2 Youth activists launch book on corruption
Two youth activists have launched a book on corruption in an attempt to discuss the subject in the Ghanaian context and proffer possible solutions to avoid it.
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The authors — Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf, a communications specialist, and Alidu Bayana, a professional teacher — used the storytelling approach to deftly discuss the subject by delving into the life of Agatetaaba, a mythical character born into a West African country who was poised to fight corruption but landed himself in the practice due to limited opportunities.
Titled: “The devil’s crimes, an angel’s mistakes”, the three-part 186-page book discusses in detail the various forms of corruption in a bid to spark an awakening of conscience to help tackle corruption.
It traces corruption back to student politics, and further goes on to discuss how, in some instances, young girls are exploited in the name of getting a better life for themselves.
Launch
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Awaf, who is also a journalist, explained that the book was their contribution to exposing corruption in the various facets of life while drawing meaningful lessons to help address the practice.
He said when corruption plagued a country, it stifled development, hence the need to expose the act through the book to help find a lasting solution to it. “As a country, I do not think this is the trajectory we want to go because to what end can we continue in this direction?
“So the book is just an attempt to document some of the bad things happening as a way of exposing them and ultimately getting us to tackle these issues,” he said.
Measures
Mr Awaf said despite measures put in place by successive governments, the country was still “far” behind in the fight against corruption. He said by exposing what he described as “systemic indoctrination of corruption”, the book would help readers to better understand their role in the corruption fight.
“My hope is that this book becomes literature in junior and senior high schools for all so that people will read and understand that yes, we are all contributors to the rot we find ourselves in,” he said.
Education
With a background in African Studies with emphasis on History and Philosophy, Mr Bayana, on the other hand, said jailing people involved in corrupt practices alone was not sustainable.
He said to effectively tackle corruption on the continent, there was the need for the subject to be taught in classrooms at an early stage, coupled with the promotion of good values to ensure that the next generation were weaned off corrupt practices.