Me, plagiarism and Mariamma... but I digress

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• Bobo Dialoso 8 years ago

  Do the Europeans ever admit the plagiarized they our ancestors the ancient Egyptians? They don't. The actually falsify history to assume the role of the first civilizers. 'Plagiarism' is a very cultural concept. How this e ...
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  Do the Europeans ever admit the plagiarized they our ancestors the ancient Egyptians? They don't. The actually falsify history to assume the role of the first civilizers. 'Plagiarism' is a very cultural concept. How this embarrasses us only to point to our inferiority complex. What is sadder is this plagiarized line dangled as some incompetence of the new Presidency is really nothing. The fact is the ideal channel through the so called plagiarized line of George Bush is not one spawned by Bush himself. It is a tenet of democracy that denizens should be active and participatory. Let's give the President some slack here: It is very likely a lazy aide inserted these lines. We should appreciate he is not forming the structure of his immediate office so such errors can slip through unnoticed. In fact, it is disingenuous to assail his integrity because of some lame words that he could have said better without a speech. As a people, we claim to want originality; however, clinging to this western norm only belies our noise. This is much ado about nothing.

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• Honestina 8 years ago

  Arabs are majority in Egypt not black Africans. Hence, Egyptians are never black Africans' ancestors. They occupied Africa.

  Arabs are majority in Egypt not black Africans. Hence, Egyptians are never black Africans' ancestors. They occupied Africa.

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• Kweku trouble 8 years ago

  You need to read more.

  You need to read more.

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• Akadu Mensema 8 years ago

  Thanks for brightening up my day

  Thanks for brightening up my day

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• Nii Teiko 8 years ago

  I Wish Kwarteng can copy the style of writing of some of you.

  I Wish Kwarteng can copy the style of writing of some of you.

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• AUTHENTIC C.Y. ANDY-K 8 years ago

  Indeed, it is a good read and I was going to say so and commend him for his command of history. With history, you'd know what you're writing about, and he sure does.
  
  As a matter of fact, I had already covered the track abo ...
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  Indeed, it is a good read and I was going to say so and commend him for his command of history. With history, you'd know what you're writing about, and he sure does.
  
  As a matter of fact, I had already covered the track about copying from the West way back in the mid-90s on Okyeame. I was actually advocating industrial espionage, which is the biggest spy game in town since the end of the Cold War. Of course, the naive, righteous ones were outraged by my advocacy. I have been thinking about the fracas it generated then when this plagiarism brouhaha erupted. He read my mind.
  
  The catch is that you must not be caught copying, i.e., indulging in industrial espionage. Just ask Samsung about their debacle with I-Phone.
  
  When we arrived in Norway in 1986 as foreign students, one of the stories our language teacher told us was about some newly arrived Chinese students who were caught with copied softwares and stuff for PCs trying to fly back to China not long after arrival. We had no clue about how to even use PCs then. By the early 1990s, they were rather bringing those softwares and programmes from China to sell to us Africans and other students for 100 kroner (abt £10) per CD. The IT students claimed the licences for some of them cost from $10,000 - 20,000 and only the Univ Depts [and businesses] could afford to buy them!
  
  Having been brought home to me that, all that talk about a harmless and brotherly transfer of technology was just hot air, that's the only option readily feasible, unless we re-invent our own wheels! They'd transfer the dirty technology they no longer wants though.
  
  Andy-K

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• Kodzo 8 years ago

  Nicely written. The meat of the article is in what the author calls a digression. And well it was. But that was the point - to show another aspect of the copy culture.
  
  If only we were copying technologies, manufactures, i ...
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  Nicely written. The meat of the article is in what the author calls a digression. And well it was. But that was the point - to show another aspect of the copy culture.
  
  If only we were copying technologies, manufactures, innovations by others, economic systems perfected by others, etc and not just the words already said by others!!!
  
  Every Ghanaian would have been proud of any fellow citizen who steals some foreign technology to help make our own products. But for our president to use the mere words of other presidents without acknowledgement - that is no source of pride for us!!!

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• Nii Teiko 8 years ago

  But, my stepson, don't you think those borrowed words were inspirational to the ordinary Ghanaian who expect much from the new givernment. I think it is fair to give credit where it is due but the noise being made for this in ...
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  But, my stepson, don't you think those borrowed words were inspirational to the ordinary Ghanaian who expect much from the new givernment. I think it is fair to give credit where it is due but the noise being made for this instance is very ugly. The good thing is that, the one who prepared the speech has admitted his guilt and has apologized accordingly so why are you Trokosis disturbing ears with your ugly noises? Just be Responsible in opposition.

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• Prof Lungu 8 years ago

  Kofi Opare-Addo
  A very good read!
  
  A nice twist and useful lesson on the Akufo Addo plagiarization palaver.
  
  From the other side, we've just learned that Akufo Addo's MP in Parliament are in fact not too happy about goin ...
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  Kofi Opare-Addo
  A very good read!
  
  A nice twist and useful lesson on the Akufo Addo plagiarization palaver.
  
  From the other side, we've just learned that Akufo Addo's MP in Parliament are in fact not too happy about going to a government facility, GIMPA, for their "orientation." No, rather, they want to have the orientation at a 4-Star-plus private hotel, one of which is called Dubai-Accra, or something of that sort.
  
  What would the original Chinese Tiger have said to those NPP MPs?
  
  What will Akufo Addo say to the NPP MPs?
  
  Yes copying has great merit, if it serves some useful, enduring, people-centered purpose!
  
  Imagine the Mongolians, Egyptians and Romans, etc., built infrastructure (pyramids, roads, waterways, bridges, aqueducts and sanitation systems) many of which still exist today, using mostly manual labor and few skilled artisans, by modern standards and technology.
  
  So, with the millions of unemployed youth and adults on every corner of the country, how come "folks...(still)...share() the same water ponds with cattle and goats across Ghana"?
  
  Mr. Kofi Opare-Addo, we have a pretty good hunch that in this case, "better...(will continue to)...follow you”!
  
  A very good read, we must repeat!
  
  Greetings.

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• kofi how 8 years ago

  We must photocopy science and medical books as the Egyptians do. I worked in Saudi Arabia and bought photocopied well bound westearn English bpoks from Egypt cheap. Asking the Egyptian doctors who bought them for us whiles on ...
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  We must photocopy science and medical books as the Egyptians do. I worked in Saudi Arabia and bought photocopied well bound westearn English bpoks from Egypt cheap. Asking the Egyptian doctors who bought them for us whiles on vacation, why they are breaking rules. The answer approval is given to copy at the University and sell only to students

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• Yaw Asiama 8 years ago

  This, by far is the most brilliant perspective I have read on this subject.He took an otherwise tired subject and used humor to educate all of us on how copying can be a good thing in the right context. Thanks, Kofi. By the ...
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  This, by far is the most brilliant perspective I have read on this subject.He took an otherwise tired subject and used humor to educate all of us on how copying can be a good thing in the right context. Thanks, Kofi. By the way, are you the same Kofi who use write for the Chronicle?

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