Service to womankind
When the rubber hits the road, they put on a show, not only for themselves, but importantly for Mother Ghana.
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Ghana's senior national female football, Black Queens, frustrated by unfair treatment by the state, have stayed irrepressible, spiting their plight to level their Tunisian counterparts on a 6-1 aggregate for a berth at the African Women's Championship scheduled for Cameroun later this year.
The mention of Cameroun is bitter-sweet in the memory of the followers and staunch supporters of women football in the country.
For, it evokes painful memories of a knockout by their Camerounian counterparts from the qualifying campaign for the Rio Olympics later this year.
Yet, the Queens had the chance to deny the Camerounians the ultimate glory at the 2015 All Africa in Brazzaville, Congo.
You would think that the All Africa Games triumph was sufficient cause for jubilation. Strangely, their jubilation was turned into humiliation and neglect by the state.
Fortunately, the Queens were validated by right-thinking members of society, despite eenduring a Presidential snub by President John Dramani Mahama who failed to meet the triumphant ladies as promised.
To this day, it is known that the Queens have not been paid ALL their bonuses owed them since last year. That is neither fair nor just, in a democracy touting freedom and justice.
However, it is refreshing that a number of dignitaries were present to support the Queens to whitewash their Tunisian counterparts 4-0 last Tuesday, at the Accra Stadium.
Kudos to the Youth and Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kwesi Nyantakyi and his second-in-command, George Afriyie, among the dignitaries, to have spared some of their precious time to be on hand for the Queens' latest conquest, on their quest to extend their dominance all over the continent.
However, more importantly, it is time, long overdue, to throw proper salute to the Black Queens, to demonstrate that we are a people who know how to honour our women. For, you can always tell the civilisation of a people by how they treat their women.
Let it not be said of my beloved Ghana that our national female athletes should continue to suffer lack of recognition, unfair compensation and wage discrimination based on their gender in this day and age. That is unacceptable.
It is unacceptable that some far less important compatriots, who indignify their office with incompetence, misconduct, fiscal impropriety and other nefarious dealings, do get paid, while the far glorious and honourable Golden Girls, the Black Queens, continue to suffer wage. discrimination on the basis of their gender.
It is an indictment on us all, headed by our leadership, that a women's team so hardworking, so outstanding and ever so glorious, should be dishonoured in the manner they have been, while the incompetent company get feted. It does not add up.
Unlike their male counterparts, of whom much has been expected but delivered little, the Black Queens have stayed above the disincentives and delivered.
They have executed their obligations in spite of the neglect and discrimination, rather motivated by the quest to conquer Africa, and to atone for missing the boat to the summer Olympics in Rio, and eventually put themselves in readiness for the challenge of qualifying for the next Women’s World Cup after they missed out on the last competition hosted by Canada.
Whenever the rubber has hit the road, they have put on a show, grabbing gold at the All Africa Games, even surviving a reign of terror and error, disappointments and the injustice of working for no pay, virtually.
Now, it is the turn of the nation to put on a show, and show the Golden Girls the dough, so to speak. No more disrespect, and excuses.
If you love somebody, you give; you give of yourself, your time, your essence.
Let the nation, led by President Mahama, discontinue the discrimination against women at the workplace and show our love for the Black Queens.
At the very least, it would serve the divine purpose of service to womankind.