I am not working for myself... – Nana Konadu

‘I am not Fighting for Myself. I am Fighting for the Future of Ghana and Generations to be born.’ Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.I can relate to this statement. I believe this statement comes from the depths of the being who made it.

It is as true when it was made as it is true today and will be true when Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Presidential candidate for the National Democratic Party(NDP) comes into power....and so the story goes of the blind men who were given an object.......‘Oh,’ goes one, ‘It feels silky.’ ‘It feels beaky,’ said the other.

‘You are both wrong! I can feel two claws!’ said the third......and so the three men went on building a picture of the object they had. At the end of it all they built the true picture of a dove, a symbol of peace, a symbol of hope after the stormy weather.

This to me is a summary of a lady whom so much is said about; a lady whom some revere; one whom some hold in awe; yet one whom some would rather not talk about nor wish well; not because of what they know to be the truth about her, but because of what they hear whisper about her in times past and in times present.

Some may whisper what they have heard, some may re-tell what is whispered, and yet some may simply tell what in sincerity they think they have perceived of her. All of these are entitled to their whispers; just as the three blind men were of their perception(s) of the dove.

As in the story of the blind men, it takes a- putting- together of all the perceptions to give the true picture of who Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is, truly.

I was a young woman of 19 years when the PNDC came to power. In university at the time, I remember there was an atmosphere of hope; hope for a change for the better in the lives of Ghanaians. We heard a lot about ‘J.J.’ but we also heard a lot about the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

This was the first time I was hearing so much about a First Lady in Ghana.I was but a child in the times of her predecessors, but it didn’t take long for me to realise that this First lady was different! She was the one First Lady who did not confine herself to managing the household, doing bits of charitable work and offering the support she was expected to offer her husband.

She forged a new identity for a First Lady with the establishment of the 31ST December Women’s Movement of which there are as many controversial perceptions as there are in its symbol of a woman holding a gun! Not surprising for a society that believed(?) in the absurd adage:

‘A woman can buy a gun, but she must still keep it in a man’s room’ choosing not to accentuate the historic fact of Yaa Asantewa who led men in a victorious battle against the British.......So the controversial perceptions of this Movement will stay with us; but I choose to remember its ingenuity in establishing day nurseries right where they were needed by families in our society whose very jobs robbed the children who needed this care most-right in the hearts of markets and the peripherals of our communities.

I choose to remember the President of this Movement going into the villages and staying amongst village women who worked tirelessly supporting their families yet lived in abject poverty and were kept out of ‘the more important matters of governance of the very communities they build daily through such hard work!’ Her Movement brought hope in establishing a co-operative system that brought these women to work together in small-scale gari, palm oil, soap and other relevant industries and more importantly gave them a voice in matters that matered to them, their children and the families they made such vital contributions to.

This was the first time I became aware of one with a privileged background going amongst the underprivileged in a bid to improve their lot. There may be others who may have done the same, don’t get me wrong; but she had great style in so doing!I can believe her when she says she is not fighting for herself, but for Ghana and generations to be born.

In this same spirit of ‘fighting for generations to come’ she turned society’s attention to the injustice of matrilineal inheritance and of bread winners dying intestate. She was far from the effects of any such injustice as is evident from her privileged background; and yet she worked tirelessly to influence the Intestate Succession Law.

I talk about how I perceive ‘Nana Konadu’, ‘Konadu Agyeman Rawlings’ and etc. that she is known by. Others have talked about how they perceive her; they are entitled to their perceptions, just as I am hoping I, and I dare say a host of others shall be allowed to come out fearlessly on our perceptions of a BOLD woman; a woman who could simply go into the background( as her predecessors have done) and enjoy her retirement, for she would lack nothing much.

In our society, having a doctor, a lawyer and two other professionals as your children ensures you shall have bread and more on your table in your old age.....As a young mother of two and a Public Relations and Marketing Executive in the ‘80s, I know more than anyone else how exhausting t is to get the work-family balance right.

I had a nanny for each child, as did some of us. So yes, our then First Lady had her nannies and other house helps; BUT for her schedule of being on the road into our remotest communities more often than she was in her own household, she deserves our admiration for keeping her household together! She kept her marriage intact and brought up relatively well-balanced adult children.

A feat that is admired in traditional Ghana, and indeed by all well-meaning citizens the world over. For doesn’t healthy families beget healthy communities and healthy nations??! Our elders say, ‘ Even when you hate the Monkey, you must give credit to his agility.

’So, we may fault the’Best - Ever’ First Lady Ghana has had in her not too-traditional symbol of the representation of her Movement; we may fault her for wanting to be in power and the limelight yet again.....But, let’s be careful not to ‘throw the baby away with the bathing water......’It is good for a man who has our society at heart to seek power and execute all his good plans for Ghana.......

It is even better for a woman; a BOLD one; one whose legacy most of us are too quick to dismiss on one note........‘Oh, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings...!’BUT, this is the dawn of new beginnings for the world, and for Ghana....We only need to look around us to acknowledge that it is the likes of........

NANA KONADU AGYEMAN RAWLINGS who make the desired difference....All over the world, citizens are tired of ‘Business-as-usual-politicians/leaders...’

Let us not stay behind in this evolution in politics....Let us take extra care on December 7, and throw just the dirty water away,....keeping the precious baby........the BOLD, our symbol of Hope, our way forward for:HEALTHY FAMILIES, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES, A HEALTHY GHANA.......

NANA KONADU AGYEMAN RAWLINGS!

Pat Boadu-Darko, Ms.(October 2016)