CHURCHY VIBES                                                                

Christianity to some people is a mere religion which gives hope to the people. Some even thoughtlessly see it as the benign opium relished by the masses and a strategic medium to shut the lips of the under-privileged and the deprived. But we Christians understand our faith better, that it is a way of life contingent on solid principles. That it is a means of regulating our lustful and aggressive desires.

Partaking in church activities and attending ecclesiastical programmes may sound absurd in the minds of some people. It is a complete waste of time, they argue. Well, against this uninformed background, I think they’ve in absolute terms convinced me that attending secular programmes, watching a pornographic movie with some popcorn, and other secondary endeavours are not ‘a complete waste of time’. Hmm, more gracious grease of Christ to their gradually deteriorating elbows. But I want to point out something, that church activities and programmes are not platforms for showing off newly sown garments or breasts spluttering in baby oil like we see in secular shows, but rather to foster into the individual the spirit of teamwork and unity. It establishes an insurance firm where the pains, anguish, predicament, sorrow, confusion, and hopelessness of individuals are spread out and premiums are borne by the throne of Grace which guarantees swift indemnities. Salvation is personal but fellowship with God is communal.

Some time ago, I used to think that Christianity is like taking a tablet of chloroquin with a cup of acid to land it into one’s throat, but after seeing some politicians ever-ready to exploit satanic alternatives to access power, some prostitutes ready to service uncountable men for GH30, some people confidently wearing the tag ‘GAY’, some lazy youth engaging in money rituals, I told myself that even if Christianity means buying a new Bible morning, afternoon and evening, I would do it!

Unwaveringly i believe that the peace cake distributed in Ghana predominantly comes from the kitchen of Christians. Of course with the support of other credible religions, particularly, Islam and African traditional religion, who also played certain crucial roles.

Christianity is never kaleidoscopic. The principles are buttered in the Bible begging for life-application. Comrade, get into the Bible and arrest your destiny!

THE TASTE OF LOVE

Superb romance

When your emotional department is flooded by a torrential rainfall,



It takes somebody with a heart of genuine affection to introduce sunshine into it,


Nature sparks awe,


But love symbolises the inflation of emotions,


It re-echoes the story of divine sacrifice,


It clarifies foolish intelligence,


When true love manifests,


Cataclysmic circumstances are surmounted,


The cobwebs surrounding the territorial integrity of romance are easily dusted off,


And satisfaction and unity glows unsurpassed,


Though love is extremely priceless,


It takes the currency of true intentions to make purchase possible,


The governor of the bank of love is seated within you,


Taking a lavish nap in your heart,


But the ministry that oversees the conduct of love is our mental faculty,


It takes the painstaking blend of the latter and the former to achieve emotional sovereignty,

But, but, but,


The opposite mixture of the two opposing theories,


Makes the countenance of love beautifully ugly!

COOL TEMPERS

The struggle of man begins at birth. This aphoristic expression is comfortably buried in the famous story, ‘The Gods are not to blame’. To the ordinary Ghanaian, his/her life experiences are synonyms to the first statement but antonyms to the latter. The hustle and bustle of life is boldly signatured in every sphere of life, even including our relationship with God.



Fountains of excitement rushed into the depths of my heart when I learnt that Ghana has attained a single-digit inflation of 9.52%. Against this backdrop, I ignorantly concluded that consumable commodities would be cheaper and life would be more comfortable. But hey, I was grossly disappointed!


Inflation is the continous and persistent rise in the prices of goods and services, thanks to the business tutelage I had in SHS. When the Ghana Statistical Service published this patronising achievement, I did not hear any clash of champagne glasses but rather raucous murmurings and political volcanoes erupting.


Initially, I thought those concerns were one of those useless irrelevant political moans but after having a small ball of kenkey and a pathetic emaciated fish, and not getting satiated, I felt that the concerns were genuine and absolutely realistic. What is the essence of achieving a single-digit inflation which doesn’t make any economic sense to the ordinary Ghanaian?


Recently, I also heard that the prices of water sachet, known in our local parlance as ‘pure water’ would be increased from 5p to 8p from August 1. Moreover, utility bills have also been increased. And oh yes, my university bill has bloated by 10%... Oh Jesus!


But amidst all these struggles of life, I find solace in J. Martins new track titled ‘Cool tempers’.

ELIMINATING SOCIAL INEQUALITY - CLEAN POLITICS, YOU AND I CAN DO THE MAGIC

Politics is the art of obtaining power. By broader extension, it entails the act of solving problems, building and strengthening institutions, and creating opportunities for all and sundry. I’m of the strong unrelenting conviction that clean politics can help bridge the wide gap and ameliorate the social inequality prevailing in our society.

Now, what do I mean by clean politics? Fundamentally, it is the kind of politics that involves shouldering of the concerns of the masses whole-heartedly and strict adherence to the principles of fairness, loyalty, humane conscience, selflessness and accountability.

Social inequality is a touchy subject most people would not comment on. But it is a solid fact that some people sleep in seven-bedroom apartments fully air-conditioned whereas others sleep in the streets of Accra. The fact is in Ghana, the social class is strictly defined, that is, the existence of the rich and the poor.

Motivational speakers have been constantly hitting our ear-drums with the proposition that it is the individual’s hardwork, smartness, and level of self-motivation that propels him/her into greatness. This is true, but to a lesser extent. This is because to every situation, there are exceptions.

Social scientists, through extensive research discovered that social class have a tremendous effect on one’s life chances. So, in what areas can this argument be substantiated? Due to inadequate/lack of financial resources, several children from impoverished backgrounds die from certain diseases that could’ve otherwise been cured. I’ve seen and heard on our media families begging the public to make donations (financial contributions) to settle medical payments for their ward’s treatment, etc. But the rich have the advantage of being even flown outside the country for medical treatments. The situation is the same with education, employment, and even the administering of justice.

But we would experience a mind-blowing change if people with good intentions enter the political pitch plus active civil participation. I can visualise a Ghanaian environment where balanced development and equal opportunities would prevail, and the thickness of social inequality would be reduced.

In what ways can you and I bridge the social class gap? First, by accepting to do our national service at deprived communities. Second, by establishing our own self-imposed social responsibility to help deprived or impoverished families in our communities in the form of cash or kind. These and many other ways.

If we have successive governments who care for the welfare of the masses coupled with active civil engagement, a great difference would be made in the lives of the under-privileged and our beloved country, the hope of Africa, would stand out as a country where government and the citizenry make positive things happen. With strong unflinching faith in God and commitment, yes we can!

ANCIENT GHANA AND MODERN GHANA: COMPARISMS AND USEFUL NOTES

One question I used to ask myself was how our great country got its name, which is ‘Ghana’. My curiosity was aroused and I felt compelled to delve into research for some answers. I did researched and obtained some interesting facts which I would share with you. What was ancient Ghana like? What about its culture, system of governance, religion, and other useful socio-economic indicators? I would use the successive paragraphs to address these questions.


Ancient Ghana was an empire that rose around 500 A.D in the region between the bend of Niger and the middle reaches of the Senegal and the Gambian rivers. It experienced persistent spurt in population growth. Ancient Ghana was segmented into metropolitan and provincial components. Metropolitan Ghana consisted of the Soninke, the Susu, Serer, Berber, and the Tukulor. On the other hand, provincial segment of ancient Ghana are mainly conquered states which had been annexed and it includes the Takrur, Silla, Diara and Kanianga.

Ancient Ghana benefited immensely from local and regional trade, and also, the dehumanising trans-Atlantic (caravan) trade. With respect to regional trade, their strategic position enabled them to play a crucial and profitable intermediary role in the trade between the Maghreb and the Saharan. It is believed that ancient Ghana fell around 1250.

With the brief description of ancient Ghana above, I hope it would suffice a fair understanding and strike a vast dichotomy between itself and modern Ghana. Now, I would focus on the main objective of this article, which is ancient Ghana vis-a-vis modern Ghana. The comparism would hover around system of governance, defence, culture, religion, revenue generation, etc.

The system of government in ancient Ghana. The empire was ruled by a monarchical government, that is, a royal family. However, a look at modern Ghana reveals a blend of monarchical rule at the ethnic level and constitutional rule at the national front, with the latter commanding hegemony. The king is moreover assisted by a council of ministers and the governor of the capital city. In modern Ghana, the situation is quite similar but for broader extensions and more decentralisation. Nonetheless, ancient Ghana and the Ashanti kingdom, specifically the Akans are birds of a feather who flock together not only in their system of government, but also in their system of inheritance. Both practice the matrilineal system of inheritance, that is, succession to the royal throne and access to wealth and properties is through the female. This inheritance system is strictly enforced in the royal office since the king is certain that his successor is a son of his sister while he is not certain of the biological paternity to a son he has.

Modern Ghana is constantly slapped with series of fluctuating inflation rates, high cost of living, moderate standard of living, etc. But the case was different in ancient Ghana, high standard of living and low cost of living prevailed. I believe the situation was so in ancient Ghana due to their relative population rate as compared to modern Ghana with a population of about 23 million. Ancient Ghana was rich in gold, and thus whereas the monarchy harvested gold nuggets, the gold dusts was left to the masses. The playing ground was levelled and the operations of the masses would have been completely legitimized, I can confidently conjecture. But what happens in modern Ghana? Our precious mineral, that is, gold are left at the mercy of foreign intrusion with large amounts of the proceeds exported to the native countries of these foreign firms while our people wallow in abject poverty. What dignity, then, do we have to brand ourself with the name of an ancient empire that did what we are disgracefully doing excellently?

Moreover, respect and reverence prevailed in ancient Ghana. For instance, the king is highly revered and even, regarded as divine. And it was even said that the people would fall on their knees and sprinkle dusts on their heads as a way of greeting the king. But in modern Ghana, people greet the president by calling him a ‘chimpanzee’. Where is the respect and reverence that comes with the name we borrowed?

Now, how did ancient Ghana safeguard its territorial sovereignty? The armies of the empire were composed of a considerable number of skilled archers. Their weaponries are mainly bows and arrows. This is one of the areas where modern Ghana beats the ancient one. This is because our defensive system is diversified, constituting the police, navy, army, etc. Nonetheless, this progress can be attributed to industrialisation and modernisation.

Revenue generation. The sources of finance for administering the empire by ancient Ghana authorities are custom duties and from the sale of gold nuggets. This is the area where modern Ghana has excelled tremendously; from talk tax to kayayoo levies. But the government is justified considering pressing social mitigation projects and long-term development objectives. At least, it’s better than going out with spanking-clean bowls to beg.

Polytheism (belief in several gods) prevailed in ancient Ghana. There were also traces of ancestor worship, magic and witchcraft. Despite this, the authorities allowed freedom of religion. This was evidenced by the number of Muslims in the empire. Modern Ghana is quite cosmopolitanically religious; Christianity, Islam, traditional religion, etc.

The way forward is to look critically once again at the charm that compelled us to name our country ‘Ghana’ as well as the aspirations and charisma that comes with the name. God bless our great country.

ARE THE IDEAS OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS STILL RELEVANT TO GHANA’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT?

The presence of the Bretton Woods institutions, that is, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have been felt in Ghana since independence. Their names always pop up in long-term infrastructural projects, especially in the area of road construction, power stations, urban development, population control, etc. The initial paramount objective of the Bretton Woods was to reconstruct war-torn economies of Europe and I believe strongly that significant trace of parochial sentiments still runs in the veins of these twin institutions.


Foreign aid, otherwise Official Development Assistance (ODA) refers to a financial or material assistance to a country from another country or an external financial institution. Just recently, a World Bank official toured the areas destructed by the recent torrential rains and enunciated the support of the institution to bring the situation under control. That’s quite philanthropic! But is that gesture free from strings?

Of course, the Bretton Woods institutions have been helpful in streamlining economic activities in Ghana. For instance, the World Bank provided a sum of 2.6 million dollars to revitalise the economy of Ghana during the country’s economic recovery programme. Also, during the era of the National Liberation Council, the IMF and the World Bank gave an amount of 10 million dollars to help solve our balance of payment crisis at the time.

But my beef is if the Bretton Woods have our interest and economic progress at heart, why are their policies, which they often recommend for us, not shooting us into the club of developed nations? Moreover, history has shown that some of their relief packages further aggravate our social conditions such as hunger, unemployment, etc. This point to the fact that some of their policies and recommendations are incompatible with some persistent problems in our country. Thus, it would be advisable to revert to home-grown solutions.

I’m not advocating complete dissociation from the Bretton Woods, but i’m entreating our government to thoughtfully evaluate the terms and conditions of these bodies, and negotiate the best for our country.

STRUCK DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED

2nd July, 2010 would be a moment that would not be easily forgotten. It would be recalled as the day when luck and opportunity knock on the doorsteps of the Black stars earnestly but never received any welcome. It would be regarded as the day when the dream of the Black stars was truncated tragically and the glow of the African flame got extinguished. It would be remembered as the day when jubilation and excitement of the masses dispersed across the four corners of Ghana entered into transience and disappointment, sadness, anguish, and sobs, into permanence. It would be noted as the day when the vuvuzelas of the Ghanaian and any other African remained silent, from the capital city of Ghana, Accra to Johannesburg in South Africa. It would be noted as the day when Ghana refused to make history and the ‘can do spirit’ of the African was doubted. Moreover, it would be the day that gave birth to several ‘w’ questions enumerated below;


• What if Gyan has scored that golden penalty?

• What if Ghana had won the game?

• What if Ghana has won the world cup?

• Why did Gyan played that particular penalty?

• Why didn’t the referee accept goal and shown Suarez a red card for his infamous unprofessional act?

• Why is it that people who do bad things often escape justice?



And I would remember it as the day that I almost wept.

Nevertheless, I am very proud to call myself a Ghanaian. I’m proud of the black stars. I’m proud to be an African. All hope is not lost yet. Now, let’s rally our support for the Black Queens in their world cup campaign.

BLOOD ISSUE - A POSSIBLE ANATHEMA IN A RELATIONSHIP OR NOT

Okyerefo and Angela are madly in love with each other. They are so intimately engaged that the word ‘separation’ is non-existent in their romantic dictionary. It is a month to their wedding. Their marriage counsellor recommended that they perform a blood test. Though none has played both ‘home and away’ match before, they still decided to heed the advice of the counsellor. The result of the test was inimical to the progress of their relationship. It wasn’t AIDS, Syphilis, or gonorrhoea but rather, their blood groups are incompatible with each other. Does this development signal the end of their relationship or would they boldly ignore this and move on?


In humans, the blood groups are four, namely A, B, AB and O. These groups are the resultants of three genes, viz A, B, and O. However, group AB are universal recipients, that is, they can receive from all other blood groups but can donate to their blood group only. Also, group O is universal donors, that is, can donate to all the other blood groups but can receive blood only from their own.

Apart from blood groups is the Rhesus factor. According to a scientific book, rhesus (Rh) factors are proteins or antigens present on the surface of red blood cells in humans or mammals. Agglutination (reaction between antibodies and antigens of red blood cells when incompatible blood groups are transfused) is likely to occur when an Rh negative person is given blood from an Rh positive person but the reverse of this is safe.

Thus, in a relationship, child-birth difficulties are likely to occur when the blood groups and Rhesus factor of the couples are incompatible with each other. What would you do if you find yourself in this situation?