Even as I may want to talk my history and ancestry all day, it seldom comes as a treat in that my people are quite oblivious to our own story. I must acquiesce at this juncture and speak to the hearing of the few faithfuls who may have lost themselves in the sea of other scriptures to the detriment of our own.
Personally my biblical heroes are not those that did the most miracles and wonders. Not even the ranting preachers and prophets but the ordinary nation callers/builders who always showed up in time of need to re-build the walls of Jerusalem. Anytime I read of the exploits of Ezra and Nehemiah, my passion for Jakobu is rekindled more and would want to do more to see it rebuilt. But the people of Judah knew their history and all the stories of their ancestors. They saw the wisdom to pen the once all oral narratives into written documents to be revered, read, and understood for a guided living. Perhaps, Israel's strength lied not only with the power of their omnipotent God but by the sheer devotion of the Jews to who they are and where they come from. If today more than a quarter of the global citizens profess the Jewish faith cum Christian movement, the credit goes to the ordinary people who upheld their faith even in the midst of storms, foreign occupation, subjugation, oppression and tyranny.
One fascinating revelation is how those men (and women) were called by God and the people's reception of them. Yes, it were never easy for any of them be it a prophet, king or judge in administering their mission and calling. The universal 'human nature' - which remains constant in any human grouping - at the time, always caused a hindrance/resistance of sorts. Some prophets and their message were ignored, some kings were killed, some lawgivers were blatantly disobeyed... but at any point in time, the sent ones who responded to the call had a way to channel their message across. Today, it is still these names that the biblical chapters are written of/about and we all attest to the reverence we attach to such names even as we seek the face of God and heaven.
When I was way younger, Jakobu had few people we looked up to. The Agyekums, the Gyapongs, the Fosus... and the others were accorded such exalted respect that, their very presence alone inspired confidence in a schoolchild such as me and most of my colleagues. I remember when my mates talked about Kwabena Gyapong of blessed memory, my heart always leapt in anticipation of my future input. The future is here with me at last and sadly, finding such an inspiration has become a hope that may go unfulfilled. It may be the time to question our Gods why such men are not reincarnating any longer; and if one is alive, how have they prepared him/her/them for this hour?
Now, Jakobu is rife with almost all the institutions that should see to its glory but the fact remains unchallenged that, the good people of Jakobu are yet to have full control of any of their vital institutional assets. There is a score of people in and among us who believe that perhaps, the palace horn must be blown and assemble the forces both ancestral and current, our deities and people - to reclaim and take charge of what is rightfully ours. And many are those assets that must be reorganized to the people's benefit: the gold, the land, leadership and human resource, and our treasury.
One more thing should not be overlooked as nothing when in fact, it is the crucial thing -- our human capacity building! We should, as a matter of urgency, consider the next step in our mind-training practices. The school system is good enough but must not continue to 'stop' at SHS. We need a post-sec institution as soon as possible. Our current youth mix is a people with diverse educational backgrounds. This is good but we need more. Funding for higher education remains the greatest deterrent to this mind-training call which I call on the town to find it important to sit on and make proper decisions to source and allocate funds for higher learning. Other than that, we shall continue to witness this ghastly reality of our affairs being taken care of by people who less understand us.
I am very comforted the way our own young people are calling for a unified front. The youth association may not have 'delivered' as some of us hoped. But the fact that a few kept the dream alive may be the elixir stirring up the unity wave right now. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the resurrection of the JYA and yes, our time is always now to act and do what is right. But oneness is a feat denied many a youth movement. The caution here is that those in power - in whichever form or practice - do not rejoice to deal with a united front especially a cluster of youth. So youth leaders and followers alike must watch out for such tendencies that come in many forms and guises.
In the final analysis, we are one people bonded by the Jakobu spirit and blood. The vision remains same: let us arise together to rebuild this ancient city on the hill. We will need greater strength and resolve but we are up to the task. We are the post-war era after all.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Human Capacity Building: REVISITING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND CHURCH PRACTICES
Post colonial Ghana hasn't been very different from the Gold Coast in terms of public education. We have our independence but our minds are yet to be freed from foreign indoctrination and tuned back into the local frequency.
Two main institutions that run our public brainwashing systems are the schools and the church/religion.
As an educationist, I would be the last person to condemn formal schooling and education. For all my years I served the Ghana Education Service, never did it leave me that our school system is far from Ghanaian. The mathematical formulas and concepts, scientific methods and chemical equations, the social studies of the government structure and the strict enforcement to speak only in the foreign language culminated in putting the developing mind of the Ghanaian child into serious jeopardy. Little wonder that our minds, after all its schooling seem to be found wanting when it comes to solving our local/national problems. Even after completion, a school product still cannot fathom what our problems are let along devise interventions to rectify them.
For about eight years since the Jacobu Youth Association initiated the Inter-JHS Quiz competition (which is now a district-wide campaign), it is worthy of note that Social Studies ranks the first problematic subject among the four:- English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies. What our junior minds are yet to know is not really anything big or difficult but our own local district/constituency affairs! For all the ten years since the inception of the Amansie Central District, not one of its daily affairs is ever a topic for study in any of the basic schools. Schoolchildren here are very much able to mention not less than five sector ministers at a go but can spend the whole day naming who the District Finance Officer is. Teachers cannot be blamed for this neither is it wise to accuse our juniors for failing to know the obvious. Interestingly pathetic as it is, the local government concept is largely not understood and practically made less effective. This is because even the local adult population cannot fully grasp the import of the assembly! Hence, we are yet to really know what is currently ongoing at the Assembly - the misappropriation of funds, antagonism, underutilized human resources and all.
Nowhere is it of any concern to either the Local Assembly or the Education Service directorate that such a phenomenon needs to be looked into and proper actions taken to reverse the situation for the better. As it is now, it is not yet considered important to orient our developing minds to the cause of this district/constituency. So I foresee many times ahead when even in the district dispensation, it would have been better to leave the gates open for plunder.
Where the school system failed, the existence of the church succeeded albeit NOT to the interest of the people and definitely not that of the nation at large. I know the premium my folks put on drawing closer to a higher power for spiritual guidance, protection from evil and the ultimate entrance into everlasting life. But the church is more instituted to champion the cause of the Israeli Jews than that of Gyakobuman/Ghana or Afrika. The weekly sermons admonish us to look unto Jerusalem for salvation and final rapture. God the almighty is not from here and so we are told his plans can only benefit us once we make it to heavenly Jerusalem some time soon.
On the grounds, Jakobu alone houses close to thirty chapels/temples of worship on Saturdays and Sundays. The Muslims have succeeded in securing a land for their mosque as well. Weekly revenues that go into those houses surpass any levies the assembly collects in a month! Annual harvests for individual churches can raise close to GH¢ 100,000.00 with a single church garnering more than what the entire community raises for development projects. Yet all the congregations are natives who know this is the land of their birth - their true inheritance - yet have been led to believe that a certain god has prepared a better place for them somewhere beyond the skies flowing with milk and honey and the streets paved with gold.
The comeuppance of such unfortunate miseducation is that, the average believer cares less about the betterment of his/her immediate surrounding, apathetic to our public affairs, and clueless about his/her everlasting inheritance - this land!
If the religious advent had made things better, I'd be its advocate but alas, the home is broken once fathers relinquished their responsibility as heads of the family and invited 'christ' as the rightful head. Christian mothers, instead of bringing their offsprings, spend almost all their married life warding off 'irresponsible girls' from coming near their husbands as the church espouses. Yet it's a daily occurrence to see many of our unmarried women mothering a child a or two from a father whose beliefs prevent him from marrying two. What becomes of such a child? It is left to God who first didn't welcome it in his holy temple. Obviously the African family unit is hijacked yet to be ransomed.
How dare you call yourself native and a kith and kin when you don't even know your 300-year history? What value is your inheritance when you barely know where your land begins or ends? How do we build a community we seldom think about? What is education if it estranges the mind from its habitat? With what do we make decisions for a better future if we cannot appreciate the core challenges of today?
LET US FIRST AND FOREMOST RESCUE THE MINDS - yours and mine!
Two main institutions that run our public brainwashing systems are the schools and the church/religion.
As an educationist, I would be the last person to condemn formal schooling and education. For all my years I served the Ghana Education Service, never did it leave me that our school system is far from Ghanaian. The mathematical formulas and concepts, scientific methods and chemical equations, the social studies of the government structure and the strict enforcement to speak only in the foreign language culminated in putting the developing mind of the Ghanaian child into serious jeopardy. Little wonder that our minds, after all its schooling seem to be found wanting when it comes to solving our local/national problems. Even after completion, a school product still cannot fathom what our problems are let along devise interventions to rectify them.
For about eight years since the Jacobu Youth Association initiated the Inter-JHS Quiz competition (which is now a district-wide campaign), it is worthy of note that Social Studies ranks the first problematic subject among the four:- English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies. What our junior minds are yet to know is not really anything big or difficult but our own local district/constituency affairs! For all the ten years since the inception of the Amansie Central District, not one of its daily affairs is ever a topic for study in any of the basic schools. Schoolchildren here are very much able to mention not less than five sector ministers at a go but can spend the whole day naming who the District Finance Officer is. Teachers cannot be blamed for this neither is it wise to accuse our juniors for failing to know the obvious. Interestingly pathetic as it is, the local government concept is largely not understood and practically made less effective. This is because even the local adult population cannot fully grasp the import of the assembly! Hence, we are yet to really know what is currently ongoing at the Assembly - the misappropriation of funds, antagonism, underutilized human resources and all.
Nowhere is it of any concern to either the Local Assembly or the Education Service directorate that such a phenomenon needs to be looked into and proper actions taken to reverse the situation for the better. As it is now, it is not yet considered important to orient our developing minds to the cause of this district/constituency. So I foresee many times ahead when even in the district dispensation, it would have been better to leave the gates open for plunder.
Where the school system failed, the existence of the church succeeded albeit NOT to the interest of the people and definitely not that of the nation at large. I know the premium my folks put on drawing closer to a higher power for spiritual guidance, protection from evil and the ultimate entrance into everlasting life. But the church is more instituted to champion the cause of the Israeli Jews than that of Gyakobuman/Ghana or Afrika. The weekly sermons admonish us to look unto Jerusalem for salvation and final rapture. God the almighty is not from here and so we are told his plans can only benefit us once we make it to heavenly Jerusalem some time soon.
On the grounds, Jakobu alone houses close to thirty chapels/temples of worship on Saturdays and Sundays. The Muslims have succeeded in securing a land for their mosque as well. Weekly revenues that go into those houses surpass any levies the assembly collects in a month! Annual harvests for individual churches can raise close to GH¢ 100,000.00 with a single church garnering more than what the entire community raises for development projects. Yet all the congregations are natives who know this is the land of their birth - their true inheritance - yet have been led to believe that a certain god has prepared a better place for them somewhere beyond the skies flowing with milk and honey and the streets paved with gold.
The comeuppance of such unfortunate miseducation is that, the average believer cares less about the betterment of his/her immediate surrounding, apathetic to our public affairs, and clueless about his/her everlasting inheritance - this land!
If the religious advent had made things better, I'd be its advocate but alas, the home is broken once fathers relinquished their responsibility as heads of the family and invited 'christ' as the rightful head. Christian mothers, instead of bringing their offsprings, spend almost all their married life warding off 'irresponsible girls' from coming near their husbands as the church espouses. Yet it's a daily occurrence to see many of our unmarried women mothering a child a or two from a father whose beliefs prevent him from marrying two. What becomes of such a child? It is left to God who first didn't welcome it in his holy temple. Obviously the African family unit is hijacked yet to be ransomed.
How dare you call yourself native and a kith and kin when you don't even know your 300-year history? What value is your inheritance when you barely know where your land begins or ends? How do we build a community we seldom think about? What is education if it estranges the mind from its habitat? With what do we make decisions for a better future if we cannot appreciate the core challenges of today?
LET US FIRST AND FOREMOST RESCUE THE MINDS - yours and mine!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
On Top of this Mountain
We are sleeping on gold
Yet we keep wake in poverty and scarcity
Imagine with me
And see Gyakobu in the small village it was three centuries ago
I can see life then in its pure and primitive forms
Living in this thick odotobri forest
Sharing the land with the crows and other birds, the cobra and the other snakes
And all living creatures manifesting as rivergods, rocks, ancient trees and hills
Beneath such grandeur of evergreen foliage
Everywhere is gold!
Underneath the mountains are giant rocks and rivers - the custodians
We have watched outsiders invade our ancestral treasury
Stealing our gold in broad day light, sadly...
At this hour
Mmarima Krom is weak and feeble
The way-showers have good intentions but possess no common vision...
...No universal plan, no public agenda, no development strategy; no unity of purpose
Our women continue to be kept home and take no interest in public discourse
We fail to honour who we are
Our parents no longer tell us nativity stories
The old folks are still shrewdly considered evil
The youth is lost and divided - yet to unite!
For there is no time to who we are or where we come from
We fail to regard the other as a kith and kin - a family so to speak
Hardly do we, as a people, discuss the development of Gyakobu
So district assembly concept is largely not understood
The constituency is yet to see an institution carved out of our parliamentary representation
We have left the city gates opened for plunder - we are invaded!
Yet the native is blinded by poverty and ignorance
The sojourner eats the fat of the land as we lick the dripping blood and fight over bones
Wake up, my people
Our time is up; tomorrow comes today
This is the land God promised you when coming to Earth
That Gyakobu is your inheritance
It should mean more to you than your religious denomination and political party
The greatest is the land, and we are her people
The trees are ours; and the rivers and the hills and all beneath it!
Are you awake?
Yet we keep wake in poverty and scarcity
Imagine with me
And see Gyakobu in the small village it was three centuries ago
I can see life then in its pure and primitive forms
Living in this thick odotobri forest
Sharing the land with the crows and other birds, the cobra and the other snakes
And all living creatures manifesting as rivergods, rocks, ancient trees and hills
Beneath such grandeur of evergreen foliage
Everywhere is gold!
Underneath the mountains are giant rocks and rivers - the custodians
We have watched outsiders invade our ancestral treasury
Stealing our gold in broad day light, sadly...
At this hour
Mmarima Krom is weak and feeble
The way-showers have good intentions but possess no common vision...
...No universal plan, no public agenda, no development strategy; no unity of purpose
Our women continue to be kept home and take no interest in public discourse
We fail to honour who we are
Our parents no longer tell us nativity stories
The old folks are still shrewdly considered evil
The youth is lost and divided - yet to unite!
For there is no time to who we are or where we come from
We fail to regard the other as a kith and kin - a family so to speak
Hardly do we, as a people, discuss the development of Gyakobu
So district assembly concept is largely not understood
The constituency is yet to see an institution carved out of our parliamentary representation
We have left the city gates opened for plunder - we are invaded!
Yet the native is blinded by poverty and ignorance
The sojourner eats the fat of the land as we lick the dripping blood and fight over bones
Wake up, my people
Our time is up; tomorrow comes today
This is the land God promised you when coming to Earth
That Gyakobu is your inheritance
It should mean more to you than your religious denomination and political party
The greatest is the land, and we are her people
The trees are ours; and the rivers and the hills and all beneath it!
Are you awake?
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Building The City Walls
20 Years of Constituency Rule
10 Years of District Status
10 Years of District Status
Since the time when Adu Darko founded this city upon this mountain, never has Jakobu been blessed with an era rife with so much potential, possibility and conscious community development such as the present day. Yet it took our ancestral blood over 300 years to arrive at this generation; here and now, we are called to walk into tomorrow hand in palm as one people for that's what we truly are.
Unfortunately, in the gleam of this light-filled day, darkness has befell my people.
Our eyes see next to nothing even as our ears has become hard of hearing. Our current amnesia is a result of the growth and expansion in numbers since the first clan mingled with all other clans in producing the extended families and households we have today. Our farming founders extended their farming activities into other hamlets and cottages giving birth to more villages and towns.
It brought us this far - the smaller clans became large enough; our village became a town which has grown to become a city befitting a constituency and district capital today.The time has come for us to fulfill whatever libation or sacrifice or prayer our ancestors offered to Otwediampon Kwame and Asaase Yaa in our name and time.
I remember our forefathers affirming amen to all the cocks and sheep whose blood was drained along with spirits and drinks to invoke the gods for this day:
We have seen a great harvest of people across over 260 satellite towns and village settlements.
We have been blessed with evergreen foliage and flowing streams which are currently under attack by gold diggers.
We have built schools and have our children read and write and speak even a foreign language.
We have grown a bank from scratch and - in thirty years now - producing beautiful fruits.
We have a fledgling hospital - thanks to the christian advent.
We have been invited to a seat in the Parliament House of this country.
We continue to extend electricity into the hinterlands and rightly so.
We have been accorded a district status.
We no longer drink from wells and streams and rivers. Water flows instead.
Now Jacobu is a digital location... literally a dot on your map and Net!
We must connect the city to its universal port.
We must build a post secondary college to absorb the products from our high schools.
We must prepare befitting state park/playing grounds for our young and energetic bodies.
We must shed our religious/partisan/personal differences for they serve no higher purpose.
We must revisit our farming seasons and methods to produce more bumper harvest for the growing population.
To do that
We will need a unity of thought fashioned by strong leadership.
We will need our MP and DCE to align with the Chief/Queen and all institutional heads (especially the bank, the hospital and the SHS) in charting the way forward.
We will need our religious denominations to orient our people's minds to their own community affairs other than sending their heart to the course of the Jews. We are Asantes! God knows we are!!
We need conscious community development plan.
We need to meet more often at the community center to just share the synergy of a one people.
Once all these walls are built, our linking roads shall lead into this destined ancient city on the hill - Jakobu.
Me ma mo Afehyia Pa!!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Building The Future From The Past
TEN YEARS OF LITTLE AS A DISTRICT
TWENTY YEARS OF NOTHING AS A CONSTITUENCY
In less than a year, the Amansie Central District shall be ten years old. This very year - on January 7th - our Constituency was twenty years old. In all these days years, Jacobu is both the district/constituency capital, and what is there to be seen and talked about has been my headache since I penned down the headline for this post.
For my kinsmen and women far and wide, may I recount some useful occurrences by way of political leadership, institutional strategy, community effort and personal entrepreneurship.
- Our one and only secondary school suddenly rose in both student and staff population. The school is currently headed by its fourth headmaster. The staff is now very much well packaged better than it used to be a decade ago when the only degree holder was the head.
Jacobu Senior High Technical School is offering three courses - one up from the traditional two. The need for space is apparent. Yet it has humble girls' hostel, a three-storey boys' dormitory (with flats for teachers) from GETFUND, a mini bus from ANGLOGOLD Ashanti, one more pick up for administrative errands and another relatively bigger bus from government. The MP's ICT Centre project has been converted into an administrative office for the headmaster and his assistant within which a room has been furnished or computer lessons. The PTA resourced the school with a two-unit semi detached bungalow for staff. I understand there is dining hall project currently underway being financed by the district assembly.
- St. Peter's Hospital graduated from clinic status some years ago. It's now a fledgling hospital headed by an administrator, and assisted by highly qualified team of medical superintendents and doctors trained home and abroad. The nurses population is on the ascendancy as the days go by. Unlike some years back when it was used to be by ward assistants, today's St. Peter's Hospital is soon to be upgraded into district government hospital - that is my prayer. Staff accommodation up there is still a problem with many of the nurses staying quite far away from the hospital premises. This is a problem I think urgent attention must be paid it sooner than later. Worthy of note is the ongoing maternity block project. The hospital has a well furnished theatre for operations, a refurbished clinical laboratory, a mortuary, a pharmacy and even a conference hall. I am happy anytime I see its finance and procurement officers out and about the hospital business.
- Odotobri Rural Bank, Ltd is still the only bank in the district. Yet, the proliferation of micro-finance services have seen Jacobu through with two. But the fact remains that ORB, Ltd rules supreme in both service delivery and customer management. The Bank recently commissioned its eighth branch which doubles as the fifth in Kumasi. The other three are situated at Jacobu, Bekwai and Obuasi. The Bank is financing a modern conference centre at Jacobu which shall bring to an end the pathetic street meetings. Hopefully, we shall witness the completion and commissioning of that multi-purpose edifice sometime soon this very year. If there is one institution across the district/constituency spuriously marketing the Amansie Central and Odotobri and Jacobu, it is our one and only most beloved Bank.
- Jacobu Water Board is about 21-member board empowered by the chief a to help steer water supply system. With all its challenges, the Board is up to task in making sure water flows as often as it should since 2009. One glaring lapse on the part of the Board is their lack of will to adjust price to meet demand. For fear of public outcry, the board seems to stuck in a moment when it comes to deciding that consumers pay for quality service delivery. I pray the chief to augment the board with much younger and educated (of course) minds whose learning must a bearing on matters relating to water delivery mechanisms. Trust me, we have some walking around here in Jacobu!
- The slagging market stores project has been a headache especially for the party politics people are playing with that vital project. The NPP/NDC gimmicks being played on the project has halted the it, which is aggravating vehicular movement in the central business of the town. Places for nature's call are yet to begin with no completion date in sight. Our market is a much less desired place for shopping for food, meat and household stuffs.
- Night life in Jacobu is becoming lively as new and cleaner pubs are being set up at strategic locations around the town. The time for VC 10 and drinking under trees are way back now. We have the choice of patronizing about three modern guest houses and pubs spacious enough to house several other social gatherings. The fact that all three have cleaner rooms for night and day accommodation is a plus for an up-and-coming district capital. I pray for a real night club - opening soon ;-)
- Police/security matters are under control except for the cryptic nature of these Chinese/Ghanaians/Government galamsey gold rush. Our river-gods have run away into oblivion with one god standing - Apemanka River! He remains as if nothing is happening. The rest are made stagnant with no life in them anymore. Lands that hitherto were fertile enough for both crop and commercial farming are turned upside down for gold. And they do no reparation to normalize the soil to heal itself. Damn!
In due time, count on me to connect you to what is happening in this ancient city on the hill from yours truly.
TWENTY YEARS OF NOTHING AS A CONSTITUENCY
In less than a year, the Amansie Central District shall be ten years old. This very year - on January 7th - our Constituency was twenty years old. In all these days years, Jacobu is both the district/constituency capital, and what is there to be seen and talked about has been my headache since I penned down the headline for this post.
For my kinsmen and women far and wide, may I recount some useful occurrences by way of political leadership, institutional strategy, community effort and personal entrepreneurship.
- Our one and only secondary school suddenly rose in both student and staff population. The school is currently headed by its fourth headmaster. The staff is now very much well packaged better than it used to be a decade ago when the only degree holder was the head.
Jacobu Senior High Technical School is offering three courses - one up from the traditional two. The need for space is apparent. Yet it has humble girls' hostel, a three-storey boys' dormitory (with flats for teachers) from GETFUND, a mini bus from ANGLOGOLD Ashanti, one more pick up for administrative errands and another relatively bigger bus from government. The MP's ICT Centre project has been converted into an administrative office for the headmaster and his assistant within which a room has been furnished or computer lessons. The PTA resourced the school with a two-unit semi detached bungalow for staff. I understand there is dining hall project currently underway being financed by the district assembly.
- St. Peter's Hospital graduated from clinic status some years ago. It's now a fledgling hospital headed by an administrator, and assisted by highly qualified team of medical superintendents and doctors trained home and abroad. The nurses population is on the ascendancy as the days go by. Unlike some years back when it was used to be by ward assistants, today's St. Peter's Hospital is soon to be upgraded into district government hospital - that is my prayer. Staff accommodation up there is still a problem with many of the nurses staying quite far away from the hospital premises. This is a problem I think urgent attention must be paid it sooner than later. Worthy of note is the ongoing maternity block project. The hospital has a well furnished theatre for operations, a refurbished clinical laboratory, a mortuary, a pharmacy and even a conference hall. I am happy anytime I see its finance and procurement officers out and about the hospital business.
- Odotobri Rural Bank, Ltd is still the only bank in the district. Yet, the proliferation of micro-finance services have seen Jacobu through with two. But the fact remains that ORB, Ltd rules supreme in both service delivery and customer management. The Bank recently commissioned its eighth branch which doubles as the fifth in Kumasi. The other three are situated at Jacobu, Bekwai and Obuasi. The Bank is financing a modern conference centre at Jacobu which shall bring to an end the pathetic street meetings. Hopefully, we shall witness the completion and commissioning of that multi-purpose edifice sometime soon this very year. If there is one institution across the district/constituency spuriously marketing the Amansie Central and Odotobri and Jacobu, it is our one and only most beloved Bank.
- Jacobu Water Board is about 21-member board empowered by the chief a to help steer water supply system. With all its challenges, the Board is up to task in making sure water flows as often as it should since 2009. One glaring lapse on the part of the Board is their lack of will to adjust price to meet demand. For fear of public outcry, the board seems to stuck in a moment when it comes to deciding that consumers pay for quality service delivery. I pray the chief to augment the board with much younger and educated (of course) minds whose learning must a bearing on matters relating to water delivery mechanisms. Trust me, we have some walking around here in Jacobu!
- The slagging market stores project has been a headache especially for the party politics people are playing with that vital project. The NPP/NDC gimmicks being played on the project has halted the it, which is aggravating vehicular movement in the central business of the town. Places for nature's call are yet to begin with no completion date in sight. Our market is a much less desired place for shopping for food, meat and household stuffs.
- Night life in Jacobu is becoming lively as new and cleaner pubs are being set up at strategic locations around the town. The time for VC 10 and drinking under trees are way back now. We have the choice of patronizing about three modern guest houses and pubs spacious enough to house several other social gatherings. The fact that all three have cleaner rooms for night and day accommodation is a plus for an up-and-coming district capital. I pray for a real night club - opening soon ;-)
- Police/security matters are under control except for the cryptic nature of these Chinese/Ghanaians/Government galamsey gold rush. Our river-gods have run away into oblivion with one god standing - Apemanka River! He remains as if nothing is happening. The rest are made stagnant with no life in them anymore. Lands that hitherto were fertile enough for both crop and commercial farming are turned upside down for gold. And they do no reparation to normalize the soil to heal itself. Damn!
In due time, count on me to connect you to what is happening in this ancient city on the hill from yours truly.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Forgive Them, Father!
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34 NIV
Just this morning, I was reading another all-time classic from Dr. Myles Munroe titled: The Spirit of Leadership. I came across a paragraph where Paul had to defend himself to the faithfuls at Corinth in his second letter to them.
Dr. Munroe writes: Paul's right to be an apostle of Christ was harshly criticized . They said that he was not really called by God and that he was not worthy of the respect he was getting. But we learned later that they themselves were false apostles, yet they attacked Paul's credibility and spiritual qualifications...
I read the 11th verse of II Corinthians in my Bible and the sincerity of Paul's letter touched my heart and brought me into thinking about some of the personal criticism I have received from my own circle of friends regarding the running of Jacobu Youth Association. Affiliating myself to the agony of the verbose first-century apostle exuded some humility on my part, contemplating whether or not I am exalting myself too high. But knowing our common human-ness and 'flesh and blood-ness,' I decided to write this anyway. My hope here is not to attempt convincing anyone to like my endeavours in our humble Association but simply to share myself which is not uncharacteristic me.
I have often heard well-meaning people question my role in the Association:
To my co-leaders who often leave me alone to defend myself, I owe them so much gratitude, for in so doing I have come to understand myself better. I now know what it means when ancient writings say there comes a time on one's journey when s/he must walk alone. The courage it takes to walk such a path is better felt than described. I encourage whosoever is in touch with the spirit of leadership within to awaken and start working the dream.
In taking stock, Dr. Munroe's book helped me to understand such simple truths possessed in people like myself who have awoken the lion that sleeps in them and have taken the leadership mantle through thick and thin. I have spent years and unrecoverable number of times - day and night - integrating the following attitudes which have not only catapulted me to where I am today, but also have helped in diverse ways to advance the cause of our own Jacobu Youth Association to the so-called good reputation it is now enjoying.
May I ask fellow critics to carefully consider putting into practice these practical ingredients sorely needed to be incorporated into the everyday thinking processes of whoever identifies him/herself with leaders:
Of all the accusations hurled at me, what I find most ridiculous is their claim that the Association is making me overly popular. I have personally worked for my reputation with all the good and the bad. I claim responsibility for both with no shame or regret and of course with no pride.
I was brought up to the presence of public eye at a very tender age when I didn't have much sense into what the future held for me. I starting performing to a large audience from primary school through campus to present day. All this while, the Jacobu Youth Association had not been reborn as it thrives today. I read scriptures at church gatherings, recited poems and performed in plays for every school I have attended - creche to university! I have represented my university in serious competitive debates on and off radio (and won all of them!) and hosted very high profile statesmen in gatherings at which my introduction included nothing from the Association. But never at any of such functions did I run away from the fact that I come from Jacobu. I have said and I say again that Jacobu to me is as Jerusalem to the Jews!
If something should be said about my fidelity to the Association, it rather should go like: Kwasi Mensah is marketing the association!
Someday I may have a bigger audience to share more profound real-time life-stories with. Until then, keep believing...
Luke 23:34 NIV
Just this morning, I was reading another all-time classic from Dr. Myles Munroe titled: The Spirit of Leadership. I came across a paragraph where Paul had to defend himself to the faithfuls at Corinth in his second letter to them.
Dr. Munroe writes: Paul's right to be an apostle of Christ was harshly criticized . They said that he was not really called by God and that he was not worthy of the respect he was getting. But we learned later that they themselves were false apostles, yet they attacked Paul's credibility and spiritual qualifications...
I read the 11th verse of II Corinthians in my Bible and the sincerity of Paul's letter touched my heart and brought me into thinking about some of the personal criticism I have received from my own circle of friends regarding the running of Jacobu Youth Association. Affiliating myself to the agony of the verbose first-century apostle exuded some humility on my part, contemplating whether or not I am exalting myself too high. But knowing our common human-ness and 'flesh and blood-ness,' I decided to write this anyway. My hope here is not to attempt convincing anyone to like my endeavours in our humble Association but simply to share myself which is not uncharacteristic me.
I have often heard well-meaning people question my role in the Association:
- Some say they will never join until I leave
- Others say I should not be included in executive meetings
- Many others find me repulsive and intimidating when it comes to debating on issues at general meetings
- One particular friend (until lately) claims I am exploiting the public reputation of the Association to exalt myself and advance my parochial/selfish interests
- Still there are some who doubt my claim of citizenship to the roots of Jacobu since they can refer the day I first arrived with my family from our sojourn and so on and so forth.
To my co-leaders who often leave me alone to defend myself, I owe them so much gratitude, for in so doing I have come to understand myself better. I now know what it means when ancient writings say there comes a time on one's journey when s/he must walk alone. The courage it takes to walk such a path is better felt than described. I encourage whosoever is in touch with the spirit of leadership within to awaken and start working the dream.
In taking stock, Dr. Munroe's book helped me to understand such simple truths possessed in people like myself who have awoken the lion that sleeps in them and have taken the leadership mantle through thick and thin. I have spent years and unrecoverable number of times - day and night - integrating the following attitudes which have not only catapulted me to where I am today, but also have helped in diverse ways to advance the cause of our own Jacobu Youth Association to the so-called good reputation it is now enjoying.
May I ask fellow critics to carefully consider putting into practice these practical ingredients sorely needed to be incorporated into the everyday thinking processes of whoever identifies him/herself with leaders:
- sense of purpose and passion
- sense of initiative
- sense of prioritizing
- goal setting
- the spirit of teamwork
- sense of innovation
- accountability
- persistence
- discipline
- self-cultivation or grooming
- and sense of gratitude!
Of all the accusations hurled at me, what I find most ridiculous is their claim that the Association is making me overly popular. I have personally worked for my reputation with all the good and the bad. I claim responsibility for both with no shame or regret and of course with no pride.
I was brought up to the presence of public eye at a very tender age when I didn't have much sense into what the future held for me. I starting performing to a large audience from primary school through campus to present day. All this while, the Jacobu Youth Association had not been reborn as it thrives today. I read scriptures at church gatherings, recited poems and performed in plays for every school I have attended - creche to university! I have represented my university in serious competitive debates on and off radio (and won all of them!) and hosted very high profile statesmen in gatherings at which my introduction included nothing from the Association. But never at any of such functions did I run away from the fact that I come from Jacobu. I have said and I say again that Jacobu to me is as Jerusalem to the Jews!
If something should be said about my fidelity to the Association, it rather should go like: Kwasi Mensah is marketing the association!
Someday I may have a bigger audience to share more profound real-time life-stories with. Until then, keep believing...
Monday, June 4, 2012
CHAPTER 4: TOWARDS A NEW WORLD ORDER
The coming years will move us closer and closer towards a new world order that embraces the entire planet. This order was set in motion by our founding fathers in accord with God's Plan for the evolution of consciousness on this world. It took over two hundred years from that beginning in 1776 to reach a state where we are ready to embark on an even greater journey. The United States is a nation of immigrants who come from all corners of the globe. This is as it was meant to be, for only out of such a nation can the tolerance for diversity arise that is needed to give rise to a United World. It is time for all to learn of the great power that comes from uniting together for a common enterprise. Synergy is a magic form of spiritual energy that arises in all such endeavors. Such is what makes villages, cities, states, and countries hold together for ages. Such is what makes some small groups able to accomplish what more loosely coupled larger groups have failed to achieve.
The Global Family
At some level, we are all one -- however, it may be awhile before we fully realize it. At a more understandable level we are the Family of Man. We are one family that spans the globe, or at least the inhabitable parts thereof. We don't act much like a family, however. We clearly don't treat each other with respect as brethren. At a spiritual level we are all spirits expressed in flesh. We all possess divine sparks of our creator. We are gods in becoming, all of us -- yet we don't act like it most of the time. There is a saying in India, "namaste"; it means "I bow to the spirit within you". Such a nice saying, and so true. It would serve the entire Family of Man very well if we we're to treat one another with the respect that such an utterance demands. We would see troubles, problems, and disagreements disappear in a heartbeat.
Clearly we live on a single globe, spaceship Earth. On many fronts, we are truly seeing how close we really are to one another. Our backyards have reached the fences of our neighbors, and there is no place else to grow. One thing seems clear. United we stand on this planet as brethren, or united we shall fall. Many common problems now impact all of us, because they impact the very support systems of the planet itself. Throughout nature, life is precariously balanced. Systems operate in very tight tolerances in very narrow bands. The cooperation of a vast network ensures that each being gets what it needs to exist. There is some adaptability, but it is generally within well- understood regions. Man is the only animal that behaves counter to the natural order. We believe it is right to adapt our environment to our liking without much consideration of the impacts to other beings, be they human or not.
We are the only beings who allow our numbers to grow virtually unchecked only to die of thirst, hunger, or disease of some type. It is time to educate our brethren that such is not the way. There are alternatives and choices, but these are not necessarily available to everyone. Part of the problem is that we typically do not establish responsibilities for one another. Our focus in the West has been personal responsibility. The rise of the individual and the fall of the family happened concurrently. We've lost our sense of balance in the process. Family at one time was the place in which we experienced community. Extended families were common in this country until the past 40 years or so. Churches extended this even more with groups of families coming together and caring for each other when necessary. At that time, this country was a much nicer and safer place to live primarily because of a shared set of social values. We now have two generations of individuals without this common background.
It will be tough to extend our hands to members of our global family without this background. Somehow, within the next few years, the pendulum must shift from this excessive focus on the individual to the creation of groups or families of individuals cooperatively interdependent on one another. We see the need for this even in our gangs. Where kids face tough conditions and lack a family or social environment that can help, they create their own social structures operating under whatever rules they see as necessary for their survival. Unless society provides them with an alternative, we literally give them no choice. We create our reality both by what we do and what we don't do. When we allow conditions to exist and persist that allow the needs of individuals to be neglected, we all suffer. How long will we sit back and do nothing?
This applies on a global scale as well. This is not a survival of the fittest scenario, when the strong can overcome the weak. As humans, we are above the basic laws of nature. We are divine creature -- at least in potential. We were created equal, every one of us. We are one family of human beings, one global family. Such is reality. It is time to wake up and start acting like the equal brethren that we truly are.
Dealing with Questions of Equality
Being created equal puts an interesting twist on everything. The issue of equality will be one of the toughest things for the builders of the new world order to address and resolve. It will require developed and developing nations to come to balance with each other. Balance involves more than agreement, it involves equitable and fair treatment not only in the present, but to compensate for past history as well. This will be a very touchy issue. The developed nations are used to a standard of living that will not work for all the world. It is very hard to see how this is fair, though many in the developed nations would believe it to be their right. The question is one of entitlement to resources. This brings up the greater issue of ownership and entitlement to any types of property at all. The American Indians were right after all, owning of land is not consistent with nature. One has right to use, but not to own. With the right to use, comes the responsibility of stewardship. Is it fair then to consider that one is entitled to do what one wants with any natural resources on the land that one occupies? My heart answers no. Society should be responsible for the fair distribution of resources. This society should extend beyond the boundaries of countries. All inhabitants of the planet have a right to its abundance and its resources. However, here too, rights have their corresponding responsibilities. All people have the responsibility to treat the Earth with respect, and to treat their brethren with respect as well. Growing in population at high rates when the living conditions of the society are barely tolerable to begin with is not fulfilling this responsibility. However, churches that create belief systems that cause some of this behavior are equally to blame and should be held accountable. It's no wonder that religion is such a mockery of spirituality these days.
With the intermeshing of individual will, economics, the church, and the state one thing is certain; the problems will be difficult to unravel. At some point, we need to step up to the fact that we are one world of equals -- nothing else matters. What got us to our present state of differences has no import. What matters is how we get to where we need to be, ONE WORLD. We can only act HERE and NOW. That is the only point that truly matters. Also, it will be difficult getting the world to agree to equality if we haven't first got our own country to that point. This is the old problem of the haves and the have nots. The haves want to keep what they have. Somehow, there has to be a way of giving everyone what they need.
This may require careful education of people concerning what they need.
Priorities for a New World
- Health is the number one priority. On it rides everything else. The body is the temple for the spirit. It must be kept in the best health possible to give spirit the optimum vehicle through which to do its works. Along with this goes whatever is necessary to optimize the health care systems and wipe out various diseases.
- Population control is a close second. The planet cannot accommodate what we currently have let alone any additional bodies. Birth control should be mandatory throughout the planet. Both the religious and educational systems should teach of our responsibility to the planet and to society of not bringing in more bodies than the Earth and society can handle.
- Education is number three. This should be free, and should provide each being with what it needs to develop its talents and abilities so that it can achieve its purpose. Each individual comes with a purpose. Counselors should be employed to identify the specific needs of each individual. Since education is the most important element of any society, it should be given the greatest resources and effort. Nothing should be spared. People are society's greatest resource. Their education is critical to their effective functioning.
- Economic reform is the fourth priority. Resources must be treated as the property of all -- not something owned that can be bought and sold. Those who require resources for the production of goods should in turn ensure that the society receives appropriate compensation or benefits for those resources. This might be by paying a fair price, by conducting business in a better manner, or by producing specific goods that society desires. In addition, a fair and equitable way of establishing compensation for individuals should be generated. Everyone must be part of the system, perhaps using some sort of voucher system where individual accounts are credited whenever they do work that benefits society and debited when they use services of society. Many types of work benefit society. It may be best, however, to establish a set price per hour as the value of all work, especially if society foots the bill for any education required.
- Ecology is number five, though numbers two and four impact it as well. We have to quit destroying the natural systems on our planet and do whatever we can to restore the damage that has already been done. This involves educating people and structuring economies so that there is no economic incentive to do further damage. In addition, it requires resources to study, experiment, and find solutions for some of the present ecological problems. We'll explore this more in the next section.
Stewardship of the Planet
One of mankind's key responsibilities is to be the stewards of this planet. We were given dominion of the animal and vegetable kingdoms because we were the sons and daughters of All That Is. Stewardship, however, brings a strong element of responsibility as well. We are to care for this kingdoms and treat them with reverence and respect. For the most part, we have neglected our responsibility and used our dominion to take whatever we wanted without regard for the consequences. Further, we have grown our own population to levels that many believe are beyond the abilities of the resources of the Earth to handle. We made our choices, now we have to live with the consequences -- whether we like them or not. For some systems, however, it may not be too late. We need to do whatever we can to right the damage we've done. At the very least, we should stop practices that result in further damage as quickly as possible. We are responsible for our actions, all of us. Further, it is not enough to do things at home in our own country. We need to make sure that others have strong reasons and motivation for taking responsible action as well. Much that affects our local ecosystem effects that of the whole planet. There is a web of life that is intricately woven. It does not separate itself into pieces, rather it operates as a whole -- much as we should operate as a society.
The polluted oceans and seas, the polluted skies and depletion of the ozone layer, the dying trees and cutting down of the rainforests, the many endangered species, acid rain and the pollution of our groundwater -- all of these are due to our own neglect of our responsibility as caretakers. We've allowed our greed to influence our decisions and we idly sit by and watch as many a developing nation makes the same foolish decisions that we did. This is stupid, no criminal! The United Nations should ensure that we as a body of nations are smart and learn from our mistakes. Further, we should not encourage and support nations who make such decisions.
First Steps
The United Nations already exists and there is talk of a New World Order. If this new order is to be a body of countries, then it is time for countries to start growing up and behaving responsibly toward one another. The basic way to implement this is by deciding on how countries are expected to behave toward one another under the new order, to educate countries on what is expected of them, and then to monitor behavior and reward or punish it as appropriate. Many countries still act as children and should be treated accordingly. Those countries that have reached adult phase should know better, so their punishment for violating the rules should be all the more severe.
So long as we have national boundaries, and ownership of resources within those boundaries, it will be difficult to deal with issues of wealth and equality. Basically, the wealth of many nations is determined to a large degree by the natural resources that they sit on. This is mitigated somewhat by the technology and industry of each nation's people as well. This has to change.
Many ecological problems are driven by economic incentives that developed nations can impact by changing their import practices. In addition, if nations are asked not to cut their forests for the sake of the global ecology, then these same nations should be offered economic incentives in exchange. It is not fair that the developed nations could engage in the same economic practices years ago that they forbid of nations now.
At some point, it becomes necessary to get rid of national boundaries and national rights as well. The bottom line is that We are ONE people, UNITED EARTH. We are equal members of one whole and separation into countries only gets in the way. The body organizes by function, not by nation. Similarly, the ONE body of humans should somehow organize and operate by function as well. With our technology, however, we can easily link parts that are geographically separated so that they function together.
The best path for growth may be one led by the United States. If we can unite as one and dissolve state governments in the process, this can set a precedent for dissolving lower level autonomous governments. What works for the country could be the prototype for what works for the world. This requires a definite rethinking of a lot of issues. The United States is really a relatively loose federation of states agreeing to support a common entity to take care of their common needs in particular areas. The United Nations is the same thing except that the individual member nations give up even less of their individual power to the whole. In both cases, how much power is given to the common body is an issue of trust in a higher authority versus individual autonomy. This same battle occurs in the case of the individual versus society.
The overall VISION is to build a world where people are much more elegantly applied to meet the needs of humanity for goods and services in a manner that also allows us to meet our obligation as stewards of the Earth. People will get more of their needs met sooner and will enjoy what the do because it is in line with their talents and abilities. Further no ones talents and abilities will be wasted. People will cooperate in activities and lessons learned will be made available to others to prevent making mistakes over and over. Overall, humanity will progress quickly and souls will be as fully enfleshed as is possible at this time on this planet. Under these conditions, there is no telling what can be accomplished how quickly.
[ON TO CHAPTER 5]
[BACK TO TOC]
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Copyright © 1995, Wayne Hartman, Revised -- (16 Sep 95)
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