During my officer-cadet training overseas in the early 1970s, an incident indelibly imprinted itself on my mind. At a formal function, I sat next to a General.
After the initial pleasantries, he asked me, “Danny, what is your country’s largest export?” My answer was, “Cocoa, Sir!” With a smile on his face, he said, “Try again!” I said, " Cocoa!
“Would you try a third time?” I replied, “Sir, if you gave me a hundred chances, I would give you the same answer!”
Twiddling his right index finger at his right temple and smiling, he said, “Brain-power!”
At a time when Ghana’s population was less than ten million, the General said, per capita, Ghana was a leading “producer of brains!”
He then educated me on Ghanaians in the US automobile industry, in Medicine and in the Arts and Sciences. He also told me of a young Ghanaian scientist at NASA, later Professor Allotey of “Allotey-Formalism” fame.
So, from such a bright start in the eyes of the foreign General/the world in the early 1970s, why has “galamsey” become the vanguard of our descent into the abyss, with drugs fast moving into second position, all underpinned by disrespect, arrogance, incendiary language, accusations/counter-accusations, indiscipline and lawlessness?
Why has governance become a duopoly-duel or tug-of-war, such that at any time, about half of Ghana’s population is sidelined because they are deemed not to belong to the ruling party?
Why have strikes become the order of the day? Because that appears to be the only way UTAG, TUTAG, GAUA, GNAT/NAGRAT, JUSAG, etc., can get a hearing from the government.
As I thought of this, an article I wrote in 2020 welled up in my mind.
I titled it “COVID-19 – Tug-of-war results?” partly quoted below:
Tug-of-war
Between 1900 and 1920, tug-of-war was an Olympic sporting event.
It is a contest in which two teams of eight per team pull backwards at opposite sides of a rope until one team drags the other across a central line. Somehow, tug-of-war had a lifespan of only 20 years in the Olympics.
Archaeological discoveries in India trace the sport to the 12th century. However, its origins go further back into ancient Graeco-Roman times.
The objective of tug-of-war is for each team to pull the rope along with members of the opposing team to their side.
Harmless as it looked in comparison with boxing, it was soon discovered to have terrible hidden dangers, hence one of the reasons for its removal from the Olympics.
Sometimes, the force with which the winning team falls backwards is so violent that the winners end up with more injuries than the losers, who are also not spared serious injuries.
In a few cases where the rope has snapped in tug-of-war contests, all 16 competitors ended up in hospital with serious injuries.
On June 4, 1995, at Westernhöhe, Germany, the tug-of-war rope snapped during a competition, resulting in two deaths and five severely injured.
Of the 650 participants in the whole competition, 29 got injured. In addition to injuries from falling and back strain, there was also damage to body parts like the fingers, hands, with even some amputations.
In later English usage, “tug-of-war” also meant a situation in which two evenly matched people or factions strive to keep or obtain the same thing.
Developments
In recent times, Ghana has experienced an escalation of incendiary language and violence against perceived opponents whose thinking does not fall in their mould.
Are the damaging results of tug-of-war what we want in Ghana?
Why are we doing this to ourselves, considering the respect we enjoy not only in Africa, but internationally as a peaceful people?
Conflicts do not just happen and wars do not break out overnight. Even though a particular event may serve as the spark, like COVID-19, these sparks only ignite existing “underlying-conditions” like divisive politics and tribalism.
War-torn countries
What we are working towards is therefore going the Nigerian 1967-1970 way. West African countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and our western neighbour Côte d'Ivoire have all gone through civil wars with UN peacekeepers coming to keep peace and restore law and order.
In Rwanda in 1994, 800, 000 Rwandese were killed by fellow Rwandese in about a 100 days.
Hate language played a major role in this tragedy. Let no one think Ghana is beyond that!
For once bloodshed starts, ending it is difficult.
For the warmongers, probably a trip to one of these conflict areas where Ghanaian soldiers go for UN peacekeeping will educate them out of their war cries! It is amazing how youngsters can threaten the whole country’s security with amazing impunity and get away with it without any adult calling them to order.
Conclusion
Probably, apart from Rwanda, no African country which has gone to war has made a full recovery.
Gun-toting civilians terrorise innocent people with impunity. A comment I received from a retiree in response to my recent article read:
“……….About the vitriol, etc., in our politics: I always tell anyone who cares to listen that the last thing we should wish for is a civil war.
No-one, absolutely no-one will win and the whole country will be the absolute loser.
I always cite Sierra Leone as an example, because I lived there for two years long before the ten-year civil conflict and I have been there for a brief visit after the war.
Lord! That country is now stuck in the mud, so to speak! I pray for Ghana…!”
Need I say more?
Finally, the lesson from the two 86-year-olds who fought a war in their 30s, General Gowon and Professor Wole Soyinka, is that whatever the semblance of victory might be, tug-of-war always ends in a “lose-lose” situation.
Comments
The game of “tug-of-war,” as we are engaged in, only ends in a “lose-lose situation” and must stop.
A blessed country like Ghana should not have the problems we have if we optimise the “brain-power” the foreign General credited us with in 1973/1974.
Greed, lack of application of the law, disrespect for authority, ineffective leadership, partisanship and indiscipline are gradually pushing us to the abyss.
“Galamsey” appears to be normalised now, as gold, not human life, is our priority.
Perhaps, a short six-week military orientation for future MPs/ministers/CEOs before they start duty will be an asset for them in discipline and man-management.
Leadership, lead by example/integrity/humility! Fellow Ghanaians, wake up!
The writer is a former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association, Nairobi, Kenya; Council Chairman, Family Health University, Teshie, Accra. E-mail:
