Ghana Under Curse?

I was born among a people who always look at the other side of the coin, if the

cause of a calamity is not found on the normal side which is the physical one.

About 99% of Ghanaians are superstitious. Some play superstition down with talk,

but deep in them they have things they believe which Mostly amounts to superstition.

Majority of Ghanaians believe that God's annoyance with his people can bring a

doom upon them. Most Ghanaians believe that God and satan plays roles in our lives

which brings us blessings and curses respectively. Evil is allocated to the latter

whilst good is naturally from the Almighty God. A gift from God brings joy but that

of satan end up in tears.

In the Bible and the Qur'an alike it is thought that when head of groups

(family, community or Nation) are good it brings blessings upon the people but when

evil men lead it brings maledictions. Of course in the reign of every leader, there

is bound to be desasters but when it becomes a daily affair it leaves a lot of

questions in the minds of people.

For the past few years, I get worried when I think about Ghana. The rate at which

desaters have visited our door steps makes me panick and think if we and our leaders

are on the right path with the almighty? Whenever the Israelites saw calamities

beyond their understanding, they always turned to God to find out the reasons. God

always answered them and showed them where they have offended. Sometimes it was the

people who had offended God so leaders had to make sacrifices and intercede for the

nation, like in the case of Moses and the Isralites when he returned with the ten

Commandments. At other times it was the Head or leader who trespassed and the whole

nation suffers like in the case when Saul went consulting witch doctors. If Ghana

is a Christian country or better still if we claim we are a people of God, then its

not a mistake if we begin to ask the same question Joshua asked; "who has wroth this

evil in our midst"? Achan owned up that he

stole from the camp of the enemies and was put to death and immediately the

calamity seized.

Our land in the past has seen a lot of evil and bloodshed from the days of Dr Kwame

Nkrumah to the time of Pres Mills. From the life burrial of Dr J B Dankwah, the

beheading of Ametekpor, through the bloody coups of Kotoka and Afrifa. From the

harsh treatment of foreigners by Busia to Achempong's sex oasis through to

Akuffo's secret killings. In the shooting of top army officers and the killing

of former heads of state by Rawlings and his friends. From the "kalabule" days of

Hilla Limann to the Murder of High Court Judges in the days of Rawlings2 up to the

mysterious death of Issah Mobila in the days of Kuffour. The killings at Tamale,

Chereponi and Agbogbloshie are fresh in our memories. To me none of all that is

new. Mother Ghana trembled beneath these evill acts anyway.

At long last we were told there has come a new leader who is God fearing. The name

Atta Mills almost beacame synanimous to righteousness. We heard it when he siad he

wish the whole Ghana was a prayer camp. What a man of God? Immediately after those

prayers as though God has been ifuriated by the bablings of long prayers desasters

began to visit the land in an unprecedented manner. The prayers said for Ghana in

my little knowledge in the bible should have wiped away all our sins and cleanse our

land from all its unrighteousness, because the fervent prayer of the righteous

avails much. When a Righteous leader organises a prayer for his country and people

it is very effective. The examples are abundant in the bible. So the question I

asked was why are we still seeing these evil after all the prayers by our Righteous

leader?

The first I can remember was the fire that caught ECOBANK Ringway branch in May

2009. This was followed by another fire on ministry of information. The whole

building and everything inside were burnt down. Documents stored from 1957 also

suffered the rage. In the same month another fire decended upon Ministry of Foreign

Affairs destroying the building and properties worth millions of the Ghanaian tax

payers money. Before the year ended Sodom and Gomorrah was on fire again, the

fourth time in the same year destroying up to 50 houses in the slump on that last

occassion alone. In the same year the famous Angloga wood market had its share of

the nationwide fire desaster. It was burnt down in March 2009. That was the first

year of Pres Mills in office.

In 2010 when the year was just about to spring up, in February 2010 the fire

returned upon the just partially renovated Ministry of information finishing what it

left over in October 2009. As if that was not enough, the fire turned its rage to

the founder of the ruling party burning down his residence and everything in it to

ashes. Ghanaians especially my good self began to wonder what was causing all these

fires which as if had an agreement were visiting high ranking state buildings and

important places.

In the same year, somewhere in August Kumasi central Market saw one of its worst

fires since its establishment leaving many people bankrupt and the market structure

in a devastated state. The desastrous fire engulfed the Makola market destroying

goods and properties worth millions of cedis. To me these occurences are not normal

and need be looked into with a more curious eye. Before we could soothe the pains

of these major fire outbreaks the big warehouse of the biggest cleaning company in

Ghana, Zoom Lion also caught fire. It was enough at that juncture to ask; God why?

But before we could manage these two words out of our shivering mouths Ashawo

Market followed up depriving us of millions worth of properties and goods. Not just

that two people lost thier lives on that fateful day. "What is happening?" was the

most frequent question on the lips of all caring Ghanaians. At a point people

cowardly directed this question to the father of all of us,

president Atta Mills. When evil occur in a house it is natural for a father to say

no I must find out what is happening. So it is not a mistake if we ask our father

why?

In that same year, hell broke loose again upon Madina and Abosey Okai. At Medina it

destroyed houses and other properties worth huge amounts of monies. At Mnaijor the

fire burnt three people to death instantly. If I want to mention, there will be no

space to even write. The desasters are so strange that it leaves a very dark cloud

above us.

Many other incidents happened within those days like the

rampaging floods in the north and Central regions which claimed

lives and properties. I will like to concentrate only on the fire desasters because

it has been the most consistent in thse last two and half years. On 31st December

as we religeously do, prayers were heard from every church hall and from the

castle. As the prayers went on, four fire outbreaks carried out a coup de etat at

Adenta, Medina, Abossey Okai and Mnaijor it was that night those three children,

died. They are Kwame Kwofie, Godfried Kwofie and Maxwell Kwofie, aged between six

and eight years. Maybe the prayers annoyed God the more because we failed to find

the root cause. Instead we pestered him with noises. You cant fight what you dont

know.

Thank God those years were past and gone for good. We were now in a new year.

Weeping may endure for a night long but joy cometh in the morning. The first two

years of President Mills were nights and full of weeping but now we had been ushered

into a new dawn, 2011. We were gradually putting those traumas of 2009/2010 away

and embracing a promising new year. Like the flash light that precedes a thunder we

witnessed the blazing of the Head Office of the only electricity providers of

Ghana; VRA. It was the shockthat nearly that made me think if God was that annoyed

that all the 31st night prayers did not reach him. It was followed by another big

blow which was the Odowna fires right in the centre of Accra. O God what is

happening to us? Where have we gone wrong? Before the answer could reach us four

children and their uncle were leaked by the hot tongue of fire at Nsunfa, near

Sowutuom killing all four children and leaving the uncle with serious burns. It

occurred just this 13th June 2011. On the burial of the children their mates sang a

song that sparked this article. They asked with the song WHERE IS OUR GOD?

Indeed God is still God and will never change. Ever able, ever supreme, ever

merciful but ever just. If we are in a country where immorality has become the

order of the day. A country where Homosexuals can boldly come out and pollute our

air with filty demands whilst our God fearing men keep silent. You only hear it on

radio and nothing else. I miss honourable Baah Wiredu. He told them one day when

they were planning a demostration at Koforidua and I quote; "if you think you have

rights go and do the dwmonstration, we also have some sodiers and police they will

meet you there". Even those who banned libation at national ceremonies to tell

Ghanaians they are trully Christians have kept silenct. Anyway these immoralities

are those committed by the people. Lets now look into the leadership. When you

lost a useful horse you are tempted to search for it even under stones.

Can I ask If "juju ring", be it for protection or for gaining attraction and votes

could demand some difficult sacrifices? Have it ever occured to you that Ghana is

under a curse and why will you think so?

Finally I want us to ask Daddy Atta with one voice: DAA WHAT IS HAPPENING? Dont you

care that we die?

Noah D. Asare

Frankfurt, Germany.