Be innovative, farsighted, cease your destructive tribal sentimentalisms

In less than a month ago, I published an article pleading with Ghanaians to cease their absurd infatuation with spoken English. This was in the wake of the much publicised mockery of a Member of Parliament from the Kwahu area for her inability to discourse in English during parliamentary debates and discussions.

I seized the opportunity to chastise Ghanaians for their crazy but completely unintelligent obsession with spoken English, an imposed foreign language on us by our White English colonialists.

I suggested and explained why we have to go for Twi, one of the local dialects or languages widely spoken and understood by the majority of Ghanaians in Ghana for a national language. Following my argument, a fellow Ghanaian rebutted it treating me as a tribal bigot spearheading tribal supremacy in favour of the Akans. He argued that Akan is not the largest tribe in Ghana and that Twi is not the major language even though it is spoken by many Ghanaians.

I could not have time to read the entirety of his rebuttal as I found it absolutely nonsensical and below the belt hence not meriting my precious time. If we talk about the largest tribe in Ghana, taking say the Akans, the Dagombas, the Frafras, the Anlos, the Ewes, the Gas, etc., you just name it, it is only a Ghanaian mired in his/her tribal sentimental inferiority complex that will not accept the fact that Twi is the largest and the widely spoken/understood local dialect in Ghana.

The Akan tribe spans across five regions (Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern and Western) with part of the Volta being Akans hence Twi-speaking people. When you go to the Northern, Upper West, Upper East and the Greater Accra regions, many of the inhabitants do understand Twi, the language of the Akans. Therefore, for anyone to suggest that the Akan is not the largest tribe were all the various tribes to stand separately, then that person needs psychiatric treatment or the person is fantasizing in the fools’ paradise.

Should we go to referendum, listing all the dialects in Ghana, let us see which will emerge as the largest or the largely spoken language hence will be acceptable for a national language.

In every country, the largest spoken dialect or language is always chosen for a national language. This has happened in France, the United Kingdom and many other advanced countries.

I wonder why it is always our compatriots from the Volta region that have that mentality of opposing any forward-thinking plans for solidifying Ghana as a country of one people with a common destiny.

As said, Englishness belongs to the English people no matter what a stranger does to appear like the English person. You can speak more fluently with the English accent than the English person, dress and eat like them, thus, integrate into the society as much as you like, however, Englishness belongs to the English people.

Ghanaians’ infatuation with English is too silly for them to think independently as human beings with God-endowed intelligence. When one speaks English like the proverbial parrot, he/she thinks he/she is the best educated person in Ghana. This is completely bollocks!

Akan is the largest single tribe in Ghana and Twi is the most widely spoken and understood local language in Ghana whether one likes it or not. They can indulge in tribalism for all the stupid reasons available to them but that will not change the fact that Twi, apart from the adopted Whiteman’s English language, is the dominant language in Ghana.

More grease to the elbows of Dr Osei Kwame Despite of The Despite Group of Companies from Asante Wiamoase for championing the cause of having a local dialect for a national language. Everywhere you go, Twi “agye baabiaa”.

Let us all reason as intelligent people belonging to one nation and with a common destiny to stop our devastating and despicable tribal attitudes that inhibit our progress as a nation.

Could the public please find out for me the majority or the largest tribe in Ghana and which one of the local dialects/languages is widely spoken or understood?

Let the dreamers keep on dreaming. Let those stagnating continue to stagnate; mired in their hallucinations thinking Akan is a minority tribe in Ghana hence their Twi language will NEVER be accepted for a national language. Let the progressives continue to come up with useful ideas of collective interests to all.

Yes, in Ghana and to the absurdly-infatuated Ghanaian, the knowledge of English is the criterion for a man’s great learning. Shame!

By: Rockson Adofo