Religious Hypocrisy in Ghana

In recent months, several items of historical interest have surfaced stirring a renewed national discourse on many issues including the fast depreciation of the cedi on which some men of God have expressed their thoughts. The thoughts expressed by these men of God have ignited some rift among themselves leading one to wonder if it is the same God issuing different instructions and visions to separate servants.

It is becoming almost impossible to decipher the true men of God due to the antics adopted by charlatans posing as men of God, principally owing to the mushrooming of many churches in almost every crevice of the country.

In the name of religion, residential areas no more have the serene atmosphere expected of these places of abode. Religious zealots have taken over almost any space in the country.

But the irony is that, the lifestyles and the moral standing of some of these so called men of God are staid and appalling such that not even a day or week passes by without news about a so-called man of God either swindling, sexually abusing, exploiting, attempting to murder or extorting money from their naïve followers who are so eager to find their way to the bosom of the creator.

In as much as religion is the soul of every society and by extension country, it is also high time the behavior of some so-called men of God are fine tuned to reflect the very gospel they preach about.

Religion has a core mandate to transform the lives of the marginalized and the socially handicapped by bestowing hope, understanding and drawing people closer to their maker, but contrary, we have wittingly or unwittingly raised some men of God to sainthood, making it blasphemous for any person to scrutinize their actions or criticize them even when they cross the line. Some people would immediately demand your head on the chopping board and declare you evil when one tries to criticize some so-called men of God.

Maybe the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche was right when he wrote “God is Dead and needs a replacement” because people have exploited God’s name to commit so many murderous crimes and seem to go scot free.

The Christian Bible tells us that when the rich man went to Jesus seeking for eternal life, Jesus told him to give all his possession to charity, and come and follow him, Jesus did not tell him to bring his possession to him, but what do we see today? Many religious leaders are turning into millionaires at the expense of their followers who continue to wallow in abject penury.

Excessive religious extremism is the handiwork of the plethora of the myriad of problems that are staring us in the faces such as those happening in Central African Republic and Nigeria.

The sages succinctly advice that, the right to swing one’s arms end where another person’s nose begins. As much as you have the right to religion, also remember that people also have their rights to a quiet life. A thundering deafening payer that disturbs the peace of your neighbor cannot be the righteous way because the same God require us to love our neighbours, and if you love a neighbour you would respect their rights and feelings.

Writer: Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf
University of Cape Coast
Abdulkarimmohammedawaf.blogspot.com

Fayarblogspot.com: Smiling In Pain-My Tribute to Komla Dumor

Fayar blogspot: Smiling In Pain-My Tribute to Komla Dumor: I idolized him and my strive to become a journalist to a large extent was fuelled by the zeal and passion with which he did his work. I will...

The Issue of Kayayes: They Need Our Help.

Even though I come from a very decent family and was born and brought up in the south, each time the issue of kayaye (head potters) dominated news headlines and became the subject of discussion, I always buried my head in shame.

In what ended to be a rib-racking laughter on the floor of Parliament  on February 5, 2014 when the Member of Parliament for Salaga, Alhaji Ibrahim Dey made a claim that, it is difficult to get a young lady to marry in his district because all of them have migrated to the south in search of non-existing greener pastures and ended up as head potters has kept me pondering.

Putting aside the fact that the kayaye trade is a back-breaking job and the reward is uninspiring, the environmental hazards that these ladies are often exposed to, could best be described as modern slavery.

Many of these young ladies are more often exploited by their contractors owing to their vulnerability, with nobody to negotiate on their behalf. They are forced to accept less pay for carrying luggage that exceed their strength and can be injurious to their health. Some even refuse to pay them at all.

Some of these kayayes are subjected to sexual abuse by some unscrupulous persons who see these poor ladies as sex objects, leaving their victims mentally bruised forever. As a result some end up pregnant out of such relationships. They are then forced to raise their children single-handedly and since they can hardly fend for themselves, their children are often poorly raised without any proper education or basic necessities. The society in the long run bears the burden as these children end up as social miscreants.

Kayayes are always among the hardest hit during heavy down pour. They are left at the mercy of the weather because most of them sleep in the open or dwell in make-shift structures which are normally flooded or pulled down during such heavy storms. Not only does their business slow down during rainy seasons but they are robbed or swindled off the little monies they have managed to save from their sweat.

Over the years successive governments and other Non-Governmental Organisations have paid lip service by promising various policy interventions and programmes with the hope of ameliorating or totally stopping the exodus of young ladies from the north to the south.

During the 2012 electioneering campaigns, the New Patriotic Party led by its flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised to provide accommodation or if you like housing for head potters. In my candid opinion this was rather going to serve as a conduit for attracting more gullible young ladies to migrate to the south, after all, they would get free accommodation.

The National Democratic Congress on the other hand introduced the Savanna Accelerated Authority which was or is designed to give employable skills to young people and introduced modules such as the guinea fowl project, the afforestation project, women in dress making and shea nut processing among others which were aimed  at creating employment for people in the three northern regions and also bridge the developmental gap between the north and the south.

But irrespective of how laudable this initiative is, our own people who were put in charge of these projects turned themselves into blood-sucking vampires and looted away monies that would have led to the successful reduction in poverty and unemployment amongst the youth in those regions.

But first before any government or organisation attempts to stop the exodus of young ladies from the north to the south, proper appraisal or diagnoses should be done to identify the root causes of such migration.

As a distant spectator, it is clear that there are limited job opportunities in most rural areas in the three Northern Regions  especially jobs designed for women. Most married women depend solely on their husbands for everything, but these husbands who are predominantly peasant farmers are also seriously affected by the unreliable rainfall pattern. These puts many households in a vicious cycle of poverty.

To worsen the case, religion and cultural practices permit men to marry more than one wife which results in the birth of many children who are uncared for. These children are denied of their basic rights to education and when they are old, their only perception of survival is to travel down south.

Even though formal education started one hundred years before it was extended to the north, the three northern regions compete well in terms of the finest brains in this country and have produced brains such as the 3rd republican president of Ghana, Dr Hilla Liman, Ex-veep under the Kufour regime, Alhaji Aliu Mahama of blessed memory, Mohammed Ibn Chambers, Secretary-General of the African, Carribean and Pacific Group of States, Emmanuel Bombande,  Co-founder and the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace Building(WANEP) and even the current number one gentleman of the land, President John Dramani Mahama, an indication of the huge potential in terms of human resource the country has. Yet, with all these fine brains,  the percentage of children who get  the opportunity to education in the three northern regions still leaves much to be desired.

For a holistic solution to the kayaye menace, government must consider tackling the problem from the root. Measures should be put in place to improve the economic standards of the people living in the three Northern Regions. Female child education must be prioritized as it is the only way to prevent future young girls from engaging in this kayaye trade. Let's help to end this modern day slavery.

Writer: Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf.
University of Cape Coast
Abdulkarimmohammedawaf.blogspot.com

The Mad-rush For Corset-Torture or Fashion?

As a young person growing up, what actually caught my fancy and whipped my appetite was when woman gave birth in our household. It was normally accompanied with salivating dishes most especially fufu spiced with soup silted with all kinds of meat, "wele", crabs, fish etc and sometimes slightly red plantain mashed and drenched in oil, grilled groundnut and eggs (3to)

This was usually the best time for some of us to pregnant our bellies with sumptuous meals, a rare delicacy.

A woman shortly after giving birth was always expected to look plump and slightly obese 
to show how her husband had been responsible. Some ladies whom for some reasons might not put on weight right after giving birth would usually indulge in taking weight enhancing medicines such as "paratin". A woman attending postpartum care forty days after delivering her baby, commonly referred to as “attending maternity” normally attracted sneers and scorn from gossip-monger if she looked emaciated or scrawny. This was to register their disgust that her husband had been irresponsible.

In the good old days, an Ashanti man description of a Fante woman or a Ga woman would not be complete without complimenting on her “busy body” or her plump-looking shape, and a man with protruding stomach or pot belly was revered as a rich person or someone who lived a good life and many women would yearn to have such a person for a husband, but today most ladies would crave for guys with so-called "six-pack".

 This phenomenon has now taken a nose dive and models, celebrities and many women from all class now prefer to look slender and skinny just to be in tune with the fashion world. Many women now use both proper and crude ways  just to look slender including the use of tight-lacing corset.

It is indisputable fact that overweight and obesity may increase the risk of many health problems including cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension. This fact sheet tells us more about the link between excess weight and many health conditions as well as explain how reaching and maintaining a normal weight may help you to stay healthier.

 In this light, proper ways must be adopted to reduce weight through engaging in weight-shedding exercise including going to the gym, engaging in more physical activities and engaging in sports.

Sadly, in the desperate attempt look more slender and sexy-looking, many women do not only starve their stomachs but also use tight-lacing corset to make their tummies’ look slender and flat oblivious of the dangerous effects of prolonged use of tight-lacing corset. (Corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purpose). Attending my first pool party for the semester dawned on me that some ladies smile in pain because they want to look cute and sexy.

According to medical professionals, the heart is damaged by corset. If a person shrinks the size of his or her rib cage significantly, it is believed that it can leave little space for the heart, thus leading to inevitable palpitations.

The constriction of the corset, if too tight, prevents the lower lobes of the lungs from fully expanding when taking a breath. This puts extra strain on the lungs and causes additional work for the lower lobes of the lungs.

It is also argued that with a tight-laced corset, the stomach would not be able to churn correctly, making it difficult to digest food completely.

The liver also experiences many complications while the body is tight-laced, becoming severed due to the location of the ribs as a result of the tight lacing, and that the liver would become enlarged or displaced.

Not only that, the uterus is believed to suffer the most from tight-lacing, failing to develop properly due to the inactivity of the abdominal muscles or becoming prolapsed.

It worth noting that the use of tight-lacing corset for prolonged period may give you that stylish and sexy looking but also has the propensity to cost your life.

Writer: Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf

University of Cape Coast

Abdulkarimmohammedawaf.blogspot.com.

Smiling In Pain-My Tribute to Komla Dumor

I idolized him and my strive to become a journalist to a large extent was influenced by the zeal and passion with which he did his work. I will always get my younger sister out of my room each time Komla was on set in order not to miss Komla’s articulate voice and giant-looking personality. My sister would prefer to call me Komla because I would always try to mimic how Komla talked.

In the afternoon of Saturday, January 18,2014, I had buried my earpiece into my ears enjoying songs from the late Luke Dube when my sister dashed into my room, red eyed and morose, her eyes were wild and from her lips came a sad tale, “your mentor and admirer, Komla Dumor is dead!”. What! Komla is what! I became petrified and all of a sudden messages from whatapp and facebook started pouring in, Komla is dead!

The new year was greeted with a flurry of activities and events, but the tragic and shocking revelation that jolted the nerves of many people especially those in the media fraternity was the death of the ace Ghanaian BBC world service presenter, Komla Afeke Dumor, whom many young professionals in the media world in Ghana and beyond saw as a benchmark for excellence and inspiration.

The torrent of tears brewed from the ear-piercing cry that was let loose still continues to stream the cheeks of many people such that not even time has been able to heal.


Haven spent four years in the medical school but dropped out, many would have thought, Komla Afeke Dumor would have resigned to fate but contrary to that, he was able to defy all conventional notions and became a global icon and was even listed among 100 most influential people in Africa.

Haven dropped out of the much revered profession, medicine, he did not crash down but wriggled his way out of despair to become a global icon. If he had being a medical doctor, probably he would have being an obscure doctor in one corner shelved in his own world without a trace of him in the global history, but today even though he is no longer with us, the candle he lit continues to burn inextinguishably and his powerful voice continues to echo in the ears and hearts of many people across the globe and the candle will continue to burn for posterity yet unborn to witness.

President John Mahama described Komla in his tribute as “one of the most illustrious sons of Ghana” and in another sentence said “he was an inspiration to his generation”. The president couldn’t have eulogized him with words infra dig to how the president described him.

From a very humble beginning, Komla rose through the ranks and landed at the enviable BBC World Service. In reality, manna did not just fall from heaven for him but Komla indeed paid the price for his achievements

Even though his career had seen an upward trajectory which many people thinking it was all rosy and would wish to aspire in life, the hard truth is that Komla was just enduring life to serve his generation with passion, zeal, hardworking, respect, dedication and sacrifice. In a text message sent to some close friends about how far he has journeyed, Komla revealed how he maneuvered through life to serve humanity even at the peril of his life.

One part of the message read, “I remain silent in my personal strife and misery...I kept smiling and pushing on to present better and to engage  my audience and increase my following, long days and frustrating times”. In another snippet, he revealed, “but I kept going through the Westgate mall coverage through the Mandela funeral...even when illness had me collapsing I delivered...”.  So Komla was not after all the happy man many people thought he was? So Komla was smiling in pain?

His life and legacy serve as large reservoir of great lessons for the youth especially those of us whose umbilical cords are attached to the media. He demonstrated that the price of success is costly but with sacrifice and dedication, one can cruise even beyond barriers.

The highly polarized media landscape which has been poisoned with the venom of political manipulation and manoeuvres, can easily raze down the walls of integrity, fairness, accuracy, objectivity and all the professional ethics that serve as the pillars and commandments’ of journalism.

But we can take respite in Komla exemplary life that whatever a person does, posterity will judge him or her and moreover we are our own architect and writers of our tribute for rendition by posterity.

The BossPlayer, you were indeed a BossPlayer!

 Writer: Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf
        Communication Studies,
       University of Cape Coast
       Abdulkarimmohammedawaf.blogspot.com