Does Ghana have a founder, or founders?
Earlier this week, in an Opinion piece in the Daily Graphic of August 15, David Ampofo commented on the raging controversy over whether Dr Kwame Nkrumah alone should be credited with having ‘founded’ Ghana, or the United Gold Coast Convention statesmen, too, should share the credit.
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In his ‘One man can make a difference’ piece, Mr Ampofo refers to “one of the finest contributions to this debate” by Ekow Nelson, published in the Graphic of August 9.
He quotes Mr Nelson’s statement: “Even if we accept the UGCC as the harbinger of the anti-colonial struggle, where in the world, or in our lives is conception equally or more important than birth?”
Well, I have one question: Can there be a birth without conception?
Even in religious terms, the teaching is that there was an ‘Immaculate Conception’ before the birth!
Furthermore, why can’t Ghana recognize and set aside a Day to honour all her founding fathers – AND MOTHERS, TOO, for that matter?
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Passport wahala at Ghana Embassy in Germany?
I suppose that over the years, passport acquisition horror stories in Ghana have become so common that the experience is no longer news. But, incredibly, it seems that even now Ghanaians abroad also encounter passport wahala.
The revelation that overseas Ghanaians also suffer equal, or even more harrowing treatment, from those in charge of passports at Ghana’s diplomatic missions, came through a recent video on social media.
Moreover, it wasn’t an anonymous posting. It was a video which showed two obviously aggrieved Ghanaian men resident in Germany voicing the frustrations Ghanaians resident in Germany suffer at the hands of passport officials at the Ghana Embassy in Berlin.
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The following is a rough, abridged translation of what is said in the video in Akan by the main speaker, named as Nana Prempeh:
NANA PREMPEH’S COMPLAINT:
“I’m resident in Germany and there are some issues I wish to bring to the attention of the authorities back home. With those of us living abroad, no matter which government is in power, our main concern has to do with passports.
“We’ve been going through frustrations for far too long! We’re absolutely fed up with the attitude of Ghana Embassy officials!”
He holds up two passports, a German one in his right and the Ghanaian in his left.
“The German one, which is valid for 10 years … whether you want to renew or apply for a new one, you can call and book an appointment. Then you go there and pay 90 euros. In a maximum of two weeks, I’ll get my German passport.”
He gives the German passport a kiss before he turns to the second passport.
“The Ghana passport should command a lot of respect, but that status is gone because of the downright wickedness of some people, fellow Ghanaians. Blacks, especially Ghanaians, we’re our own enemies!
“To renew one’s Ghana passport here it costs almost 300 euros! If one adds the cost of travel, it will probably total some 600 euros. For those living far away from Berlin (where the Ghana Embassy is), it could take some eight hours by car or 10 hours by train.
“Despite that long journey, the staff of the Ghana Embassy here have no consideration for their fellow Ghanaians, the way they will treat you. Did the Government bring these officials here to help or to frustrate us?
“It takes about eight good months, four months if one is lucky, to get a passport transaction done!
“How is it possible that a German passport takes only two weeks, and it’s so moderately priced, but the very expensive Ghana passport takes almost as long as a pregnancy?
“They can even tell you that your passport is lost!
“Also, you call and call, but they won’t pick up the calls.”
At this point, to illustrate his argument, the video switches to a second man, ‘Der MaddKing’, who places calls apparently to the German Passport office and then the Ghana mission.
With the German passport office, the phone rings just once and the call is picked up.
He then places another call, this time to the Ghana Embassy. When the call is picked up, a recording says that all the lines are busy. Then the recorded message instructs the caller: “for passport matters please press one”.
MaddKing presses number one, but there is no pick up; what is heard is different hold music. Then the call cuts.
“You can call for one week and no one will pick up the call,” MaddKing points out, adding “(but) no one will call (the Embassy) to order pizza! If someone calls it’s about a passport or visa matters! Why can’t they pick up and find out what the caller wants?!!”
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The video returns to Prempeh who continues:
“These officials give every government a bad name! They will tell you the passport (booklets) are finished and then sell them to Nigerians!
“And clearly, they want you to pay a bribe! But why? Why should I, a Ghanaian, pay a bribe to get a Ghana passport?”
Nana Prempeh concludes with a passionate appeal to President Nana Akufo-Addo to take urgent action on the matter.
To my surprise, the video hardly caused a ripple on the social media platform I belong to, although members are very outspoken on national issues. Evidently people have resigned themselves to the ordeals associated with the Ghana passport.
By now the video should have come to the attention of the Berlin mission, and others, and so should have prompted a response to the serious allegations – also borne out by anecdotal evidence – but there seems to have been no reaction.
Anyway, hopefully, it may prompt that mission, and the others, to appreciate the need to work to improve relations with Ghanaian communities abroad.
Thankfully, we now have a new Foreign Minister, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, and a new Ambassador in Germany, Mrs Gina Blay. I believe that the video will have come to their attention and being new, they will probably have different perspectives on how to solve the problems highlighted in Nana Prempeh’s compelling cry for help.