Monthly Archives: April 2012

Resolving the misunderstandings of Ghanaians’ tribalism

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

By Kofi Akosah-Sarpong The pronouncement by the Assin North Member of Parliament, from the opposition National Patriotic Party, the hot-headed Kennedy Agyapong, on the Accra-based Oman FM station, which he owns, that people from the Ewe and Ga ethnic groups should be killed in the Ashanti Region, once again opens the unresolved issue of tribalism in Ghana, 50 years after freedom from British colonial rule. Kennedy Agyapong’s stupidity also reveals that Africans do not understand each other, that ancestrally they come from the same cultural tree, and can easily destroy each other without reason. In Kennedy Agyapong, images of the Rwandan genocide flicker. The hell in Somalia flashes. Ewes living … Continue reading →

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The Enlightment and Ghana Culture Day

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

Dr Kwame Antony Appiah author of the Honor Code. By Kofi Akosah-Sarpong Wednesday, 14th March, 2012 was Ghana Culture Day. Authorities say the day is to promote “mainstreaming of the culture in national development.” This has been going on over the years – basically pandering the same thinking. From that day till now, I was expecting something more enlightening from the cultural connoisseurs but what I read was the same old, same old rational. Why Ghana Culture Day? To restore Ghana/African cultural values that have been demeaned in the eyes of the world during colonialism and perpetuated by the lethargic Ghanaian/African elites and the fact that Ghanaian/African traditional values have not been … Continue reading →

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Africa’s free press problem:
Why press freedom has dropped off West’s agenda

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

By Mohamed Keita As Africa’s economies grow, an insidious attack on press freedom is under way. Independent African journalists covering the continent’s development are now frequently persecuted for critical reporting on the misuse of public finances, corruption and the activities of foreign investors. Why this disturbing trend? In the West, cynicism about African democracy has led governments to narrow their development priorities to poverty reduction and stability; individual liberties like press freedom have dropped off the agenda, making it easier for authoritarian rulers to go after journalists more aggressively. In the 1990s, leaders like Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia were praised by the West as political … Continue reading →

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Amazing tale of Nigerian Governor-cum-fraudster James O. Ibori

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

By Robert Asketill With five decades of oil and gas production bringing close to $500bn in revenue to the Nigerian exchequer, the constant stream of petrodollars ought to have provided the West African country with the financial muscle to transform itself into a global economic powerhouse in which its citizens, especially those from the oil-producing regions of the Niger Delta would have been guaranteed a high quality of life. But the ordinary citizens of that region, particularly those from Ogoniland in Rivers State, would find it hard, if not impossible, to do anything else other than to curse the day that oil production by Shell began in their homeland, as … Continue reading →

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The Sudan Conflict: Another side of the coin

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

By Robert Asketill The Sudanese authorities in Khartoum made great material and human sacrifices in order to preserve Sudan’s unity. And when they found that the foreign determination to support separation was so strong that they could not confront it, they opted for peace, accepted the separation of the south, and presented all guarantees for coexistence with the new state in order to stop the bloodshed, lessen the losses, and turn over the page of wars. This great concession made by the ruling salvation front in Khartoum was not met with appreciation by the new state and by its rulers who insisted on continuing with a policy of hostility and … Continue reading →

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History of Buganda Part 63: How the Bible eclipsed Islam

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

By Robert Asketill There is no question Moslems had played a great part in Buganda’s greatness until eclipsed by a new book, some thought capable of miracles, brought into the kingdom by the Protestant and Catholic missions. The teaching of literacy from the Bible called “emisafu” which commenced in 1879 certainly influenced the standing of Islam and its rightful place in the kingdom and as we were promised in Part 62, we will see the attempt to retake and retain power. As it is clear, Moslems had got the lion’s share of the bargain. Militarily as well as numerically, they were the most formidable group. There should therefore have been … Continue reading →

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Scene of Africa’s suffering – The ICC debacle

Posted on April 8, 2012 by

By Robert Asketill Jerry Rawlings, the former Ghanaian president, has spoken up on the danger of allowing a new form of colonialism which is certainly being seen in the way the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague operates and says: “It is simply humiliating that in the 21st century our continent finds some of its leaders hounded to The Hague like lambs to the slaughter, while we are supposed to have the capacity to judge our own. We have to leave The Hague to those who cannot control their destiny. If Libyans were justified in overthrowing the Gaddafi regime in their quest for freedom and justice, why then can … Continue reading →

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History of Buganda – Part 62:
The overthrow of Kabaka Mwanga

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

By Robert Asketill During the first week of March 2012, a BBC programme written and presented by Jeremy Paxman included a section on the colonisation of Africa and a reference to the excellent soil and lush vegetation of Kenya. These were not a scrap as good as those of Buganda and here we remind readers that it was Kabaka Mwanga who stood almost alone in his continuous fight against European settlers taking over his kingdom. We now carry on from Part 61 with the formation of rival armies, done with much the same cunning as that of the ancient Romans. The rebels, on the other hand, immediately prepared themselves for … Continue reading →

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