Liar, my grand uncle left Ghana long ago before Rawlings. He came back for a couple of years and then ran back. Very similar to what was mentioned about others in the article.
Your attempt to play the NDC/NPP card is exac ... read full comment
Liar, my grand uncle left Ghana long ago before Rawlings. He came back for a couple of years and then ran back. Very similar to what was mentioned about others in the article.
Your attempt to play the NDC/NPP card is exactly what is deterring well meaning Ghanaians to come back.
Please go back and read the post - come up with a constructive thought.
insight to the bone 10 years ago
the problem with this northern mentality is that thanks to jj they now all have an unquenchable thirst for power but never to serve in a team or accept their fellow countrymen . just look around in Accra and study the majorit ... read full comment
the problem with this northern mentality is that thanks to jj they now all have an unquenchable thirst for power but never to serve in a team or accept their fellow countrymen . just look around in Accra and study the majority of the businesses owned by these northerners and in the majority of the medium and Small sized businesses you notice they only employ their fellow northerners and practically never employ an Akan . Today in Accra the largest religious building in the country will be the mosque being build on our national park at Nima donated by Turkey confirming the Islamic domination of Ghana. Tribalism mixed with chauvinism and despotism from the north has now equaled the hegemony of the ewes . A.C.C.R.A any criminal can roam about so we have them everywhere now . even at the scholarship secretariat hardly ever is an Akan awarded the privilege to go abroad and study now . The Akans are the majority but because most continue to sleep or blindly trust the other tribes these atrocities are taking place . We look at the political strategy of the NDC and see the typical Hannibal wench when he turned the strengths of the mighty Roman army against themselves as they are doing to the Akans . From the south they use part of the Fantis and from the North the Brongs , from behind we have the chariot onslaught of the Gas Ewes Krobos. Yes the political landscape reflects a war which is only meant to destroy the right of self governance of the God's chosen nation of Africa the Akan . For them its a big deal who leads the NPP but we really don't care as our movement grows stronger by the hour as more and more Akans wake up to reality of this dire situation . We did not ask for this war but we will fight it and be victorious as God is with us .
Kojo T 10 years ago
Yea the chicken run started in 1969. Then the factories were closed and Workers Brigade and then GNCC. It was called " Structural Adjustment ". It is a pity we politicize and mis inform others on such important topics . No wo ... read full comment
Yea the chicken run started in 1969. Then the factories were closed and Workers Brigade and then GNCC. It was called " Structural Adjustment ". It is a pity we politicize and mis inform others on such important topics . No wonder we are moving backwards
Nana Yaa 10 years ago
Liar, my grand uncle left Ghana long ago before Rawlings. He came back for a couple of years and then ran back. Very similar to what was mentioned about others in the article.
Your attempt to play the NDC/NPP card is exact ... read full comment
Liar, my grand uncle left Ghana long ago before Rawlings. He came back for a couple of years and then ran back. Very similar to what was mentioned about others in the article.
Your attempt to play the NDC/NPP card is exactly what is deterring well meaning Ghanaians to come back.
Please go back and read the post - come up with a constructive thought.
Obrefoo Koo Boye 10 years ago
This man speaks real sense.That's the reality in Ghana,but who can change this system?Maybe only God but will the Ghanaian allow him to.Corrupted is so thick in the system that one can cut through it with a knife.Until the me ... read full comment
This man speaks real sense.That's the reality in Ghana,but who can change this system?Maybe only God but will the Ghanaian allow him to.Corrupted is so thick in the system that one can cut through it with a knife.Until the mentality changes nothing in the country will,and until then we are not coming back,tweaaaa!
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Dear Brother Michale,
Excellent and educative piece.
This is a very complicated and politically charged subject but you made it relatively simpler and more digestible, capturing many of the political and social nuances ... read full comment
Dear Brother Michale,
Excellent and educative piece.
This is a very complicated and politically charged subject but you made it relatively simpler and more digestible, capturing many of the political and social nuances related to the question.
I myself have written on this very controversial subject, as several others have, but the issue remain to be solved and solved forever, if that is foreseeable in the future.
Thanks or sharing!
'and Jesus wept ' 10 years ago
If the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah alone, things would have been different by now.
If the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah alone, things would have been different by now.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
My good friend,
Well said.
We are paying dearly for some of the evil decisions our forefathers made.
Oh if the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah alone!
Oh if we had post-Nkrumah leaders as half good as Nkrumah!
... read full comment
My good friend,
Well said.
We are paying dearly for some of the evil decisions our forefathers made.
Oh if the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah alone!
Oh if we had post-Nkrumah leaders as half good as Nkrumah!
We are all in it together. Let each and every Ghanaian do his or best.
Oh if the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah!
Thank you!
GIRLS SP 10 years ago
This Kwartey has now become a butt licker, a stupid hypocrite idiot
This Kwartey has now become a butt licker, a stupid hypocrite idiot
Kojo T 10 years ago
Francis , the problem is this fighting and the massive mis information that the opponents of Nkrumah put out . I ma not sure if it is illiteracy , ignorance or bigotry. Butwe are paying a heavy price
Francis , the problem is this fighting and the massive mis information that the opponents of Nkrumah put out . I ma not sure if it is illiteracy , ignorance or bigotry. Butwe are paying a heavy price
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Hello Kojo T,
It's the same problem I am grappling with here.
I think it is all three: "illiteracy," bigotry, and ignorance. We need to be literate about our "true" history, a history free from political or ideological ... read full comment
Hello Kojo T,
It's the same problem I am grappling with here.
I think it is all three: "illiteracy," bigotry, and ignorance. We need to be literate about our "true" history, a history free from political or ideological biases!
That is a herculean task, though. That is, separating politics or ideology from history. The facts are there, Kojo T.
You, Dr. Kwame Botwe-Asamoah, several others, and myself are doing our best to brng some of this to the reading public. Please we should not give up yet!
The hard facts are all there yet we keep around going in circles! Let me say this again: If we had left Nkrumah alone!
Thanks.
Kojo T 10 years ago
You forget you are dealing with dish washers and security guards who are emotional and insecure
You forget you are dealing with dish washers and security guards who are emotional and insecure
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Hello Kojo T,
You are funny, Kojo T.
I am happy we are having fun while still educating ourselves on Ghanaweb. This is good and healthy.
Let it continue. Have a great weekend!
Thanks.
Hello Kojo T,
You are funny, Kojo T.
I am happy we are having fun while still educating ourselves on Ghanaweb. This is good and healthy.
Let it continue. Have a great weekend!
Thanks.
military man 10 years ago
A very good piece, Michael! Thanks!!!
I hope the authourities and advocates like the Asantehene and Eric Ametor will read such articles and help put out some form of measures that would make it easier and less frustrating ... read full comment
A very good piece, Michael! Thanks!!!
I hope the authourities and advocates like the Asantehene and Eric Ametor will read such articles and help put out some form of measures that would make it easier and less frustrating for us to go back and help.
The saddest thing about this whole issue is that even as I'm writing this, I have this feeling that it's a lost cause. We will never be 'accepted' if we go back to help because history and past experiences of some of us who tried to go back but were rebuffed and frustrated are just too many to ignore.
Hopefully, the mentality of those back home will shift for the better.
Fiifi 10 years ago
Is anyone listening?
Is anyone listening?
Diprof 10 years ago
Dr. Michael Bokor, as usual another inciting piece. However, i have some disagreements. Certainly, you raised very legitimate issues, but i get the feeling like similar articles i have read on this site there are a bit one-si ... read full comment
Dr. Michael Bokor, as usual another inciting piece. However, i have some disagreements. Certainly, you raised very legitimate issues, but i get the feeling like similar articles i have read on this site there are a bit one-sided.
First of all the standards that we diasporians set for Ghana to reach before we consider returnig is unrealistic. Even assuming that there is a reasonable degree of leadership in the country coupled with less corruption, waste etc. such criterion means that we shall never ever return to Ghana not even in the lifetime of our children's children.
Also, it is disingenuous to paint the picture that majority of diasporans who returns home to Ghana find it difficult to survive and ultimately head back to the diaspora. You will be surprised to know that a sizeable portion of the upper middle class in Ghana are returnees from the diaspora and doing fairly well. I have friends and classmates who have returned and they are succesful in their endearvours and even encourage me to do same. Off course, they complain of some challenges, some of which you mentioned in your article like the negative and backward thinking...but hey you cant have it all in life.
On the issue of diasporians been perceived as "too-known", dont we think there might be no smoke without fire. I have personally come across some diasporians in Ghana and their conduct and behaviour gives credence to that perception. I just came back from Ghana last week and I met a Ghanaian who came from Australia and this guy was behaving as if he even had a problem with the soil he was stepping on and not to mention his exaggerated Australian accent. We were supposed to go and sit at a spot and drink, but a friend of mine who is not a diasporian told me he wouldnt want to go with me if that guy is included because he didnt like his attitude.
It is important to note that some of us left Ghana a long time ago to seek greener pastures and in the process we have consciously or unconsciously been influenced by the environment of our host country. When we return to Ghana we should be conscious of the fact that the average educational background, the culture and attitude of the locals is quite different from our host country. We should not only expect the locals to adapt to us, we should also endearvour to adapt to them. It is give and take. You cannot change someone by belittling him/her. Finally, we should be realistic. Don't expect that after lets say 15 years of leaving the country you will return to see wonders even providing things are run properly. Expect to see the same bad roads, the same mentality and attitude, the same poor health system, the same level of illiteracy etc. True the government and the citizens should try and do more, but we the diasporians should also not raise our hands up in despair.
OSUO ABRUBUOR 10 years ago
A good friend told me some time ago that the corrupt and inept situation that exists in Ghana, actually suits some people in the system and they do not want anything changed!
Decades after leaving Ghana, to read about the li ... read full comment
A good friend told me some time ago that the corrupt and inept situation that exists in Ghana, actually suits some people in the system and they do not want anything changed!
Decades after leaving Ghana, to read about the likes of Wayome, STX, Ridge Hospital and Merchant Bank, leaves you in a state of depression.
It is quite clear that the politicians lack the will and means to effect change and if you, as a returnee, try to change things, you will be frustrated or worse.
I am not proud to say this but as I edge closer to retirement, my attitude is why bother? Is the sentimental attachment to my motherland worth the risk? I can count at least five families that I know, that went to Ghana to settle but have run back telling tales that will make you blood boil.
It is up to the political class and the traditional rulers. If by their deeds they show that they are serious about raising the country from the sh*t that it is in today, there will be a stampede to return.
Pious words and exaltations are not enough.
Fiifi 10 years ago
Well said!
Well said!
Lubricanto 10 years ago
Well articulated , perfectly right ....you find this everywhere in our Ghanaian society, pull-him-down .
Our folks back home in Ghana don't like innovation and thinking outside the box.
Its pathetic and shameful, I told ... read full comment
Well articulated , perfectly right ....you find this everywhere in our Ghanaian society, pull-him-down .
Our folks back home in Ghana don't like innovation and thinking outside the box.
Its pathetic and shameful, I told a friend of mine that I will support an educated new revolution in Ghana if need be, its too much hypocrisy.
Kwame 10 years ago
The brain drain in Ghana started after the 1966 coup that overthrew Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the C.P.P. government.About 250,000 people lost their jobs a few days after the coup because the Workers Builders and Farmers ... read full comment
The brain drain in Ghana started after the 1966 coup that overthrew Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the C.P.P. government.About 250,000 people lost their jobs a few days after the coup because the Workers Builders and Farmers Brigade that employ thousands of Ghanaians were
banned, together with other organizations that employed most of the youth.The first batch of graduates who returned from the socialist countries were declared by the Civil Service which is still being run by neocolonial elements not to be qualified for their jobs.
The military junta also refused to pay the allowance of students in the socialist countries and also requested that they are repatriated home. Students who do not want to return home just have no choice than to go to Western Europe. Specialists in the Workers Brigade whom the National Liberation Council military junta has no use for also went to Europe. The "Drum" magazine in 1967 published an edition in which Ghanaian specialists were doing all odd jobs in the West, with some women becoming sexy dancers.
Ghanaian specialist in various aspects of human endeavour were frustrated by the system,which still say that even graduates who have first class degree in our various public and private universities are not qualified for the job they were trained for.
The Public Services Commission told two Ghanaians trained outside that their engineering course of designing, assembling and maintenance of internal combustion engines is not what Ghana needs.
After hearing complains of graduate not trained specifically for the job market a technical institution specifically trained some of its graduates for and aspect of industry. I sat on the interview board and all the people who interviewed them said that they are all qualified for the job. But that particular company refused to employ them on grounds that they are not qualified for the job. Rather, the owner of the company went to his country and brought unqualified people to be trained by the machine operators in the factory. In most cases it is the "unqualified" Ghanaian specialist who excel in other countries.
Nana Kwaku 10 years ago
Doc. Bokor, I think you have said it all. I will put you on the same pedestal as Francis Kwarteng. The first time I came back from outside I thought I was on a different planet. I have never seen a people whose hobbies includ ... read full comment
Doc. Bokor, I think you have said it all. I will put you on the same pedestal as Francis Kwarteng. The first time I came back from outside I thought I was on a different planet. I have never seen a people whose hobbies include LYING!! Ghanaians lie as if there's no tomorrow. I researched and found out it had become a culture! Upon all the churches surrounding us, we behave as if God is a joke!
Nana Yaa, please tone down a bit. I can smell your frustrations but calling a contributor a liar is a bit over the top. We are in a country where you need to take a 100% care of yourself. As a taxpayer, your contribution has no value. You need people like policemen, BNI operatives,military personnel as friends just to pave way for some idiot who is likely to bully you into submission.
I was listening to a radio programme, when a diasporan caller opened my eyes about a real fact. This caller who was a nurse in the US said this, that there are two different types of Ghanaians living outside the country. She said the first group are those who left our shores to seek greener pastures, who never change their attitudes. They go there with the same pull him down mindset, as well as undermining their fellow Ghanaians who excel. Some go as far as tipping off authorities about their fellow Ghanaians who use other people's names to find well paying jobs. These people come back with the same attitude. They don't change!
The second group are those who were born there, who grew up with the Yankees and Europeans. They behave differently! They hardly tell a lie unless they see punishment staring at them in the face. Even in those instances the lie can be detected. I have been back for over thirty years and still cannot understand why we lie so much. We are one of the most insincere people on this planet. Hypocrisy is our hallmark. We always have time for other people's problems, forgetting that what we left at home is far far worse. Please find time and check.
king 10 years ago
I am agreed with you abt your opinion,contribution and the advice been given.If only they will hear you and put into practice.
Thanks
I am agreed with you abt your opinion,contribution and the advice been given.If only they will hear you and put into practice.
Thanks
Abeeku Mensah 10 years ago
The layman's definition of patriotism is love of or for country.There is no denying the point that Africans choose to escape the continent of respective nations because of the combination of economic hardship at home and oppo ... read full comment
The layman's definition of patriotism is love of or for country.There is no denying the point that Africans choose to escape the continent of respective nations because of the combination of economic hardship at home and opportunities to further education and or acquire needed experience in our respective fields of study through work. But what distinguishes African, or Ghana in this case, from other migration at other parts of the world is our willingness, desire and aspirations to shed our citizenship in the fastest possible time to become citizens of other nations. As rational normal human beings we cannot be faulted for doing or pursuing what is in our interest and those interests do not mesh with those of national pride and anything near the definition of patriots. The number of natural born citizens in North America, Western Europe, China and most East Asian nations that turn over their citizenship to become citizens of other nation is relatively miniscule.
But these things would not in itself be signs of selfishness or lack of patriotism until we add the audacity of those who willingly choose to forgo their Ghanaian citizenship to become citizens of other developed nation only to use their undue influence to make it desirable to dilute Ghanaian citizenship roles with their self serving dual citizenship nonsense. In most civilized developed nations the pursuit of intellectuals from foreign nations to help drive research, development and skills gap are driven not only by intellectual accomplishments but also the number of productive years left in those prospects with potential. With Ghana our brethren in the Diaspora do want to cash in not because of what they have to offer the nation but what more they can extract in benefit upon their return to Ghana on a visit, after retirement and or deportation from the Ghana; the very nation they deserted for greener pastures elsewhere. The peoples of North America, Western Europe, China and others do not entertain the idea and ideal of people with dual citizenship taking on jobs in government where sensitive national information or of influence can be lost or exerted to subvert; in Ghana and all across Africa we want our cake and eat it too and surely not for the love of country.
Secondly we could not love Ghana with our activities that negatively impact the economy of Ghana we claim to love. In most countries, prices of goods and services are part and parcel of cost of living which is a dictate of the national average wages and salaries/incomes; the same cannot be said of Ghana. In Ghana land prices, commodities, goods and services are not dictates of wages and salaries/incomes but dictates of FDI which are largely dictates of Ghanaians in the Diaspora and fronting of business we bring along with money to burn and thus have hijacked land prices and every other pricing beyond the reach of the majority of Ghana’s working poor. Selfishness and greed trumps even those intending to bring their experiences and expert advice to bear as their contribution to the development of Ghana. It is and has always been about cashing in at the expense of those Ghanaians who had no choice but to stay in Ghana through years of hardships. There are no measurable numbers of Ghanaian patriots in the Diaspora period. Lastly how do we make patriots out of people who left Ghana on financial assistance from Ghana's government only to overstay to further their own financial cap but return multiple decades later to seek and yank another civil service post from underneath other Ghanaians who have worked patiently and waited their turn for upward mobility who are just as relatively qualified and or credentialed?
Kwame 10 years ago
Thanks Abeku Mensah. Nana Kwaku wrote that Europeans and Americans do not tell lies. But what about the weapons of mass destruction, people killing their own people, dictators and the lies about corruption. When American and ... read full comment
Thanks Abeku Mensah. Nana Kwaku wrote that Europeans and Americans do not tell lies. But what about the weapons of mass destruction, people killing their own people, dictators and the lies about corruption. When American and Europeans present views about other people with lies and myths.
ghanaman 10 years ago
The article offers food for much-needed thought, having duly analyzed the perception prevailing among the locals and having contrasted these with the reality of the wishes and aspirations of Ghanaians in the diaspora.
The article offers food for much-needed thought, having duly analyzed the perception prevailing among the locals and having contrasted these with the reality of the wishes and aspirations of Ghanaians in the diaspora.
Rawlings destroyed Ghana
Liar, my grand uncle left Ghana long ago before Rawlings. He came back for a couple of years and then ran back. Very similar to what was mentioned about others in the article.
Your attempt to play the NDC/NPP card is exac ...
read full comment
the problem with this northern mentality is that thanks to jj they now all have an unquenchable thirst for power but never to serve in a team or accept their fellow countrymen . just look around in Accra and study the majorit ...
read full comment
Yea the chicken run started in 1969. Then the factories were closed and Workers Brigade and then GNCC. It was called " Structural Adjustment ". It is a pity we politicize and mis inform others on such important topics . No wo ...
read full comment
Liar, my grand uncle left Ghana long ago before Rawlings. He came back for a couple of years and then ran back. Very similar to what was mentioned about others in the article.
Your attempt to play the NDC/NPP card is exact ...
read full comment
This man speaks real sense.That's the reality in Ghana,but who can change this system?Maybe only God but will the Ghanaian allow him to.Corrupted is so thick in the system that one can cut through it with a knife.Until the me ...
read full comment
Dear Brother Michale,
Excellent and educative piece.
This is a very complicated and politically charged subject but you made it relatively simpler and more digestible, capturing many of the political and social nuances ...
read full comment
If the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah alone, things would have been different by now.
My good friend,
Well said.
We are paying dearly for some of the evil decisions our forefathers made.
Oh if the nation wreckers had left Nkrumah alone!
Oh if we had post-Nkrumah leaders as half good as Nkrumah!
...
read full comment
This Kwartey has now become a butt licker, a stupid hypocrite idiot
Francis , the problem is this fighting and the massive mis information that the opponents of Nkrumah put out . I ma not sure if it is illiteracy , ignorance or bigotry. Butwe are paying a heavy price
Hello Kojo T,
It's the same problem I am grappling with here.
I think it is all three: "illiteracy," bigotry, and ignorance. We need to be literate about our "true" history, a history free from political or ideological ...
read full comment
You forget you are dealing with dish washers and security guards who are emotional and insecure
Hello Kojo T,
You are funny, Kojo T.
I am happy we are having fun while still educating ourselves on Ghanaweb. This is good and healthy.
Let it continue. Have a great weekend!
Thanks.
A very good piece, Michael! Thanks!!!
I hope the authourities and advocates like the Asantehene and Eric Ametor will read such articles and help put out some form of measures that would make it easier and less frustrating ...
read full comment
Is anyone listening?
Dr. Michael Bokor, as usual another inciting piece. However, i have some disagreements. Certainly, you raised very legitimate issues, but i get the feeling like similar articles i have read on this site there are a bit one-si ...
read full comment
A good friend told me some time ago that the corrupt and inept situation that exists in Ghana, actually suits some people in the system and they do not want anything changed!
Decades after leaving Ghana, to read about the li ...
read full comment
Well said!
Well articulated , perfectly right ....you find this everywhere in our Ghanaian society, pull-him-down .
Our folks back home in Ghana don't like innovation and thinking outside the box.
Its pathetic and shameful, I told ...
read full comment
The brain drain in Ghana started after the 1966 coup that overthrew Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the C.P.P. government.About 250,000 people lost their jobs a few days after the coup because the Workers Builders and Farmers ...
read full comment
Doc. Bokor, I think you have said it all. I will put you on the same pedestal as Francis Kwarteng. The first time I came back from outside I thought I was on a different planet. I have never seen a people whose hobbies includ ...
read full comment
I am agreed with you abt your opinion,contribution and the advice been given.If only they will hear you and put into practice.
Thanks
The layman's definition of patriotism is love of or for country.There is no denying the point that Africans choose to escape the continent of respective nations because of the combination of economic hardship at home and oppo ...
read full comment
Thanks Abeku Mensah. Nana Kwaku wrote that Europeans and Americans do not tell lies. But what about the weapons of mass destruction, people killing their own people, dictators and the lies about corruption. When American and ...
read full comment
The article offers food for much-needed thought, having duly analyzed the perception prevailing among the locals and having contrasted these with the reality of the wishes and aspirations of Ghanaians in the diaspora.