society.My point was to disprove him that no tribe can dominate and thus i had no negative traits in mind.In fact the exa ... read full comment
I think its most unfortunate that you and other Ghanaians only attach the word "phobia" to negatives in society.My point was to disprove him that no tribe can dominate and thus i had no negative traits in mind.In fact the example i gave -the kikuyu- have come to dominate kenya thru a mix of politics,business acumen & cultural soft power even though they're just 22% of kenya's population.Pls think again.
CARDINAL 10 years ago
Mr Agyeman, though my comment is attached to your comment, my response was not to what you said whether I agree with you or not. I know the Kikuyu is a large tribe in Kenya, in terms of percentage, I don't have any idea so it ... read full comment
Mr Agyeman, though my comment is attached to your comment, my response was not to what you said whether I agree with you or not. I know the Kikuyu is a large tribe in Kenya, in terms of percentage, I don't have any idea so it will be wrong on my part to disagree with what you said. Sorry, I was not responding to you per se.
Seal 10 years ago
Nii well spoken there is a tribe hinding behind NDC as you asked ,trying to manipulate other tribes against Ashanti for their own interest. Just to gain power to destroy Ashanti their main aim is Ashanti must be wiped from th ... read full comment
Nii well spoken there is a tribe hinding behind NDC as you asked ,trying to manipulate other tribes against Ashanti for their own interest. Just to gain power to destroy Ashanti their main aim is Ashanti must be wiped from the surface of the earth
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago
1]AKADU CAME UP WITH PEN THIEVES.
2]CARDINAL CAME UP WITH TILAPIA THIEVES.
3]WHEN THEY ARE NOW ARGUING ABOUT WHO CAME WITH ASANTEPHOBIA AND BLAMING ASHANTIS FOR EVERYTHING LIKE AL CAPONE BEING BLAMED FOR THE CHICAGO FIRE AN ... read full comment
1]AKADU CAME UP WITH PEN THIEVES.
2]CARDINAL CAME UP WITH TILAPIA THIEVES.
3]WHEN THEY ARE NOW ARGUING ABOUT WHO CAME WITH ASANTEPHOBIA AND BLAMING ASHANTIS FOR EVERYTHING LIKE AL CAPONE BEING BLAMED FOR THE CHICAGO FIRE AND STEALING,I WILL BE CRYING"EWURADZE,EWURADZE,ADJEI,ADJEI,
BUT ADJEI IS NOT ONLY AKAN NAME,THE EWES,GAS,FANTES ALL USE ADJEI.
I AM A KETA SCHOOL BOY WAITING TO USE A PEN FROM AKADU TO STEAL CARDINAL'S TILAPIA AND I WILL WAYOMIZEPHOBIA THEM.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago
HE NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE YOU CAME UP WITH ASANTEPHOBIA.DID YOU GIVE MY GIRL AMA SERWAAH TO COLLECT THE COINS WHEN SHE WAS HAVING DOGGY DOGGY STYLE WITH YOU ON ASEDU NKETIA'S BRICKS?
HE NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE YOU CAME UP WITH ASANTEPHOBIA.DID YOU GIVE MY GIRL AMA SERWAAH TO COLLECT THE COINS WHEN SHE WAS HAVING DOGGY DOGGY STYLE WITH YOU ON ASEDU NKETIA'S BRICKS?
Nana 10 years ago
'I have a strong inclination that, the “Asante-phobia” charge is more about perceived hatred for Asantes as opposed to fear of Asantes. We should not confuse hatred with fear'. Perceived hatred from where? Your perception ... read full comment
'I have a strong inclination that, the “Asante-phobia” charge is more about perceived hatred for Asantes as opposed to fear of Asantes. We should not confuse hatred with fear'. Perceived hatred from where? Your perception stems from a careful reflection of the reality around you. Be it fear or hatred, they exist.Have u so soon 4gotten Haruna's statement in parliament, Mills' Ashanti project agenda etc. Come again
CARDINAL 10 years ago
It is really childish for anybody to say that the fear of Asantes is a hoax. Does the Author understand the meaning of hoax? What does Kofi Awonoor meant when he said;
The purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the ... read full comment
It is really childish for anybody to say that the fear of Asantes is a hoax. Does the Author understand the meaning of hoax? What does Kofi Awonoor meant when he said;
The purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asante hegemony, socially and economically and fistribute the wealth of the country accordingly.
Whether it is economic fear or the Twi language dominating the commerce in Ghana, there is a fear by the other tribes against Akans, especially the the Asantes who they think have too much economic power.
RC-Truth 10 years ago
Is that the reason there is EWE looting in high places all over Ghana ? Ewes are woyomising Ghana's economy to equalise Ashanti economic power.
Is that the reason there is EWE looting in high places all over Ghana ? Ewes are woyomising Ghana's economy to equalise Ashanti economic power.
Agyeman 10 years ago
Haha,economic pwr cannot be taken from or redistributed by govt or thru revolution.Economic pwr is not just havin money but more importantly its a way of thinking or certain built in traits that a govt can never transfer from ... read full comment
Haha,economic pwr cannot be taken from or redistributed by govt or thru revolution.Economic pwr is not just havin money but more importantly its a way of thinking or certain built in traits that a govt can never transfer from Ashanti people.
Characteristics,traits or idiosyncrasies are inborn which set some people apart to succeed economically so the point of govt redistribution is moot.
AKWA 10 years ago
It's all partisan politics.Some people think that the only way for their party to have a clear shot at winning an election without rigging is to label the other party with huge numbers with an ethnocentric tag in an effort to ... read full comment
It's all partisan politics.Some people think that the only way for their party to have a clear shot at winning an election without rigging is to label the other party with huge numbers with an ethnocentric tag in an effort to unite all other tribes against it, not on the merits of their party but on fanning tribal sentiments. There are sure unintended consequences but does the politician care? If we are truthful,we should ask the simple question: which party benefits from such tribal strategies and one would find that they are responsible.Turn on your radio regardless of where you are in the country and tell me what music is being played and what language is heard and see if it is anybody's fault that it is that way
BISHOP 10 years ago
"There are some among us who are incurably tribal in their approach. They hear a name and they assume tribe. They see an act and they assume tribe. They catch a scent and the fumes reeks tribe. They are not able to decipher a ... read full comment
"There are some among us who are incurably tribal in their approach. They hear a name and they assume tribe. They see an act and they assume tribe. They catch a scent and the fumes reeks tribe. They are not able to decipher anything without putting on their tribal lenses"
We are currently at this point where some still view both parties through a tribal prism, that will change when both the NDC and the NPP populates its leadership with ppl from all corners of the country.
The NDC has done a better job reaching out to most regions but still has a lot to do in the Ashanti Region, the NPP on the other hand has to work hard to reach out to minorities using a different style other than what they had been doing in the past.
Its not the job of people to reach out to parties but rather the job of parties to reach out to people using whatever legal and acceptable means available. You cant force people to vote for your party, its done through persuasion and policies.
Tribalism will be reduced and irrelevant once we get to this point.
Thanks for the article.
Kwaku Boateng 10 years ago
Maybe Okunka can explain this phenomena where everything bad done by anybody with an AKAN name is attributed to an Asante. Are Bonos,Kwahus, Akyems, Akuapems Ahafos etc who share similar names not AKANS?
I am from WENCHI i ... read full comment
Maybe Okunka can explain this phenomena where everything bad done by anybody with an AKAN name is attributed to an Asante. Are Bonos,Kwahus, Akyems, Akuapems Ahafos etc who share similar names not AKANS?
I am from WENCHI in BRONG/AHAFO but if I do something wrong and it is reported in this forum, guess what tribe will be blamed based on my name.
Seal 10 years ago
Stop what you are saying and go back to the article and read it well.is a tribe behind NDC for all this Ashantiphobia or anti-Akan which is hinting at a raging tribal war?that is the question you need to answer,he went on to ... read full comment
Stop what you are saying and go back to the article and read it well.is a tribe behind NDC for all this Ashantiphobia or anti-Akan which is hinting at a raging tribal war?that is the question you need to answer,he went on to say perpetrators in tribalism must be denied of any comfort in Ghana.Nii well spoken,you are a true Ghanaian.
HARRY 10 years ago
LONG LIVE NII LANTEY OKUNKA!.BRAVO!.MORE GREASE TO YOUR ELBOWS. FOR ME,THERE'S NO MINORITY IN GHANA BECAUSE WE'RE ALL BLACKS.NO ONE CAN CLAIM SUPERIORITY OVER ANOTHER. FOR THOSE WHO ARE PLAYING THE TRIBAL CARDS BECAUSE OF THE ... read full comment
LONG LIVE NII LANTEY OKUNKA!.BRAVO!.MORE GREASE TO YOUR ELBOWS. FOR ME,THERE'S NO MINORITY IN GHANA BECAUSE WE'RE ALL BLACKS.NO ONE CAN CLAIM SUPERIORITY OVER ANOTHER. FOR THOSE WHO ARE PLAYING THE TRIBAL CARDS BECAUSE OF THEIR NUMBERS, THEY HAVE NO IDEA IS LYING IN WAIT FOR THEM. FOR THEIR INFORMATION, FIDEL CASTRO USED ONLY 200 GORILLA FIGHTERS TO DEFEAT BATISTA'S 20,000 STANDING ARMY. THEY SHOULD THERE4 NOT BE DECEIVED BY THEIR #S,PERIOD! .
Seal 10 years ago
Did you understand what he wrote? Is there a tribe behind NDC?Causing this Ashanti-phobia or anti-Akan? You writing about Fidel Castro and Batista is not the answer,he said anyone perpetrating tribalism must be denied any com ... read full comment
Did you understand what he wrote? Is there a tribe behind NDC?Causing this Ashanti-phobia or anti-Akan? You writing about Fidel Castro and Batista is not the answer,he said anyone perpetrating tribalism must be denied any comfort in Ghana,he went on to say Ghanaians are not ready for war.So if you think your tribe is going to get help from other tribes to destroy another tribe ,they are not ready for that.I thank God for this.The northerners were the first to sense that,hence the changed their minds in this election and
--- 10 years ago
In case of a tribal war most Ewes and Gas would attack non-Asantes because of their names. Living in Accra I saw how many Gas had never gone as far as Nsawam, thinking the whole of Ghana is just Accra. I also know a man from ... read full comment
In case of a tribal war most Ewes and Gas would attack non-Asantes because of their names. Living in Accra I saw how many Gas had never gone as far as Nsawam, thinking the whole of Ghana is just Accra. I also know a man from Bono who goes by the name Mr Asante. My guess is that in case of a tribal war all Akans would be attacked by the other tribes, for how would they differentiate? And Akans form the majority.
Non-Akans should be careful where they are treading.
nii 10 years ago
K4 started this with proceed on leave, and turned around and filled all the important positions with his people.WhIn Nkrumah's era we lived together peacefully even with Nigerians Cpp was broad based including all ethnic gro ... read full comment
K4 started this with proceed on leave, and turned around and filled all the important positions with his people.WhIn Nkrumah's era we lived together peacefully even with Nigerians Cpp was broad based including all ethnic groups. For this ethnic problem to go away a president to be must win more than 5 of the 10 regions . Also we must not allow fulls like Agyapong to say stupid things on the media.
Kwame 10 years ago
Can you fuck off idiot, where were you when Rawlings turned scholarship Secretariat to Ewe Secretariat and only Ewes were awarded scholarships to study abroad.
In his 19 years rule, Rawlings filled all important positions ... read full comment
Can you fuck off idiot, where were you when Rawlings turned scholarship Secretariat to Ewe Secretariat and only Ewes were awarded scholarships to study abroad.
In his 19 years rule, Rawlings filled all important positions with Ewes, where were you illiterate fool not full.
kantamanto 10 years ago
I admire Asantes for their hard work and bravery. They stood up against the white man and fought several wars against them. Their sweat on those cocoa plantations have helped Ghana in the past and present. Other ethnic groups ... read full comment
I admire Asantes for their hard work and bravery. They stood up against the white man and fought several wars against them. Their sweat on those cocoa plantations have helped Ghana in the past and present. Other ethnic groups have done the same but being the majority tribe, there will be no Ghana without the Ashantis. The history of Ghana is in fact the history of the brave Ashantis.
C.Y. ANDY-K 10 years ago
You are an ignorant fool! Every ethnic grp in Ghana work hard to fend for themselves; in fact, some even much harder than the Asantes who were just lay-about landlords while others did the sweating on the cocoa farms and mine ... read full comment
You are an ignorant fool! Every ethnic grp in Ghana work hard to fend for themselves; in fact, some even much harder than the Asantes who were just lay-about landlords while others did the sweating on the cocoa farms and mines on their lands. Read Polly Hills' The Migrant Cocoa Farmers of Southern Ghana to enlighten you about those who actually made the Gold Coast the major producer of cocoa.
And everybody was brave and some also fought against the Europeans, including the British, just as they fought against the so-called brave Asantes and defeated them eventually!
And the Asantes are not the majority in Ghana, being just about 15% of the whole population. I have to take a look at a recent data compiled from the recent census to give you a precise break down but I am reserving that for my own piece.
Some of us have a history which is not all about the history of Asante. It is you Asante hangers-on who don't have any history besides that of Asante as your past rulers.
Andy-K
Kofi Mensuo 10 years ago
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ... read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than present day Ghana, but for the British at the turn of the 19th century.
Before Ghana, Asante Kingdom was already in existence and it will continue to exist after Ghana is no more.
This is a simple fact the new and incorporated Ghanaians refuse to accept at their own peril.
Kofi Mensuo 10 years ago
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ... read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than present day Ghana, but for the British at the turn of the 19th century.
Before Ghana, Asante Kingdom was already in existence and it will continue to exist after Ghana is no more.
This is a simple fact the new and incorporated Ghanaians refuse to accept at their own peril.
Kofi Mensuo 10 years ago
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ... read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than present day Ghana, but for the British at the turn of the 19th century.
Before Ghana, Asante Kingdom was already in existence and it will continue to exist after Ghana is no more.
This is a simple fact the new and incorporated Ghanaians refuse to accept at their own peril.
Kofi Mensuo 10 years ago
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ... read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than present day Ghana, but for the British at the turn of the 19th century.
Before Ghana, Asante Kingdom was already in existence and it will continue to exist after Ghana is no more.
This is a simple fact the new and incorporated Ghanaians refuse to accept at their own peril.
Kofi Mensuo 10 years ago
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ... read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than present day Ghana, but for the British at the turn of the 19th century.
Before Ghana, Asante Kingdom was already in existence and it will continue to exist after Ghana is no more.
This is a simple fact the new and incorporated Ghanaians refuse to accept at their own peril.
Kofi Mensuo 10 years ago
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ... read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than present day Ghana, but for the British at the turn of the 19th century.
Before Ghana, Asante Kingdom was already in existence and it will continue to exist after Ghana is no more.
This is a simple fact the new and incorporated Ghanaians refuse to accept at their own peril.
akos 10 years ago
the akan tribe altogether are just some hard working folks, if only the rest of the lazy tribes will follow then ghana will be paradise!!!
the akan tribe altogether are just some hard working folks, if only the rest of the lazy tribes will follow then ghana will be paradise!!!
Good Citizen 10 years ago
but akos is prostitution also hard work, because i picked you last night at keravi as a prostitute.
but akos is prostitution also hard work, because i picked you last night at keravi as a prostitute.
Good Citizen 10 years ago
what did the british do
what did the british do
AKWESI SEY 10 years ago
ASANTES ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE AS SOME TRIBES IN GHANA THINK. THEY ARE PEACEFUL AND KIND PEOPLE.THOSE WHO HATES THEM SHOULD LEAVE THEM ALONE.
ASANTES ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE AS SOME TRIBES IN GHANA THINK. THEY ARE PEACEFUL AND KIND PEOPLE.THOSE WHO HATES THEM SHOULD LEAVE THEM ALONE.
Good Citizen 10 years ago
Idiot the article is meant for you.
Idiot the article is meant for you.
Kwame 10 years ago
Harry Truman was one of the U.S. presidents that enforce the abnoxious policy of racial segregation in the U.S. I think that one of the truth that is hell to Truman is that Negroes are inferior even compared with the white m ... read full comment
Harry Truman was one of the U.S. presidents that enforce the abnoxious policy of racial segregation in the U.S. I think that one of the truth that is hell to Truman is that Negroes are inferior even compared with the white man's dog, just because the owner of the dog is white, and not that the dog can reason.
The problem with the Ashanti tribal supremacist is that they together with their Akim brothers lost credibility, that they can not claim to be patriotic. It is on record that some Ashantis and Akims still believe that it is better if Ghana is still a British colony. They therefore undermine every patriotic Ghanaian even if such a person is an Ashanti. A case in point is that Kufuor imprisoned Mr. Kwame Peprah because his initiative took some bread from the table of some of his party men and women. To satisfy both foreign and party members again Kufuor and his NPP imprisoned Tsatsu Tsikata thus depriving Ghana the control over her crude oil resources.
Thus if Ghanaians are phobic the phobia is not about all Ashantis or Akims, but those unpatriotic ones mostly seen in the NPP.
mensah abrampa 10 years ago
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Xenophobia as the fear and hatred of strangers and foreigners....Asante or Ewe phobia is not any different from the general term of xenophobia.
We're engaged in the discussion because t ... read full comment
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Xenophobia as the fear and hatred of strangers and foreigners....Asante or Ewe phobia is not any different from the general term of xenophobia.
We're engaged in the discussion because there's the perception of asante phobia in especially our social and political environment.Perception is often reality so let's not adopt the often dangerous head in the sand logic.It may prove quite detrimental some day.
We did not get where we are in a sudden flight. There is a history behind it. Long before we became the political entity called the Gold Coast and later Ghana there were tribal rivalries and warfare and we were mostly geographically and tribally segregated. There was not much daylight between some of the tribes.
Today, there appears to be a growing crescendo of potentially dangerous activism from tribal hegemonists and tribal warlords turned politicians.A huge cascade of party officials who relish national political prominence but lack the clout are seeking solace in the tribal rivalries of old and are soliciting the allegiance of fringe elements of both party and tribe to fulfil their selfish political ambitions.
To those who live perpetually in a bubble some of us are beating a dead horse or just crying wolf when we warn about the potential dangers of asante or any other tribe phobia. They prefer to air brush our socio- political, economic and tribal history and would often couch their position on the growing menace of xenophobia.We, may not as a people be interested in war but war may be interested in us. How about that?
It's my assertion that tribal or group insecurities may result in the degeneration of a whole tribe or group into a gang of xenophobes.The solution lies in guaranteeing equal rights,equal justice and equal opportunities for all ghanaian citizens regardless of tribal, political or any other group affiliation. A stitch in time saves nine.
jpeg 10 years ago
The writer should know that the tribal war drums are beaten when NDC ascends to the office of President illegally. The NPP is more decent than any political party I have known in my life time.
The writer should know that the tribal war drums are beaten when NDC ascends to the office of President illegally. The NPP is more decent than any political party I have known in my life time.
jpeg 10 years ago
No matter what the NDC does, the Asantes will forever remain strong. We have not forgotten the Awoonors, Tsikatas, Rawlings and their desire to see the fall of Ashanti Region but they have failed and unfortunately, Volta Reg ... read full comment
No matter what the NDC does, the Asantes will forever remain strong. We have not forgotten the Awoonors, Tsikatas, Rawlings and their desire to see the fall of Ashanti Region but they have failed and unfortunately, Volta Region is suffering more than any region in Ghana.
papillon 10 years ago
We all Know who started this shit stuff and now that they have been engulfed by the implications they are pointing fingers. Wars are started by politicians and that is what we are heading for. We have lived together in peace ... read full comment
We all Know who started this shit stuff and now that they have been engulfed by the implications they are pointing fingers. Wars are started by politicians and that is what we are heading for. We have lived together in peace for ages, why the sudden change in our tribal relations? Illiteracy is the an enemy to progress and development.
CARDINAL 10 years ago
Actually Rawlings started it in 1982 when his chief political policy Advisor, Kofi Awoonor reveasled that, the purpose of the June revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asantes economic hegemony. A whole revolution ... read full comment
Actually Rawlings started it in 1982 when his chief political policy Advisor, Kofi Awoonor reveasled that, the purpose of the June revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asantes economic hegemony. A whole revolution was done just to settle perceved economic power by one tribe the leaders of a country and you want to tell me there is no "ASANTEPHOBIA"?
Azar 10 years ago
Some will also say all these rifts between tribes started when Busia declared that some people werent Ghanaians and that they must go, then went further to claim that some Ghanaians were over dominating some areas of the Ghan ... read full comment
Some will also say all these rifts between tribes started when Busia declared that some people werent Ghanaians and that they must go, then went further to claim that some Ghanaians were over dominating some areas of the Ghanaian economy and so must proceed on leave.
lets us also not forget what transpired b/n Agama and V. Owusu leading to him insulting Ewes in parliament.
U see the list just goes on and it doesnt help any one if we are going to keep pointing fingers. Its time we let all that aside and find a lasting solution and move on together as one nation.
CARDINAL 10 years ago
You are not telling the truth about the Agama and Victor Owusu's debate. It was AGAMA who accused AKANS of being tribalists by dismissing Ewe workers and replacing them with AKANS which Victor retorted that, an Ewe should not ... read full comment
You are not telling the truth about the Agama and Victor Owusu's debate. It was AGAMA who accused AKANS of being tribalists by dismissing Ewe workers and replacing them with AKANS which Victor retorted that, an Ewe should not accuse any AKAN of being inward looking, in essence, implying that Ewes are inward looking.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago
Mr Cardinal comes home to find his wife, Amavi, crying. "I found out from Mrs. Serwaah that you've been having an affair with that cheap secretary in your office. Why would you do that to me? Haven't I always been the good wi ... read full comment
Mr Cardinal comes home to find his wife, Amavi, crying. "I found out from Mrs. Serwaah that you've been having an affair with that cheap secretary in your office. Why would you do that to me? Haven't I always been the good wife? I've cooked Akple and Fufu for you, raised your children to speak Ewe and Asante, and I've always been by your side for thirty-five years dancing Agbadza and Adowaa. What haven't I done to make you happy?"
Embarrassed, Cardinal confesses, "It's true, Amavi, you've been the best wife a man could hope for. You make me happy in all ways but one. You don't moan when we have sex!"
Amavi questions: "If I moaned when we had sex, you'd stop running around?! All right, come to the bedroom so I can show you that I, too, can moan during sex!"
So they retire to the bedroom, get undressed, and climb beneath the sheets. As they begin to kiss, Amavi asks, "Now, Cardinal, should I moan in Ewe and Akan now?" "No not yet."
Cardinal begins fondling Amavi. "What about now, Cardinal? Should I moan now?" "No, I'll tell you when!"
He climbs on top of Amavi and begins to have intercourse. "Is it time for me to moan, Cardinal?" "Wait, I'll tell you when."
Moments later, in the heat of passion, seconds before reaching climax, Cardinal yells "Now, Amavi, moan! MOAN!"
Amavi"Meva,Meva"Meeba,Meeba.
Cardinal"darling remeber Meva,Meva in ewe and meba,meba in Akan is the same thing ,we are fucking Asantephobia and Ewephobia.
Amavi"OY! You wouldn't BELIEVE what a day I had!"
CAPII 10 years ago
THE LIKES OF KOFI AWORNOOR FEAR & HATE ANYTHING ASANTE. THE GOLDEN STOOL IS THE SPIRITUAL POWER THEY FEAR; REMEMBER 2 AIRFORCE PLANES MYSTERIOUSLY CRASHED IN KUMASI IN 1982.? TRADITIONAL POWER IS ABOVE POLITICAL (SHADOW) SUPR ... read full comment
THE LIKES OF KOFI AWORNOOR FEAR & HATE ANYTHING ASANTE. THE GOLDEN STOOL IS THE SPIRITUAL POWER THEY FEAR; REMEMBER 2 AIRFORCE PLANES MYSTERIOUSLY CRASHED IN KUMASI IN 1982.? TRADITIONAL POWER IS ABOVE POLITICAL (SHADOW) SUPREMACY.
Komla 10 years ago
When is this tribal war between the Asantes and the Ewes here at the forum going to stop? It is rather a very sad state of affairs. The folks on the ground back home get along just fine why can't we do just that on here? Are ... read full comment
When is this tribal war between the Asantes and the Ewes here at the forum going to stop? It is rather a very sad state of affairs. The folks on the ground back home get along just fine why can't we do just that on here? Are we not support to be the smart ones to lead?
KWESI 10 years ago
I agree with you. I don't seriously think that any tribe is in fear of the Asantis or any other tribe for any reason whatsoever. The problem is that the majority tribe must learn to respect other tribes and their languages, c ... read full comment
I agree with you. I don't seriously think that any tribe is in fear of the Asantis or any other tribe for any reason whatsoever. The problem is that the majority tribe must learn to respect other tribes and their languages, culture, etc. They must not think that they are superior to other tribes in Ghana. How would you feel as a person not belonging to the Akan tribe, if, for example, at any state function in the capital of Ghana, which belongs to the Ga people, it is the Akan culture that predominates? There are sevaral million other Ghanaians out there who do not speak Akan. To most Akans, any Ewe person is "kosia". I've heard the expression "Ayigbefo kosia" expressed numerous times. How can everybody in a tribe be "kosia"? We must just learn to respect each other's values and cultures, irrespective of where anybody comes from!
As a non-partisan person, I support ideologies and not the NDC/NPP kind of politics in which colleagues in the same party never go wrong. What we need is a kind of governance that is not based on political parties. Everybody in government, including ministers must be voted for. In that case everybody will be responsible for his/her actions/inaction.
AKWA 10 years ago
That's the way it is and that's the way it's gonna be until the underlying factors change.What we are seeing is a by-product of the differences in culture and natural resources. The haters are just jealous but there is nothin ... read full comment
That's the way it is and that's the way it's gonna be until the underlying factors change.What we are seeing is a by-product of the differences in culture and natural resources. The haters are just jealous but there is nothing one can do.One cannot attribute Asante power to party politics because the power was there before party politics.Rather than hating and making their situation worse, let them teach their children to be proud of where they come from and not change their names as if they are embarassed when it comes to their own background. Let them eat their tribal foods even when they becme rich.Let them wear their traditional clothing in pride whether they are poor or rich and most of all let them identify with and invest in their own hometowns when they succeed.In the Akan culture you are a disgrace if you succeed and you do not build a house in your own hometown.All these help the local economies and build dignity in those areas.If you come from a culture that teaches that if you build a house in your hometown you will be killed, thats all you end up doing,hating those that develop.There are so many Asate lawyers and doctors and engineers and politicians and business people all over the world that some cannot help but to envy.There are probably more northerners that have moved to Ashanti than live in the upper east and west combined. The truth is that they are welcome and feel safe in a friendly atmosphere. I also think that the elegance of the Asantehene that attract attention worldwide make the haters even more jealous.But what can we do? It was like that before all of us were born.In all of Asante kingdom so much go on without government.Wont it be a good idea learning from her instead of hating and being jealous.
Haha,this author is living in utopia that no tribe can dominate others in Ghana.The kikuyu in kenya certainly have singlehandedly dominated all other 40+tribes there.Asante don't have anything close to the power exercised by ...
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This Author tried to delve into the meaning of the word Asanti-phobia but he needs the help of the person who came up with that word. Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always ...
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ASANTEPHOBIA IS REAL
This Author tried to delve into the meaning of the word Asanti-phobia but he needs the help of the person who came up with that word. Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear ...
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"Asantephobia is real and it manifests itself by how those who fear and hate Asantes always attribute anything bad that is done by any Akan to Asantes. Let a Boateng, Opoku, Sarpong or any other Akan name commit a crime even ...
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I respectfully disagree with you on your assertion that there is nothing like Asantephobia. When I wrote an article about Asatephobia, the word was put in quotation marks to warn readers that, the phobia being talked about sh ...
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I totally agrees with your argument here. Ghanaians have a tendency to close our eyes to problems wishing they will go away if we act like those problems don't exist and that is why we are where are today because people are a ...
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Was it that bad in Asante regarding the fear of Ewes? I thought growing up in Takoradi as an Ewe was the worse experience i ever went through in my life. Comment like "Awoneni" did really upset me.
Perhaps the author of this article should have consulted you before writing this piece. He talks of Asante-phobia and forgets that to do justice to this he needs to talk of other tribal phobias in Ghana. Besides Ewe-phobia do ...
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Cardinal,
Since I am in the middle of editing my ultimate take on the ethnic imbroglio, I won't say much on this piece and your comments except to say that I agree with your thrust. After all, I had posted enough to make m ...
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KOFI AWOONOR IS MY WITNESS
Actually Rawlings started it in 1982 when his chief political policy Advisor, Kofi Awoonor reveasled that, the purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asantes e ...
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Fibbs . Some Grand ma tales
KOJO T, WHAT HOLE HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN? IT IS IN THE BOOK WRITTEN BY KOFI AWOONOR WILLIAMS AND HE HAS. APOLOGIZED FOR THAT.
THIS WILL BRING PEACE
Cardinal, please stop peddling that half-truth. The June 4th Revolution was led by an Akan - Major Boakye Djan and not Rawlings. Kofi Awoonor has more Akan friends than Ewe friends.
Late Victor Owusu's "inward-looking" tag ...
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Cardinal, shame on you! That's a blatant lie if you had really read that book, which MOST of you DIDN'T. You simply reguritate the dubious lies of mischievous characters. Prove me wrong by quoting the whole paragraph in which ...
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WILFULLY BLIND OR JUST PLAIN IGNORANCE?
I have been amused, and somehow puzzled, at the rumpus being raised about what crazed Agyapong said. But what I find surprising is the virtual hypocrisy and mendacious attempts to br ...
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I thought you idiot is going to shed your ANLO nonsense today and face facts but your bigotry will not allow you to admit that we have bigots like Awomoor among Ewes.
KOFI Awonoor wrote,
"The purpose of the June 4th re ...
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I AM 50% EWE AND 50% AKAN WHO SHOULD I FEAR?I AM AFRAID OF A TILAPIA THIEF AND GRASS CUTTER THIEF.
REMEMBER IF A WOMAN IS HAVING ORGASM AND SAYS"MEVA,MEVA"I AM COMING IN EWE AND MEBA,MEBA"I AM COMING IN AKAN IS THE SAME THIN ...
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Ewes and other tribes were not made to be afraid of or to hate Asnatefo. No , that did not happen. I knew all along it is what happened to you folks in your up bringing that is the cause of the problem
You are not a truth teller, at least ANDY K has admitted to things that they were made to afraid Akans and Asantes as cheats. We all know you idiots were trained to hate Asantes.
Asante mothers were right to warn their kid ...
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Ashantis rather kill for money because of their evil love for money!
Thanks, Cardinal. But in your heart of hearts, do you think Ewes are that bad? Or in my own heart of hearts, do I believe Akans [Ashantis] are all that bad? All human beings are bad and good.
What Sarpong has described is practiced by the Akan tribalists. If some one opposes the NPP then he is Ewe. If a Voltarian commits incest then Voltarians are like that. Kofi Awoonor is cited time and time again . It is the Ak ...
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There have been many instances when Asantes have also been so labled, its not just Ewes. This finger pointing will not lead us far. We know and admit we have a problem, the questione next should be how do we confront it?
T ...
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THE ETHNIC IMBROGLIO IN GHANA: THE ORIGINS, PART 1
The tribal imbroglio, rather than starting in recent times, has been brewing for a long, long while now. In fact, the roots of the prejudices and the insults we see some r ...
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I think its most unfortunate that you and other Ghanaians only attach the word "phobia" to negatives in society.My point was to disprove him that no tribe can dominate and thus i had no negative traits in mind.In fact the exa ...
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Mr Agyeman, though my comment is attached to your comment, my response was not to what you said whether I agree with you or not. I know the Kikuyu is a large tribe in Kenya, in terms of percentage, I don't have any idea so it ...
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Nii well spoken there is a tribe hinding behind NDC as you asked ,trying to manipulate other tribes against Ashanti for their own interest. Just to gain power to destroy Ashanti their main aim is Ashanti must be wiped from th ...
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1]AKADU CAME UP WITH PEN THIEVES.
2]CARDINAL CAME UP WITH TILAPIA THIEVES.
3]WHEN THEY ARE NOW ARGUING ABOUT WHO CAME WITH ASANTEPHOBIA AND BLAMING ASHANTIS FOR EVERYTHING LIKE AL CAPONE BEING BLAMED FOR THE CHICAGO FIRE AN ...
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HE NEED YOUR HELP BECAUSE YOU CAME UP WITH ASANTEPHOBIA.DID YOU GIVE MY GIRL AMA SERWAAH TO COLLECT THE COINS WHEN SHE WAS HAVING DOGGY DOGGY STYLE WITH YOU ON ASEDU NKETIA'S BRICKS?
'I have a strong inclination that, the “Asante-phobia” charge is more about perceived hatred for Asantes as opposed to fear of Asantes. We should not confuse hatred with fear'. Perceived hatred from where? Your perception ...
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It is really childish for anybody to say that the fear of Asantes is a hoax. Does the Author understand the meaning of hoax? What does Kofi Awonoor meant when he said;
The purpose of the June 4th revolution was to stop the ...
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Is that the reason there is EWE looting in high places all over Ghana ? Ewes are woyomising Ghana's economy to equalise Ashanti economic power.
Haha,economic pwr cannot be taken from or redistributed by govt or thru revolution.Economic pwr is not just havin money but more importantly its a way of thinking or certain built in traits that a govt can never transfer from ...
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It's all partisan politics.Some people think that the only way for their party to have a clear shot at winning an election without rigging is to label the other party with huge numbers with an ethnocentric tag in an effort to ...
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"There are some among us who are incurably tribal in their approach. They hear a name and they assume tribe. They see an act and they assume tribe. They catch a scent and the fumes reeks tribe. They are not able to decipher a ...
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Maybe Okunka can explain this phenomena where everything bad done by anybody with an AKAN name is attributed to an Asante. Are Bonos,Kwahus, Akyems, Akuapems Ahafos etc who share similar names not AKANS?
I am from WENCHI i ...
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Stop what you are saying and go back to the article and read it well.is a tribe behind NDC for all this Ashantiphobia or anti-Akan which is hinting at a raging tribal war?that is the question you need to answer,he went on to ...
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LONG LIVE NII LANTEY OKUNKA!.BRAVO!.MORE GREASE TO YOUR ELBOWS. FOR ME,THERE'S NO MINORITY IN GHANA BECAUSE WE'RE ALL BLACKS.NO ONE CAN CLAIM SUPERIORITY OVER ANOTHER. FOR THOSE WHO ARE PLAYING THE TRIBAL CARDS BECAUSE OF THE ...
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Did you understand what he wrote? Is there a tribe behind NDC?Causing this Ashanti-phobia or anti-Akan? You writing about Fidel Castro and Batista is not the answer,he said anyone perpetrating tribalism must be denied any com ...
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In case of a tribal war most Ewes and Gas would attack non-Asantes because of their names. Living in Accra I saw how many Gas had never gone as far as Nsawam, thinking the whole of Ghana is just Accra. I also know a man from ...
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K4 started this with proceed on leave, and turned around and filled all the important positions with his people.WhIn Nkrumah's era we lived together peacefully even with Nigerians Cpp was broad based including all ethnic gro ...
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Can you fuck off idiot, where were you when Rawlings turned scholarship Secretariat to Ewe Secretariat and only Ewes were awarded scholarships to study abroad.
In his 19 years rule, Rawlings filled all important positions ...
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I admire Asantes for their hard work and bravery. They stood up against the white man and fought several wars against them. Their sweat on those cocoa plantations have helped Ghana in the past and present. Other ethnic groups ...
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You are an ignorant fool! Every ethnic grp in Ghana work hard to fend for themselves; in fact, some even much harder than the Asantes who were just lay-about landlords while others did the sweating on the cocoa farms and mine ...
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Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ...
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Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ...
read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ...
read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ...
read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ...
read full comment
Kantamanto - In fact you said it all.
There would have been no Ghana history without Ashanti.
And to those who refuse to admit, the Asante Kingdom was more than twice greater and covered bigger and wider area than pr ...
read full comment
the akan tribe altogether are just some hard working folks, if only the rest of the lazy tribes will follow then ghana will be paradise!!!
but akos is prostitution also hard work, because i picked you last night at keravi as a prostitute.
what did the british do
ASANTES ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE AS SOME TRIBES IN GHANA THINK. THEY ARE PEACEFUL AND KIND PEOPLE.THOSE WHO HATES THEM SHOULD LEAVE THEM ALONE.
Idiot the article is meant for you.
Harry Truman was one of the U.S. presidents that enforce the abnoxious policy of racial segregation in the U.S. I think that one of the truth that is hell to Truman is that Negroes are inferior even compared with the white m ...
read full comment
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Xenophobia as the fear and hatred of strangers and foreigners....Asante or Ewe phobia is not any different from the general term of xenophobia.
We're engaged in the discussion because t ...
read full comment
The writer should know that the tribal war drums are beaten when NDC ascends to the office of President illegally. The NPP is more decent than any political party I have known in my life time.
No matter what the NDC does, the Asantes will forever remain strong. We have not forgotten the Awoonors, Tsikatas, Rawlings and their desire to see the fall of Ashanti Region but they have failed and unfortunately, Volta Reg ...
read full comment
We all Know who started this shit stuff and now that they have been engulfed by the implications they are pointing fingers. Wars are started by politicians and that is what we are heading for. We have lived together in peace ...
read full comment
Actually Rawlings started it in 1982 when his chief political policy Advisor, Kofi Awoonor reveasled that, the purpose of the June revolution was to stop the Akan, especially the Asantes economic hegemony. A whole revolution ...
read full comment
Some will also say all these rifts between tribes started when Busia declared that some people werent Ghanaians and that they must go, then went further to claim that some Ghanaians were over dominating some areas of the Ghan ...
read full comment
You are not telling the truth about the Agama and Victor Owusu's debate. It was AGAMA who accused AKANS of being tribalists by dismissing Ewe workers and replacing them with AKANS which Victor retorted that, an Ewe should not ...
read full comment
Mr Cardinal comes home to find his wife, Amavi, crying. "I found out from Mrs. Serwaah that you've been having an affair with that cheap secretary in your office. Why would you do that to me? Haven't I always been the good wi ...
read full comment
THE LIKES OF KOFI AWORNOOR FEAR & HATE ANYTHING ASANTE. THE GOLDEN STOOL IS THE SPIRITUAL POWER THEY FEAR; REMEMBER 2 AIRFORCE PLANES MYSTERIOUSLY CRASHED IN KUMASI IN 1982.? TRADITIONAL POWER IS ABOVE POLITICAL (SHADOW) SUPR ...
read full comment
When is this tribal war between the Asantes and the Ewes here at the forum going to stop? It is rather a very sad state of affairs. The folks on the ground back home get along just fine why can't we do just that on here? Are ...
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I agree with you. I don't seriously think that any tribe is in fear of the Asantis or any other tribe for any reason whatsoever. The problem is that the majority tribe must learn to respect other tribes and their languages, c ...
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That's the way it is and that's the way it's gonna be until the underlying factors change.What we are seeing is a by-product of the differences in culture and natural resources. The haters are just jealous but there is nothin ...
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