Yaa Konadu: In 1982 You Were Silent Whenever JJ Brutalized Women

*Dedicated to the late Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow & all Ghanaian women who

suffered under the sadism & predatory rampage of JJ Rawlings & the December 31st

Falsehood.

**By Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D.

“Ekumfi Essuehyia (C/R), May 18, GNA - Konadu Rawlings, President of the 31st

December Movement has expressed joy that the movement had made some impact in

national development. She said when in 1982, the World Bank declared Ghana as a

collapsed state she was moved to mobilise some women to form the movement to see how

they could empower them to play meaningful roles in nation building…” (Ghanaweb May

18, 2010).

I. HISTORICIZING

Yes, in 1982 Ghana was a collapsed state

In the hegemonic horizon of hopelessness

World Bank made that declaration

But JJ was the heroic mouthpiece of the collapse

The eternal hero of chaos

JJ’s egotistic narcissism

Suffocated us all

Suffocated us with Rawlings’ Chain

1982 Rawlings’ Chain of oppression

Kidnapped, brutalized, coerced, deceived

II. FIREBALL OF LIES

Amidst 31st Dec FALSEHOOD

Millions of female street kids

Wedded to our streets & bonded to poverty

Selling who born dog chains

Konadu claims to have saved them all

Suffering females of Ghana

Hear ye all Konadu’s fireball of lies

She who escaped FIRE-ing

On a somber Valentine’s Day

Wearing a royal headgear and kente

When Chief FIREeman was far away

She who knows how to escape FIRE

From he who born FIRE-ings

Has patented self-righteousness

She who has lived off Ghanaians

Lived off taxpayers in 30 years

She who fears Nsawam Prison

But gladly stole Nsawam Cannery

Konadu is still self-possessed

Of the noise of 31st DEC FALSEHOOD

Cacophonic self-righteousness

And she claims to have saved women

III. 31ST DECEMBER FALSEHOOD

Yaa Konadu Rawlings

Uses state funds to marginalize women

Uneducated, downtrodden rural women

To make GARI, KONKONTE

And she calls it empowering women

That is disempowering women

That is marginalizing women

That is feminization of poverty

Those gari women need/ed education

Flawless education like your daughters had

Daughters who escaped our decaying schools

Pampered daughters educated overseas

Konadu you only saved her rich daughters

IV: KONADU’S SADISTIC SILENCE

In 1982 Yaa Konadu

The champion of women

Ignored the killing of the JUDGES

Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow

Mr. Justice Fred Poku Sarkodee

Mr. Justice Kwadwo Adjei Agyepong,

Abducted in the violent night

Curfew imposed by rampaging JJ

Mrs. Koranteng-Addow and others

Carted like garbage

In Fiat Campagnolas

Whose murderous keys

Keys picked up from Konadu’s palace

Palace guarded by soldiers

Keys on Konadu’s affluent dining table

Death squads of the night

JJ’s kinsmen of predatory power

Slaughtered Mrs. Koranteng-Addow

Konadu you were silent

Konadu you enjoyed JJ’s sadism

In 1982 Yaa Konadu

The champion of women

Ignored Makola women

Who were demonized

Assaulted, raped

Tortured in the genitalia

Yaa Konadu you were silent

Konadu you enjoyed JJ’s sadism

In 1982 Yaa Konadu

The champion of women

Ignored Legon female students

Abducted by JJ’s thugs

Assaulted and raped

The feared cadres

Thugs in the pay of JJ

Yaa Konadu you were silent

Konadu you enjoyed JJ’s sadism

V. KONADU NEEDS REDEMPTION

Yaa Konadu Rawlings

You have never fought for any woman

You have fought for yourself & your kids

Selfish and sadistic like JJ

Self-Righteous like JJ

Yaa Konadu seek redemption

You owe Ghanaian women apologies

For your sadistic silence

Enough of your gyrated hypocrisy

Coming from a haunted, damaged psyche

**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