View of a Tweneboa Kodua Secondary School Student

The View of a Tweneboa Kodua Secondary School Student on Kumawu Chieftaincy Affairs and How Kumawu is Suffering from Peer Pressure

For evil to thrive in any society is for good people to sit on the fence, watching with arms in their lap, doing nothing. Silence is virtue, but silence in the face of adversity is simply cowardice but not groovy; and cowards die many times before their death.

To home in my point, I first have to define 'indigene', then buttress my point with a brief recount of the history of Kumawu, pull the points to finally help to bury the hatchet, as regards, who has the right to meddle in the affairs of Kumawu.

INDIGENE means 'a person or thing that is indigenous or native; native; autochthon; and NATIVE also means, a person born in a particular place or country: a native of Ohio; or originating naturally in a particular country or region, as animals or plants.

If there was any sense of credibility in the accepted rich migration history of Kumawu as per the understanding of some typical tribal-minded warped brains, then I am afraid, even none of the royal members of the various Aduana Gates is an indigene of Kumawu. This will shortly be evident in a brief narration of their history. However, by the definition of INDIGENE as per above, then anyone born in Kumawu with the royals inclusive is a native and hence, has the compelling duty to have a say on issues concerning the welfare of Kumawuman.

Quoting their renowned historian, Alexander Afriyie, son of the soil, 'The Kumawu Aduana ancestors originated from a hole at Asantemenso, situates between Bekwai and Asumenya.Kumawu people claimed (thus their ancestors I suppose), that when their number grew and the land was inadequate for them, they left Asantemenso, moved to Gyaakye and then to Abira.They then continued to Atwea and finally came to settle in their present locality, thus, Kumawu'. However, another account also stated that, after they left Asantemenso when their number grew and the land was inadequate for them, they migrated to Adanse Ahensan, and then to Penimase about fourteen miles from Kwamang (present day Kumasi). They again moved and settled at Abodom because their number in terms of population grew more than the size of the habitable land they had. Their multiplication in number through birth was overwhelming that they soon had to move to Gyaakye, then to Otikrom and again to Abira. They finally moved to their present abode, Kumawu'

If this crap of originating from a hole is any good news to go by, except though, there was an unknown cavern city yet to be uncovered archeologically, supported by the confused two divergent stories of the migration of the Kumawu Aduana royals, without, those they went to meet already settled at Kumawu, who then is the indigene authorised to share their views on matters concerning the inhabitants of Kumawuman? What also is the duration of residence in an area of one's place of birth before they qualify to be an indigene? The ball is now rolling in the court of the shackled brains who desire the majority to reside in the wilderness of knowledge and intelligence, while they pursue their parochial-minded, selfish agenda, with impunity.

To those mesmerised in the overriding importance of exaggerated, falsified, oral and documented tribal history, discouragingly unwilling to evolve for the betterment of society, should please cease to obstruct the dynamic ones that have seen the light, and understand the need for Africa emancipation in general, and that of Kumawu in particular.

The tempo of the blowing wind for change is gathering momentum by the day, and sooner will be a whirlwind, engulfing all the nauseating retrogressive cultures. The evil machinations of all those propagating falsehoods, exhibiting acts of human monstrosities, lurching and groping in the wilderness of modernity, lacking in wisdom and knowledge, will be revealed in a broad daylight, shortly.

Anyway, as a former student of Kumawu Tweneboa Kodua Secondary School, I will beg to share my views on the critical issue currently confronting Kumawuman. One may ask why should I get embroiled in the affairs of Kumawu. The question is partially answered above; the full answer is not far fetched. The problem of any locality if not checked and nipped in the bud, can blow out of proportion to become a national concern affecting many in a way or the other.

As a student, drinking from sorry to say, the laboratorial-proven germ infested 'FOTENE' stream, with rags, empty cans and rubbish strewn about and along the edges of the stream, an unhygienic eyesore situation indeed, affecting the health of many students, why can't I, let alone an inhabitant of Kumawu, comment on such a deplorable state of affairs? It is infantile on the part of anyone to suggest otherwise. I read with angst the comments by some purported Kumawu citizens on a published feature article about Kumawman by one Mr. Adofo on Ghana web on 25th July 2007. They never knew they were acting ignorantly. Now that I have enlightened them, they have no cause to err or default in their noble search for lasting but not skin-scratch or cosmetic solutions to their ills spanning over years of total neglect of their due responsibilities.

All was quiet before the storm, stirred up by certain people that society has erroneously made to believe they were born with silver spoons in their mouth, gold encrusted plates on their foreheads signifying their unique commanding status in society. No one was born a king but society makes them so. Therefore, society has the same obligation .to make changes when the need calls for curtailing their accorded unsubstantiated rights and privileges. The loathsome stringent application of .archaic customary and traditional policies, non-reflective of modern day technological material advancement, human evolution, is still a welcome idea for many a conservative people in our Ghanaian society. The strangulation of uncouth customs and traditions hampering our march forward; holding us in subservience is called for, and be critically examined by all and sundry, then gradually done away with, as the progressives in the society see them as holding us back, a hindrance to our well-being indeed Just imagine the traditional requirement of a queen to sleep with any man that proposes to her. In this day of ravaging sexual transmitted diseases (STD), how would one convince me that such a tradition has withstood the test of time since the foundations of the earth and that it has to be upheld?

National and community development are better achieved under democratic rather than autocratic regimes. Democracy with the inhered competition, with the possibility of changing those at the helm of affairs, helps exact the best out of each leader hoping to carve a good name and legacy for themselves, for their households and for their nation. With this brief explanation, it does therefore not take a rocket scientist to establish or agree that Kumawuman requires changing their ruling Aduana Gate if they have been incumbent but disastrously nonperforming for decades. It will not only serve as a lesson for them to do better next time around but also, serve a warning to the incoming leader from the other Aduana Gate as not to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors but lead a soothing prosperous leadership worthy of emulation.

This is not the moment for Kumawuman to veer towards tumultuous peer pressure in her quest for quality leadership. It should never under the sun, the moon and the stars, be incumbent upon them to select a person with a minimum of First degree, as their new chief simply because the neighbouring paramount chiefs , thus, Juabenhene, Mamponghene, Agogohene and Asokorehene, do possess various university degrees. Do we at this point in time need an honest, understanding, caring, respectful, and sincere and a foresighted leader, or an immensely educated leader falling short of the listed human qualities? A case in point, Asokore has a PhD holder, Nana P.S.K. Duah Asante, as their chief yet he does not give a hoot about his town; he does not live there but abroad and Accra. Is it the type of a chief that Kumawuman is aspiring for, or one that will reside among his people, live to their expectation by addressing their concerns? If I had my own way, I would suggest for you not to overrate paper qualification as a prerequisite for choosing a new Kumawumanhene. I may be wrong, as probably, they will be coming to the Whiteman's land to kowtow for alms as usual, where their host would require meeting only the chiefs with University degrees. Even so, Kumawuman should go it their way. You have the needed natural resources, just explore and exploit them, manage and utilise them in a very sensible way to benefit the inhabitants of the Kumawuman community in particular and Ghana in general.

It is my fervent prayer that the competing royal families or members will not resort to evil means to harm one another as our people are well noted for such outmoded behaviour under such circumstances. It should be noted that death is inevitable. Those who by the power of their vicious magic wand enthuse in dispatching their purported enemies or opponents into their grave prematurely, will fall with a thud into the palanquin of Mr. Death when he does present it. And those who destroy to succeed should know that destruction awaits them at the height of their success. The beauty of life is, live and let me live, but not live to kill me.

I desire to drink from the overflowing wisdom of that Mr. Adofo, whose grey hair is a repository of wisdom, and his old age .an indication of virtue. He has brought awareness to many who until then were encased in ignorance as to their rights, duties and obligations. What an education!

I call on all the noble sons and daughters of Kumawuman, especially,

* Mr. Benjamin Amponsah Mensah (B.A. Mensah) an Industrialist

* Dr. Kwabena Duffuor (Former Governor of Bank of Ghana)

* Mr. Castro Amoako (Businessman, Accra)

* Justice Wiredu (Former Chief Justice)

* Mr. Nsenkyire (Forest Commission Chairman)

* Mr. Boakye Agyemang (Office of the President)

* Hon. Yaw Baah (Member of Parliament)

*Hon. Philip Basoah (DCE for Sekyere East District)

* Mr. Asafo Adjei (Deputy Director---S.I.C)

* Mr. Kwasi Osei (Director General---S.M.I.T)

* Mr. Kenneth Ampratum (Former Secretary for Housing—PNDC)

* Mr. Eddie Ankomah (Managing Director—Erata Hotel, Accra)

* Kwaku Owusu alias Alabama (Representative---Kumawu Biakoye Ekuo, Accra)

* Mr. Herbert Mensah (Businessman, Accra)

* Mr. George Aduse Poku (Former Chairman, Kotoko FC)

* Mr. G.S.K. Wiredu (Director, M.D.P.I)

* Mr. B.B.D. Asamoah (Former PNDC Secretary)

* Mr. Antwi Boasiako (Hon. Deputy, Ashanti Regional Minister)

* Charity Amponsah (Businesswoman, Kumasi)

* A. Amponsah (Psychologist—Canada)

* Yaw Poku (Assemblyman)

and all the Kumawuman associations in the UK, Canada, USA, France, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, worldwide, to stand up tall and be counted in letting their voices heard on issues affecting the welfare of Kumawuman of which the selection of a successor to Barima Asumadu Sakyi II of blessed memory, has become paramount.

Long live the noble aspirations of the people. Long live the new Chief to be