“BLACK AND WHITE”

He walked the red carpet with a scarlet heart and  a long white robe

They laid on him praises, but he alone knew how much base he was

They saw him as above men but he could still see his heart down in the dung

He spoke so well as though he hears of the most High but his heart and the High ways are world’s apart

When they said he was the best, the undying beast in him growled and sneered

He’s the only one who  knows and feels it when his heart surges forward and his body drags him backwards

Though he dreads the stage and the performance everyday, he wears a smile to keep the game on

Though the audience hail his performance , only the playwright knows he’s not following his script

It’s deviation, duplicity and  emptiness that colors his walk and work

SCHWARZENEGGER OR ABROKWA, WHO IS RIGHT?

I am not fond of commenting on issues as these that have colored the Ghanaian media in the past week. Normally because I don’t think along the lines of the culturalists and I only partly concur with the human rights activists.

A supposed wife was caught cheating on a supposed macho man husband. Well, it was in the woman’s bedroom that the act transpired. I am sorry to say that, I doubt if the two people in question were ‘mature enough’ to marry. Of course the Genesis of that marriage is its own nemesis.

That however is not my take on the issue. I read a post from the Facebook wall of a University  friend who is graced with words and does not struggle to share his opinions on issues as these. Michael Kwadwo Nketiah pointed out that Ghanaians seem to idolize and hail polygyny but frown on polyandry as if they don’t combine to be called polygamy. Ghanaian women are expected to be more faithful in their marital relationships that the men are expected.

Well, I agree that based on the corrupted cultural creation we have nursed out of our disregard for the truth of what God says about marital fidelity, Ghanaians see totally or almost  nothing  wrong with married men who go around with unzipped flaps sniffing for the next “skirted field” to harvest. …now that is bad.

We have been corrupted in our thoughts into thinking that the culture we have nursed with God out of our thoughts needs to supercede what God has to say.

So for those arguing that men need to learn faithfulness, I can share a Coke with you  (I’m on a diet now though. Lol). But for the people who think that because men do it women should do it, I ask, what are you seeking to achieve? When I see people advocating for women to join in the sinfulness that hard hearted men are wallowing in, what comes to mind is, “whose standards are we following?”.

How many wrongs make a right? Two?

Instead of finding ways to address the mess the men have been creating with their selfish sinful and godless deeds, we are beckoning women to also join in the mess.

Maybe we should remember that whether Abrokwa or Schwarzenegger does it, it is sin. Calling them both to join in is just building a country and a people who would build a mass of mess that would stink, choke and kill us all at the end.

Adultery, whether from the man or woman is bad and must not condoned.

When standards are absent, relativist morality which actually is no morality is what takes up the stage. GO BACK TO GOD or you can’t undo your mess. Poor foundations cannot support your house when the storms visit.

CHOOSE FAITH OVER FEAR

When you know who created you and the stormy seas you’re sailing on, nothing scares you.
No matter how high the waves ahead seem to rise above your hopes, you’d remember His love goes higher.
When the waves threaten to bury you beneath the oceans, you smile because you know His love reaches beyond below the last sand particle serving as the ocean’s foundations.
And O, knowledge of the fact that He holds you as the apple of His eyes, is beyond comprehension and only grows more confidence in Him.
The storms may become fierce, break the sail, crack the boat when you’re in deep sea but faith in Him makes a hold of the last wood piece a safe ride to the shores.
Not that we care less about the troubles but because we have sight of the Great God, know of His love and remember how many times He gave us the best things when we best need Him.
#PraiseGod
#TrustGod
#LetGoOfSpritOfFear

CIVIL SERVANTS GETTING MORE CORRUPT IN GHANA

When Anas Aremeyaw Anas revealed corruption in the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy, some of us thought people would be guided by a conscience that reminds them that “someone might be watching”. The situation has however remained almost the same if not worse.

Ghanaians are killing Ghana. We have come so far that if something is not done readily, our future would be more bleak than the difficulties we already are in. The successes we have built in history would be dead if we continue this way. What is the possibility of growth of a forest when the old and almost dying trees  consume more of the nutrients needed for younger trees to grow? Can the young plants survive in a forest where the older ones become thorns that suppress their growth?

It was Henry Kissinger who said that “corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad” but I have come to believe that corruption in Ghana is not limited to the supposed 10% corrupt politicians. The percentage of corrupt politicians may be way higher than what Kissinger suggested. The politician however is not the only corrupt person we have in this country of ours. Civil servants have also played their part in building the saddening corrupt culture Ghana has come to have. The economy of Ghana has had growth rates that have been below its actual growth capacity because many things that need to be done smoothly have been blocked from growth by corrupt officials.

In spite of the fact that the educational system has been blamed for not equipping graduates with the needed skills and mindset to become independent entrepreneurs,  the ‘soil of Ghana’ has been the cause of death of young business ideas and dreams. I would not speak about the economics of it since I don’t know how much influence the Corruption Perception Index may have on investor confidence in the economy.

To my point since I am a sociologist, the  social structure we have built for ourselves in which people/civil servants expect extra monies to do what they are monthly paid for is one of the greatest problems of economic growth on the larger scale.

A young colleague friend who was bold enough to step out the pool that has kept many graduates unemployed many years after graduation had to face the barrier set by greedy men at the Registrar General’s Department. He is one of the many people who have been discouraged from starting their own businesses.

His words might be harsh but he said “One pot-bellied man at the department worried me. He said I should bring 500gh for the thing to work fast. The normal money is around 250”. A missionary friend who has refused to bribe corrupt officers in the DVLA  to renew his vehicle papers spends 5-6 hours always to do what should have been done within an hour had things been normal. In fact, those who are willing to pay the bribes can get their issues attended to within 30 to 45 minutes at the DVLA. It has become abnormal in Ghana to seek to do what is right.

When would these end? The police receive bribes, recruitment into the public sector is based on who you know and how much you can offer as bribe.  Contracts are awarded based on who could pay the highest bribe figure. Procurement processes are just existing in books. Nothing seems to be working as it ought to.

Who would heal the greed, rot and dream killing behaviors of public servants that have been killing this nation over the years? We need as citizens to learn that “It’s not unpatriotic to denounce an injustice committed on our behalf, perhaps it’s the most patriotic thing we can do” (Bucchianeri, in Brushstrokes of a Gadfly).