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.
