Mills Got What He Followed JJ For: Demonization

By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, PhD

“’Our Son died in a bed, at peace with himself, and with dignity in the eyes of

equally well-thinking men. Such a kind fate may not befall those tempted to stride

the world as rabble-rousing tin-gods.’ That is according to the bruised family of

the late President John Evans Atta Mills in response to comments by former President

Rawlings” (Ghanaweb July 28, 2012)

“A leading member of the National Democratic Congress, Professor Kwamena Ahwoi says

that the late President J.E.A. Mills was hounded out of office by people who thought

he was not qualified to occupy that position” (Ghanaweb, July 31, 2012).

Today, I understand Rawlings

Yes, the saintly arsonist of Ridge

The sanctimonious thug of Ghana

We should all celebrate Rawlings

We cultivated Rawlings

We are harvesting Rawlings

JJ called Liman Akpetshi man

And Atta Mills laughed

Laughter that rang approval bells

JJ called Kufour Atta Ayi

And Atta Mills laughed

Laughter that rang approval bells

JJ called Akufo-Addo short man

And Atta Mills laughed

Laughter that rang approval bells

JJ called Miils “Atta Mortuary”

And Mills became a mortuary

And Simpa Atta Mills died

We have allowed JJ to thrive

Ghanaians have cultivated JJ

We adore his graft

We adore his political theater

Of demonizing opponents

Of vilifying opponents

JJ vilified Kutu

We cheered JJ on

Some got power from it

They got wealth from it

The Tsikatas

The Atta Mills

The ET Mensahs

The Mettle Nunoos

The Asiedu Nketians

The Obed Asamoahs

The Totobi Kwakyees

The Kwesi Botehways

The Tribalist Awonoors

The Ahwois CASHPROS

JJ vilified Liman

We cheered JJ on

Some got power from it

They got wealth from it

The Tsikatas

The Atta Mills

The ET Mensahs

The Mettle Nunoos

The Asiedu Nketians

The Obed Asamoahs

The Totobi Kwakyees

The Kwesi Botehways

The Tribalist Awonoors

The Ahwois CASHPROS

JJ vilified Kufour

Mills loved it

Mills cheered JJ on

Mills got power from it

JJ vilified Mills

Some got power from it

They got wealth from it

The Tsikatas

The Atta Mills

The ET Mensahs

The Mettle Nunoos

The Asiedu Nketians

The Obed Asamoahs

The Totobi Kwakyees

The Kwesi Botehways

The Tribalist Awonoors

The Ahwois CASHPROS

So JJ did his thing

He parroted it for us

The parrot of yesterday

The parrot of today

He vilified Mills

Ah! Atta Mortuary

Ah! Konongo Kaya

Ah! Who Born Dog

Ah! Atta Go Slow

JJ piped it all

In his sanctimoniousness

Ah! The honest truth this time

Mills was mortuarized in the Castle

Sick and dying in the Castle

Mills was a Konongo Kaya

Sick, inept, and not in control

This was unlike Liman Akpetshi

This was unlike Kofour Atta Ayi

This was true Atta Mortuary

This was true Konongo Kaya

And Mills died

Let us celebrate JJ

The seer we have created

The prophet we have created

*Akadu Ntiriwa 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 My poems and essays on Ghanaweb

and elsewhere must not be reproduced in full or in part for any academic or

scholarly work without my written permission.