Ashantis’ Insecurity and Our National Security

Nana Akwasi Twumasi

This article is the second installment of a tripartite series that I am writing to help quell tribalism in our country. The first part of the series titled “Ewes Insecurity and Our National Security” was published on Ghanaweb on February 19, 2009, and its sequel should have followed shortly thereafter, but I went on a five-week vacation, and consequently, I couldn’t have it published sooner than many had hoped for. That said, I would thank all the dedicated Ghanaians who debated on this issue, including Professor Lungu, Mr. Francis Quainoo, and the numerous others who sent me personal emails and looked forward to the sequels-notably, Mr. Frankie Dwumaah, Mr. Nii Tackey, Mr. Kenneth Deladem, Efo Yaw, K. Anane, S. Mohamed, Ms Sherrie A, and a host of others who want to remain anonymous. Of note, the content of this article was partly inspired by emails from readers in response to the first article noted above.

To begin, I have to correct some misperceptions about my first article. The purpose of the said article and others in this series, is not to lambaste Ewes, but to draw attention to the “nasty” attitudes portrayed by both Ashantis and Ewes with regards to tribalism in Ghana, with the hope that each side would come to the realization of its contribution to this problem, which could result in an effective discussion of what should be done to remedy this problem; this was the crux of my first article and was explicitly stated in the introductory paragraph. Further, I cautioned all readers to “brace ourselves for what we may not want to hear about our contribution to this colossal problem.” In spite of my sincerest effort to be as clear as I possibly could one hot-headed, harebrained, Bernard Tetteh-wannabe, also known as Kwami Agbodza, seemed to be really ticked off because he thought I wrote the article to insult Ewes. In his 9-page rejoinder, which was posted as a comment under the said article, Kwami did his best to “rebut” my article. Below, find an excerpt of a few points that he made and my response:

Article Excerpt: “ Could ANYONE (emphasis mine) explain to me why Ewes inundate my e-mail account with anti-Ashanti, derogatory, and condescending remarks whenever I wrote about Rawlings?”

Kwami Agbodza: I do not know. But why do you not ask those who do why they do it? Why are you asking US ALL EWES (emphasis mine)? I am Ewe and I have never sent you any email? And what makes you think they are all Ewes? Because they have Ewe names? What makes you think all with Ewe names are Ewes? Look! I say you are suffering from what you accuse Ewes of.

My Response: Obviously, the idiot does not know the difference between ANYONE and ALL EWES. That question was posed to anyone who read the article (Akans, Ewes, Hausas, Gas etc), not just Ewes. This idiot must be an example of “Ewe insecurity” to think I was asking ALL EWES. Anyway, how many Akans that Kwami knows of have Ewe names?

Article Excerpt: “Do I get offended by reading a litany of anti-Ashanti sentiments directed at me via comments on this forum and e-mail? No, I enjoy them, to tell you the truth.”

Kwami Agbodza: “How can you enjoy insults unless you are sick! I can understand if you say you do not mind. But to enjoy them? So by this faulty logic, everybody else must enjoy insults? …”

My Response: Look at that idiotic Ewe logic. Where did I say EVERYONE MUST ENJOY THEIR INSULTS BECAUSE I DO? Anyway, if Kwami didn’t see the humor in my statement, by virtue of the fact that I did receive emails from a BUNCH of EWES who felt PERSONALLY insulted because I wrote something Rawlings they didn’t like, then, he must have a flat affect—a prodrome of pre-existing psychiatric illness.

Article Excerpt: “ Is it because that piece of rubbish called the constitution was drafted under Rawlings’ leadership that he should be credited with our current democracy?”

Kwami Agbodza: You should be ashamed of yourself to call the supreme law of a land rubbish. Disgraceful ewe-hater!

My Response: Am I an Ewe-hater because I called the constitution rubbish? Was the constitution put together by only Ewes? You want evidence of Ewe insecurity, Kwami Agbodza? Look at your damn self!

Article Excerpt: “ Further, Pryce’s application of the story of the Jewish nation to the supposed plight of the Ewes as an anticlimactic theme in his treatise, was ill-conceived and, therefore, worth addressing.”

Kwami Agbodza: Why is it worth addressing when we other Ewes have already addressed it. We do not need you to address it for us! Read the comments section of his piece, I have already addressed it. Do not waste our time.

My Response: By your own distorted Ewe logic, I should not talk about a subject because you and other Ewes have already addressed it? Do I sound like an Ewe to you, Kwami? You egocentric idiot might have thought my article was written only for Ewe consumption! My article was meant for all, so get a grip on your “insecurity”!

Article Excerpt: “ Now, let’s rewind the record of our own history to 1957 and fast-forward to 1981 and draw a parallel to the Jewish “story”:”

Comment Kwami Agbodza: Why do you not rewind it to the future say 2050?

My Response: Obviously, that dummy did not know that one could only rewind to the past but not to the future. Any way, I steered clear of the year 2050 because it had no historical bearing on my article as all the intelligent people who read my article may have realized.

Article Excerpt: “ If protecting the welfare of our children is the reason why this lady with a noble cause is being accused, then, I will argue unequivocally that Mills’ administration must do all that it can to transplant the entire Volta Region to the bottom of the Bermuda Triangle, since its trokosi practices put more children in danger than anything else in Ghana.”

Kwami Agbodza: What kind of logic is this? So there are no girls suffering in Kumasi?

MY Response: Since when did girls “suffering in Kumasi” become the same as a 6 year old girl in the Volta Region who has been forced into the hands of a wrinkled, atrophied, 90 year-old male as a sex slave? (Folks, I must end my “rebuttal” here to make way for today’s article. I would have enjoyed writing a full rejoinder to all the points raised by Kwami Agbodza but did not want to bore you to death with a 20-page rejoinder (a complete rebuttal including Kwami’s comments).

Now, onto the article: A bulk of the comments that I received from readers seemed to point to the fact that Ashantis think they are superior to other tribes in Ghana. In conjunction with the latter, a newsworthy and yet decorous remonstration that I received from a brother from the Northern Region, read: “The biggest problem I, from the north, have with Ashantis is the condescending way most of them see everybody else.  Northerners are the Pepefuo, Ntafuo, etc.  I have heard things like - "Those Ntafuo never understand anything".” This referenced quote may reflect a joke or, possibly, have inaccurate idiosyncratic quality to it—in relation to Northerners, that is—but still, it speaks volumes, in my view, to how we Ashantis think we are superior to others. The reason why some Ashantis have a false sense of superiority over other tribes in Ghana is beyond the scope of this article. I would do the Motherland a great disservice if I did not say that there is absolutely no justifiable reason for a group of people to see others as inferior. As an Ashanti myself, I can’t stand the way some of my tribesmen flaunt what they have and their social standing just to impress others, and in the process, make others feel less important. The unvarnished truth is that we Ashantis sometimes can be infuriatingly condescending to other tribes; this is partly the reason behind this article series to draw attention to such attitudes, with the hope that we can start the healing process by knowing what each side needs to work on. I cannot over-emphasize this honest assessment from SB (who requested to remain anonymous in my article), and I commend him for his brevity and yet significant contribution to this discourse.

Further, SB noted, “(1) There is also the perception that Ashantis have an attitude of "the end justifies the means" when it comes to making money. (2) Then the issue of never trusting anybody else.  I was strongly backing NPP until Pres. Kufour appointed his junior brother as Min of Defence.  They have never regained my trust.” One Mr. Nii Tackie echoed the latter point in following words, “…even though i like the NPP, it is the most tribally biased party in the country. It is made up of mainly Akans and a sprinkling of other tribes.” I would like to address these concerns in the order in which they appear in the quote. With respect to the first point, I would surmise that every tribe in Ghana—I stand corrected—has some perceptions about them, be it erroneous or otherwise. One Mr. S. Mohamed concurred, “I am neither an Akan nor Ewe, but I must say that we all have customs, cultures that others might find distastefuI.” Do I agree that Ashantis are greedy? To some extent, yes! Do I believe that Ashantis are the only people in Ghana with negative stereotypes? No! As a matter of fact, I have heard it said that Ashantis are greedy and would kill for money; Ewes are destructive and they love apotropaics; Krobo women are promiscuous; Fantis would prefer to die rather than abandon fatty foods, etc. It may be true that an Ashanti would kill his neighbor for his money, but so would an Ewe kill his neighbor, may be not for his money, but just because the neighbor happened to rub him in the wrong way. Are all Ashantis greedy? No! Are all Ewes destructive? No! Are all Krobo women promiscuous? No! We, as a nation, should try to inculcate virtues in people rather than judge people based on stereotypes. These stereotypes, I must say, may be true but the paramount issue of concern is: How do we address them without offending anyone? That’s for all to ponder and I would, once again, solicit readers help on what they think might be the best approach to address this problem in my next article.

Regarding the second point raised, I must say that, even though I don’t disagree totally with SB’s assessment, I can understand why Kufour did what he did—not to say that what he did was right. Rawlings, as many would remember, had Akans in his inner-circle but his go-to guys were predominantly Ewes. Kufour and his NPP administration might have employed the same modus operandi to prevent their administration from being undermined. I can understand why some, including SB, may have felt uncomfortable with Kufour’s idea to employ his brother as the minister of defense. The question that I have for them (no offense intended) is this: Could Rawlings have done what Kufour did if he had siblings who were qualified to be minister of defense? Considering the divisive nature of our political landscape, who would you feel comfortable protecting you, if you were the president: A friend, who could potentially by bought off by the opposition or your own flesh and blood? And, yes, I do realize that some brothers or sisters can undermine their siblings in such a situation, but what are the odds of that happening? With that mind, we have every right to be critical of our presidents whose administration marginalizes other tribes. I am of the conviction and have advocated the view that every administration—be it NDC, NPP, or CPP--- must be tribally inclusive. The “quota system” has been advocated by some and may have been used sparingly in the previous administration, without success. I concur with both Mr. Tackie and SB, and to paraphrase them, the NPP is “Akan-centric.” Prior to last year’s elections, the NPP had relied predominantly on Akans to win elections, but Kufour’s indiscretions during his last term led many Akans to “abandon” the party. The outcome of last year’s election, as heartbreaking as that might have been for staunch supporters of the NPP, was a blessing in disguise in that it will help the NPP to pay attention to the other tribes that also sit at Mother Ghana’s dinner table.

At this point, I would like to interject the discourse with some of my experiences that shows how “unfairly” I may have “treated” some Ewes, which I am not proud of, in light of this discussion. I have a friend (Fante-Ga), who lost his father at an early age. My father has “adopted” him as his son and he enjoys all the benefits of this familial relationship. I once introduced one of my wife’s friends to him that turned out really bad. Later, he called to tell me he was in a relationship and I felt very happy for him. This girl, as it turned out, was soft-spoken, respectful and decorous—among other traits that my brother found very desirable. On a separate occasion, we talked and the relationship seemed to be blossoming—perhaps into a marriage. On a separate conversation, he told me he was contemplating marrying this girlfriend. As any concerned relative would do, I decided to inquire about the girl’s background. When I learnt that she was an Ewe, that was enough for me to tell my brother I did not approve of the marriage because I did not trust “those people.” That relationship was severed the minute I made my pronouncement. As heart-breaking as this may sound to most readers, we should realize that this problem is not an isolated incident and many families on both sides of the argument may have gone through this experience.

In a separate incident, my sister-in-law who was a student at the University of Ghana, Legon, had a conversation with me about one of her course mates who had a crush on me after she’d seen my picture in her album. This lady kept pestering my sister-in-law with questions about me; she wanted me so badly that she gave a picture to my sister-in-law to mail to me. I had returned from lectures one hot summer and received a package from Ghana. It contained several pictures of a fair-complexioned lady who was really pleasant to look at. The package also had a personal message from this secret admirer. Unaware of whom the person was, I called my sister-in-law the following weekend for details. The lady in question was handed a phone to talk to me, exuding all the feminine wiles typical of a lady who is serious about falling in love. I talked to her and found out that she was an Ewe. Guess what, that was the end of our conversation!

At this juncture, I can feel many gnashing their teeth and filled with rage about my attitude towards Ewes. We should all bear in mind that my willingness to help our country rid herself of tribalism is my reason for being forthright about my experiences. The question then becomes: How could Twumasi be so cold towards some people simply because they are Ewe? My life has been guided by many tenets of philosophy, one of them being that a cause must have as much reality as its effect. What precipitated my actions? Rawlings ordered the execution of my favorite uncle (an army general) through firing squad during his revolution. Most Ewes that I’ve encountered over the years have vehemently justified Rawlings’ killings and this really got on my nerves. Surprisingly, these Ewes felt uncomfortable talking about the same subject after learning that Rawlings executed my uncle via firing squad—thus, most of them came across as being duplicitous in protecting that monster. (I must commend Daniel Pryce at this point because, even though he is an Ewe, he has been openly critical of Rawlings’ atrocities). The last confrontation I had here on Ghanaweb on this subject was with a person called Nana Amma Obenewaa, who described me as being obsessed with Rawlings, after s(he) had read an article that I authored in which I mentioned the execution of my uncle. On a separate occasion, s(he) said some nasty things to one Mr. Francis Quainoo on a similar issue. I don’t think she ever wants to come anywhere near me after she read my response to her. I have the heart to forgive and forget in spite of my no-nonsense persona, and will expect others to be forgiving as well; that’s my honest mea culpa. (Writing this article was never easy for me. At one point, I thought about shelving it and returning to my “old ways.” This was prompted by reading comments from Ewes in their response to a recent publication on Ghanaweb (Dutch to Return Ghana King’s Head, 03/21/09). This king, referred to as Badu Bonsu II, was decapitated by the Dutch for killing two of their emissaries. According to the article, Nana Bonsu’s was being “rebellious against European role in the country.” Some of the comments I read from Ewes bordered on ad nauseam; it ranged from insulting Ashantis to badmouthing the deceased king. This really got my blood boiling, but I was able to control my temper because I knew I could achieve more with my mission to promulgate inter-tribal cohesiveness than engage those fools.)

In sum, this article is in no way an exhaustive list of how Ashantis contribute to tribalism in Ghana. There was a lot that I could have written but didn’t want the article to be longer than it is. I will appeal to all Ashantis to see how they contribute to tribalism in Ghana. Come to think of it, what’s the reason why Ashantis predominantly back the NPP and Ewes the NDC? Doesn’t this mean that Ewes believe the country will be better managed by the NDC, and Ashantis, likewise, believe the country will fare better in the hands of the NPP? We may not have thought of it before, but it appears these two tribes are actually fighting for one thing: the betterment of the country they all love—Ghana. Long live Mother Ghana. (PS: Article wasn’t formally edited because I wanted to have it published quickly due to readers’ request. I apologize for any mistakes that one may come across. I would welcome emails from readers about what they think to be the best way(s) to address some of the latent problems discussed in this article and its prequel.)

The author aka TROUBLEMAKER can be reached via nanaakwasitwumasi@googlemail.com