Well, I am a pure Ashanti-born/bred and I can very well relate to your experience of the harmonous inter tribal relationships in Ghana during the good 'ol days. I can recall with nostalgia the unparalled cordial friendships I ... read full comment
Well, I am a pure Ashanti-born/bred and I can very well relate to your experience of the harmonous inter tribal relationships in Ghana during the good 'ol days. I can recall with nostalgia the unparalled cordial friendships I enjoyed with my Northern and Ewe brothers at home and in school. Now the question is, HOW DID WE GET HERE? What changed along the way that we are now tearing apart everything that held us together as a nation of brothers? My heart aches when I read about the scathing tribal invectives we hurl at each other as if we never have anything in common. I wish we can do genetic testing on all Ghanaians. You will be surprised how closely all our tribes are related to each other.
GHANAMAN 9 years ago
You Akan supremacists have always looked down on minority tribes, intentionally populating the civil services and government, etc with your tribesmen, pushing Akan businessmen with Goverment bank loans, etc for a long time be ... read full comment
You Akan supremacists have always looked down on minority tribes, intentionally populating the civil services and government, etc with your tribesmen, pushing Akan businessmen with Goverment bank loans, etc for a long time before Rawlings came. Before Rawlings came there were few northerners and Ewes in public face.
Check all Rawlings' governments - they were all Akan-dominated, he just brought in some minorities and gave them a chance. What you people dont want to hear is any minority name in the polity or anywhere. Rawlings married an Asante/ Krobo, gave his daughter the name Yaa Asantewaa, how is that tribalistic? The head of Rawlings government was PV Obeng, including Prof. Mills, Amissah Arthur, the Ahwois, Kwesi Botchwey, Akrasi Sarpong, Asase Gyimah, Appiah Korang, Boakye Gyan and too many Akans to name. All you people care about is that there was one man named Tsikata who also got a post.
Chris Atim (non-Ewe), former trade union leader had a problem at GIHOC with the MD Maj. Acquah and the case went to court presided by the Akan Justices which the labour union lost. When they came to power, Chris Atim rounded up some security boys (on wee) to go and kill the judges and the GIHOC MD, how is that Rawlings tribalism?
NEZER 9 years ago
Whether you like to accept it or not, the Akans form the largest population in Ghana, roughly 60%. It is not surprising that they form the bulk of the civil servants in the country. This is not "intentionally populating", as ... read full comment
Whether you like to accept it or not, the Akans form the largest population in Ghana, roughly 60%. It is not surprising that they form the bulk of the civil servants in the country. This is not "intentionally populating", as you allege. Sure, the minorities deserve a fair share in the government but you don't do that through systemic discrimination and hatred as your "Junior Jesus" did. This has only increased massive indignation from the Akans towards the minorities, especially the Ewes. Any system that is skewed unfavourably towards the minorities in every society, is bound to fail eventually. This is the crux of the matter, and the reason "HOW DID WE GET HERE". It has become a fight of the jungle between the majority Akans and the minorities in the country for the national pie. Only the strongest will survive unless we all see the need to work together
Raymond Agbeli 9 years ago
Correction,the akans constitute 44% of Ghana's population and not 60%.
Correction,the akans constitute 44% of Ghana's population and not 60%.
NEZER 9 years ago
That's a lie. Greater Accra alone has over 50% Akans. The whole north of Volta Region is made up of Akans. To be honest, that 60% figure is even a very conservative estimate. Ghana is mostly made up of Akans. The few Ew ... read full comment
That's a lie. Greater Accra alone has over 50% Akans. The whole north of Volta Region is made up of Akans. To be honest, that 60% figure is even a very conservative estimate. Ghana is mostly made up of Akans. The few Ewe population in the south of Volta Region and the sparsely populated Northern regions and the Gas form a smaller percentage of the country's population.
Cantankerous 9 years ago
Rawlings more than anyone else helped to nurture and sustain tribalism in Ghana. The 19 years of misrule by this tyrant and his temperamental and dishonest wife polarized Ghana on tribal lines to an extent never before witnes ... read full comment
Rawlings more than anyone else helped to nurture and sustain tribalism in Ghana. The 19 years of misrule by this tyrant and his temperamental and dishonest wife polarized Ghana on tribal lines to an extent never before witnessed.From Kumasi to Bawku and from Accra to Yendi violent ethnic strife peaked as the Rawlingses stoked the fires of ethnic hatred by taking the sides of one tribe against the other for pure political expediency.
Kwasi 9 years ago
We have to resurrect our battle of inter-tribal inclusiveness, love and harmony through education - beginning from kindergarten to tertiary institutions. Kudos for writing such a brilliant article.
We have to resurrect our battle of inter-tribal inclusiveness, love and harmony through education - beginning from kindergarten to tertiary institutions. Kudos for writing such a brilliant article.
Kofi 9 years ago
Thank you Kofi for this article. We should all join to condemn ethnocentrism that our politicians are slowly sowing into our country. Guess what? when I went to Kadjebi secondary school in 1967, I had the same experience of a ... read full comment
Thank you Kofi for this article. We should all join to condemn ethnocentrism that our politicians are slowly sowing into our country. Guess what? when I went to Kadjebi secondary school in 1967, I had the same experience of a mixed society and the friendships developed at those times are still strong. To our politicians, we say enough is enough, you are destroying the country, Stop it.
NANA BONSU 9 years ago
Interesting. My biggest ethno-cultural shock was my first week as a freshman at Prempeh College. Everybody seemed to speak Ga. This was the experience of a guy coming from Presbyterian Boys' Boarding school with a polyglot of ... read full comment
Interesting. My biggest ethno-cultural shock was my first week as a freshman at Prempeh College. Everybody seemed to speak Ga. This was the experience of a guy coming from Presbyterian Boys' Boarding school with a polyglot of languages. Things are changing and not for the better.
NANA BONSU 9 years ago
@Kofi.
I was at the Kalipe's funeral too and was floored by the Boborbor music. I had to chase the DJ to get a copy of the music that climaxed the dancing.
@Kofi.
I was at the Kalipe's funeral too and was floored by the Boborbor music. I had to chase the DJ to get a copy of the music that climaxed the dancing.
AMANFUOUR 9 years ago
Aaaaaa! Ghana will really not die because we still have good guys around like this writer. Intellectualism be what? I like your article and kindly establish an inter-ethnic coexistence THINK TANK to bring Ghanaians together.G ... read full comment
Aaaaaa! Ghana will really not die because we still have good guys around like this writer. Intellectualism be what? I like your article and kindly establish an inter-ethnic coexistence THINK TANK to bring Ghanaians together.God help you.
NANA BONSU 9 years ago
@Kofi Kyeremeh.
I was at the Kalipe's funeral too and was floored by the Boborbor music. I had to chase the DJ to get a copy of the music that climaxed the dancing.
@Kofi Kyeremeh.
I was at the Kalipe's funeral too and was floored by the Boborbor music. I had to chase the DJ to get a copy of the music that climaxed the dancing.
Dziko Kwame 9 years ago
Onua Kyeremeh in Maryland
Thanks for your piece. But I have some little issue here:
"...The chiefs and people of Aflao could be making millions from selling land to well resourced businessmen, Kings and Sheiks who woul ... read full comment
Onua Kyeremeh in Maryland
Thanks for your piece. But I have some little issue here:
"...The chiefs and people of Aflao could be making millions from selling land to well resourced businessmen, Kings and Sheiks who would pay any money to live in the bustling suburb of Lome. Yet in the plebiscite of 1956 the people of Aflao as did other Voltarians chose to be part of a country that does not even seem to appreciate them..."
Were the people of Aflao part of the plebiscite of May 1956?
I am not sure anyway, but considering that AFLAO is closer to ANLO, then it is most likely that AFLAO was part of the Gold Coast (like Keta etc) since 1876 that way.
As a result, the PLEBISCITE was held in Trans-Volta, not in ANLO which was already in Gold Coast.
Cheers and long live brilliant writers, Long Live GHANA.
Vodoo Xebieso 9 years ago
Indeed a very touching and brilliant write-up. For the record, southern Volta Region (Anlo, Ketu, Tongu) never took part in the plebiscite.
With people like Efo Kyeremeh, Thomas Kofi around, Ghana stands a great chance for ... read full comment
Indeed a very touching and brilliant write-up. For the record, southern Volta Region (Anlo, Ketu, Tongu) never took part in the plebiscite.
With people like Efo Kyeremeh, Thomas Kofi around, Ghana stands a great chance forging ahead as one united country.
The likes of the erratic self-acclaimed professor of English, Kwame Okoampa Ahoofe, should learn from Mr. Kyeremeh how to write good and lucid articles devoid of incendiary statements.
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
Please add the Peki areas too, as they were also part of the Gold Coast and so did not participate in the plebiscite.
The writer has good intentions but made many erroneous statements and deductions. So had Eweland within ... read full comment
Please add the Peki areas too, as they were also part of the Gold Coast and so did not participate in the plebiscite.
The writer has good intentions but made many erroneous statements and deductions. So had Eweland within the Gold Coast been allowed to vote, as they were demanding, enough votes would have been garnered to secede, and Aflao wouldn't be a part of Ghana today. The demand for secession actually reached fever pitch in the Ewe areas of the Gold Coast, which provided the major leaders for the secession movt., even bigger than divisive Antoa from within the TVT. Which leads us to another mistake of the writer. George Padmore devoted a whole chapter to that struggle in his The Ghana Revolution.
Ewes had had enough of the insults and prejudices of Akans and Gas by the 1940s and were clamouring to secede from the Gold Coast. What was started as a union with the Gold Coast in 1915 by Torgbui Sri II and followed up by the Togolese elite after WWI soon became a secession movt rather. I had covered this piece of history in "How Some Ewes Became a Part of Ghana."
The writer also failed to realise that it is our education and the educated people who indulge in the ethnocentric attacks, not the unlettered rural people. As a Bono, he should have been aware of the pivotal role Dr Busia, leader of the NLM and then the PP played in releasing the ethnocentric genii out of the bottle. Obviously, he is not aware of the writings on the rise of tribalism in Ghana, talk less of Africa.
Ian Wallerstein wrote an illuminating piece on Zambia, pointing out how the young men returned from school and soon started seeing themselves as different from people their ancestors some few decades ago used to kidnap and assimilate into their societies with taboos against anyone revealing their backgrounds. It was the same in Ghana. The new Techimanhene did exactly what his ancestors used to do, create conditions to assimilate strangers, because their was power and wealth in numbers. So among the Asantes, just as among some other ethnic groups, breaking the "afisem" taboo was punishable by death! In Anlo, breaking the "asidodo de megbe" - pointing hands behind someone's back - could land you into very costly ritual cleansing of the person, even if a slave or slave descendant. If a member of the Yewe or "fofi" cults, which were originally exclusively slave cults, phew! you had to go into hiding until the "Alaga" is "caught", at your expense, of course! The Alaga was like a 007, with a licence to kill you with the two hefty spiritually fortified clubs he/she carried! Yes! Our traditional societies had means to stop discrimination against the "Others".
The writer touched on themes - Akan Voltarians, diversity of the VR, lack of knowledge about the peoples of the VR, Ewe settlers, etc., etc., - I had covered in my upcoming series, which has been on hold for many years now, though ready for publication.
Andy-K
KBK 9 years ago
Indeed, the colonial border was drawn around Kpeve. All of Peki, Tsibu, Awudome were British colonies which were not allowed to vote in the plebiscite. The were Ewes but the matter was judged as not concerning them even thoug ... read full comment
Indeed, the colonial border was drawn around Kpeve. All of Peki, Tsibu, Awudome were British colonies which were not allowed to vote in the plebiscite. The were Ewes but the matter was judged as not concerning them even though they shared an affinity with all Ewes. The borders were drawn haphazardly and many tribes were divided into British and German - even tribes in the north.
But all Ewes are one people and all of us the different tribes in Ghana were not as divided as we are now in an independent "by force" country.
We should all learn to rise beyond our tribal divisions as the writer is rightly trying to tell us
C.Y. ANDY-K 9 years ago
KBK,
Thanks for adding more details to this. But the writer Thomas erred in more areas than the political history of the VR. I wonder why people are not pointing out that to him and the others harping on same false impres ... read full comment
KBK,
Thanks for adding more details to this. But the writer Thomas erred in more areas than the political history of the VR. I wonder why people are not pointing out that to him and the others harping on same false impressions being put about as facts, which, in fact, undergird the ethnic imbroglio in the country.
I recollect I asked 25 questions in response to one such claim on Okyeame in the 1990s.
Some of the vitriolic ethnocentric jerks around and I had met, esp. those claiming to be Ahafos and thus Asantes, are from the BA, so why write as if the pple of the BA are above the melee? After all, the Bono man Busia led it, relished it and propagated it to the high heavens. The chickens are simply coming to roost!
Thomas cannot therefore have the last word on this.
Andy-K
Charles Agbenu 9 years ago
Good work by the writer. But I want to draw his attention to some issues. For instance why are there a lot of anti-Ashanti feelings in our politics? Why do the other tribes hate Ashantis such that our elections are always fin ... read full comment
Good work by the writer. But I want to draw his attention to some issues. For instance why are there a lot of anti-Ashanti feelings in our politics? Why do the other tribes hate Ashantis such that our elections are always finally reduced to a vote for or against one tribe --which is Ashantis? I am a detribilised Ewe. I think if these tendencies dont stop Ghana will never have a true leader--- in terms of capability, maturity, experience and vision. All the Limann, Rawlings, Mills, Mahama leadership of about 30 years are nothing to write home about. We just voted for leaderships to spite Ashantis. Ghana is the poorer for that.
Kojo T 9 years ago
Shame on you . No one hates Asantefo. It is the braggarts among the Asantefo who make like Ashanti was a modern empire
Shame on you . No one hates Asantefo. It is the braggarts among the Asantefo who make like Ashanti was a modern empire
Ghana 9 years ago
I wish we had a lot of intelligent people like your type in our country Ghana.
While some people feel their tribe must be worshiped because of empty pride and calling other tribes derogatory names.
No tribe is superior to t ... read full comment
I wish we had a lot of intelligent people like your type in our country Ghana.
While some people feel their tribe must be worshiped because of empty pride and calling other tribes derogatory names.
No tribe is superior to the other. Its only a fool who think that way.
Well, I am a pure Ashanti-born/bred and I can very well relate to your experience of the harmonous inter tribal relationships in Ghana during the good 'ol days. I can recall with nostalgia the unparalled cordial friendships I ...
read full comment
You Akan supremacists have always looked down on minority tribes, intentionally populating the civil services and government, etc with your tribesmen, pushing Akan businessmen with Goverment bank loans, etc for a long time be ...
read full comment
Whether you like to accept it or not, the Akans form the largest population in Ghana, roughly 60%. It is not surprising that they form the bulk of the civil servants in the country. This is not "intentionally populating", as ...
read full comment
Correction,the akans constitute 44% of Ghana's population and not 60%.
That's a lie. Greater Accra alone has over 50% Akans. The whole north of Volta Region is made up of Akans. To be honest, that 60% figure is even a very conservative estimate. Ghana is mostly made up of Akans. The few Ew ...
read full comment
Rawlings more than anyone else helped to nurture and sustain tribalism in Ghana. The 19 years of misrule by this tyrant and his temperamental and dishonest wife polarized Ghana on tribal lines to an extent never before witnes ...
read full comment
We have to resurrect our battle of inter-tribal inclusiveness, love and harmony through education - beginning from kindergarten to tertiary institutions. Kudos for writing such a brilliant article.
Thank you Kofi for this article. We should all join to condemn ethnocentrism that our politicians are slowly sowing into our country. Guess what? when I went to Kadjebi secondary school in 1967, I had the same experience of a ...
read full comment
Interesting. My biggest ethno-cultural shock was my first week as a freshman at Prempeh College. Everybody seemed to speak Ga. This was the experience of a guy coming from Presbyterian Boys' Boarding school with a polyglot of ...
read full comment
@Kofi.
I was at the Kalipe's funeral too and was floored by the Boborbor music. I had to chase the DJ to get a copy of the music that climaxed the dancing.
Aaaaaa! Ghana will really not die because we still have good guys around like this writer. Intellectualism be what? I like your article and kindly establish an inter-ethnic coexistence THINK TANK to bring Ghanaians together.G ...
read full comment
@Kofi Kyeremeh.
I was at the Kalipe's funeral too and was floored by the Boborbor music. I had to chase the DJ to get a copy of the music that climaxed the dancing.
Onua Kyeremeh in Maryland
Thanks for your piece. But I have some little issue here:
"...The chiefs and people of Aflao could be making millions from selling land to well resourced businessmen, Kings and Sheiks who woul ...
read full comment
Indeed a very touching and brilliant write-up. For the record, southern Volta Region (Anlo, Ketu, Tongu) never took part in the plebiscite.
With people like Efo Kyeremeh, Thomas Kofi around, Ghana stands a great chance for ...
read full comment
Please add the Peki areas too, as they were also part of the Gold Coast and so did not participate in the plebiscite.
The writer has good intentions but made many erroneous statements and deductions. So had Eweland within ...
read full comment
Indeed, the colonial border was drawn around Kpeve. All of Peki, Tsibu, Awudome were British colonies which were not allowed to vote in the plebiscite. The were Ewes but the matter was judged as not concerning them even thoug ...
read full comment
KBK,
Thanks for adding more details to this. But the writer Thomas erred in more areas than the political history of the VR. I wonder why people are not pointing out that to him and the others harping on same false impres ...
read full comment
Good work by the writer. But I want to draw his attention to some issues. For instance why are there a lot of anti-Ashanti feelings in our politics? Why do the other tribes hate Ashantis such that our elections are always fin ...
read full comment
Shame on you . No one hates Asantefo. It is the braggarts among the Asantefo who make like Ashanti was a modern empire
I wish we had a lot of intelligent people like your type in our country Ghana.
While some people feel their tribe must be worshiped because of empty pride and calling other tribes derogatory names.
No tribe is superior to t ...
read full comment