Albert Einstein once said that genius is often misunderstood by mediocre minds. Personally, I do hold what Einstein said to be the naked-truth. Equally true is that whilst fortune rewards the brave, cowards are often left to live a life consumed with revenge and jealousy. Nobody said that the road towards progress would be easy. Sometimes, lives are either sacrificed or lost on this precarious road. But then, this is what usually happens on this road of unpredictability. For the brave in heart, the difference between failure and success is the word do, not try. When Rawlings and his cohorts ousted President Hilla Limann through a coup d'etat on the 31st December 1981, he displayed sheer bravery beyond mortal belief. Mind you, Rawlings knew fully well what the repercussions would be should he fail, but went ahead anyway. So, what compelled him to risk dear life for death? Was it an innate ambition to prove something extraordinary to himself and to the rest world? Perhaps, he was just granting the request made by the gods of Ghana to bring the continuous circle of coup d'etats--which were dwindling the country's fortune and destabilizing her, to a permanent halt. But, who knows?
Many reasons could been given as to why he did what he did, but one particular reason vividly stands out. To bring the hegemony of the Akans to a full stop. Ghana is, as you all know, a melting pot of different tribes. This reality has always been our strength as a nation. However, this strength could also become a source of weakness, or even a recipe for tribal disaster, especially when one particular tribe feels itself superior to the rest. Akans have always felt themselves to be superior to the rest. They believe that Ghana belongs to them, and therefore should be treated as her first class citizens. If this is their case, then how should the other tribes be treated? I am sure that nobody wants to treated like a second class citizen in his/her own country. Indeed, if Ghana was going to be a greater nation than her past, or even the gateway to Africa--then she needed to get her house in order. Mind you, Ghana's independence was never intended to promote tribalism, ethnocentrism, or even racism. Her independence was intended to promote the Whiteman's worse nightmare. Which, according to me, is the unity of all Black people.
Really, freedom is ours to have and to possess. But, what's the sense of freedom without unity? And, how could there be unity if one tribe--because of its power and influence, seeks ruler-ship over the rest? The bottom line is; both Akans and non Akans are all Ghanaians first and foremost. This is the message--which Rawlings came to relay if only we could see pass the gun. In short, Rawlings came to unite a country, which was polarized by tribalism. Furthermore, to give the long oppressed in our society a voice. More importantly, he came to remind us of what we have in common as opposed to what we don't have in common. Unfortunately, there those amongst us who are quick to accuse Rawlings of murdering this and murdering that. And, why is that? we ask. Well, these enemies of progress--as I like to call them, believe that there should be salvation without a price. Also, according to them, there should be pleasure without pain.
Well, for their information, there is no salvation without a price, nor pleasure without pain. Simply, one cannot have one's cake and eat it too. In the real world, things don't work like that. I mean, didn't God sacrifice his only begotten Son for the sins of the world? So, why are they constantly bickering about the sacrificial deaths of the three judges and the military officers? These brave individuals, if anything, gave their lives to unite us. This is a fact, which those accusing Rawlings of murder should know. Now, I don't know if Rawlings might have lived back when legends and history collide. As a person, he is truly unique. His name and achievements, I believe, would live on long after the pyramids of Egypt have settled for dust. Truly, I hope that when he passes away, they would bury him face down so that all his enemies could kiss his behind.
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