Konadu‘s Rite: Ghanafo Have Neglected the Rawlingses

*By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.

“Former First Lady Konadu Rawlings has lashed out at the [NDC] government for

failing to take proper care of the former first family. She indicated that the

government has turned a blind eye to the needs of her family and neglected certain

privileges that should be accorded the husband [JJ. Rawlings] as a former president

(Ghanaweb” September 30, 2011).

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

Of wanton greed

Of crass materialism

Of shameless entitlements

Street kids are not crying

Konadu is crying for more

The filthy rich family

For more entitlements

Like Ridge Park lizards

Who have no boundaries

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

1979 was JJ’s birth

JJ became a child

A child of the state

Since chaotic 1979

JJ has not paid for housing

JJ has not paid for food

JJ has not paid for water

JJ has not paid for petrol

Champion of the masses

The leach on the masses

JJ, the charitable robber

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

Ah! JJ is filthy poor

Friends has paid it all

Tudu dope/wee

Education of kids

Mansions, lands, farms

Speed boats, cars

Designer clothes

Nsawam Cannery

Ridge fire-storm

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

Mother to her family

Kids in designer clothes

No ghetto schools

Never in want

Of electricity

Of water, food

Of shelter, cars

Of kerosene & fire

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

Konadu is mourning

NDC has neglected JJ

JJ the murderer of hope

Shallow priest of probity

JJ’s cronies won’t help

The stomach politicians

Cronies with bellyful

JJ’s potbelly is empty

Socialist-stomach elites

Preyed with JJ the Vulture

Preached with JJ’s beak

Perched with JJ’s claws

Soaring up, circling on

Hovering with JJ like flies

Like flies over Ghanaians

Ghana the political corpse

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

Ghanaians owe JJ

For seer-ing hooliganism

For being sanctimonious

For his acidic oppression

For slaughtering judges

For firing squads

For kangaroo courts

For Rawlings’ chain

For abusing women

For closing down schools

For burning down Ridge

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

JJ’s doting FRIENDS

JJ-made billionaires

Friends with rags-to-riches

Rags-to-riches biographies

The who is who of thieves

Yes, Konadu’s rite

Yaa Konadu’s right

Her right to her rite

The family of a Greedy Bastard

Elitist thieves without shame

Masses with political amnesia

Yes, we the foolish masses

Oh! The lost postcolony

Oh! Of Dreams deferred

To fill JJ’s big potbelly

Akadu N. Mensema, Ph. D., is a nationalist Denkyira beauty. She is a trained oral

historian cum sociologist and Professor in the USA. She lives in Pennsylvania with

her great mentor and teaches Africa-area studies at a college in Maryland. In her

pastime, she writes what critics have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical”

poetry. She can be reached at akadumensema@yahoo.com