Who Is Ghana’s Mr. Average?

If you are visiting Ghana for the first time, you might think the average person in Ghana would gulp down a few glasses of an aphrodisiac drink or caplet to start a boring day. In the afternoon, Ghana's Mr. Average would keep the morning buzz alive with a few more glasses of locally produced liquor to prepare for the big fat party of sex-consumed freethinkers of a happy republic. In the evening, the entire republic would converge for a pleasure spree until the next morning when we reinvent a new aphrodisiac or sex pill.

How awful. Channel after channel, our television and radio stations roll out a new advertisement every day about the most effective sex potion or capsule that would enhance the sexual performance of any weakling or poor performer. You would not need to change the TV channel or move your radio dial to another frequency, because the same sex commercials are playing there. It's all bitters, and the more bitter it is, the more pleasure it delivers. You eat better, sleep well and produce better orgasms.

At the just ended FIFA World Cup, these sex drinks served us well during the commercial breaks of the live telecasts. What has football got to do with sex? A lot, maybe, but don't we deserve a break from these sex commercials sometimes? Years ago, GTV played us 'YediNkunim' by the Tagoe Sisters as interludes during such events. It spurred us on;it didn't matter whether we lost or won. Today, we have swapped places with bitters, potions and sex appetizers. A new drink will be launched tomorrow, and they may call it 'Fire for Fire' or 'Heaven Juice.'

If the advertisements are achieving their targets,the average person in Ghana may have tasted or at least considered engaging some of these products for pleasure. There are even recent reports of love medicine in Madina, usually called 'For Girls,' a traditional concoction that works on the minds of women. They are made to fall in love with men whom they would usually not consider giving a second glance. As long as the medicine works on the women, they are yours forever.

Our society is gradually becoming a strange one. Today, young men and women use modern technology to record their sexual escapades and flaunt them on the internet for global consumption. Sex is cheaper these days than it used to be in the days of oldwhere women cared about which parts of their body the public were permitted to see. There was no wassup or Facebook to send flirtatious texts and sex videos. There seemed to be some sanity and decency in the lives of our young people.

While we have some idea what may constitute the attributes of the average person in Ghana, we have not attempted a definition of Ghana's Mr. Average. A few years ago, I wrote a column under the same heading, in which I attempted a definition of what the average person in Ghana can aspire to. What job would he be doing and where is he likely to live? Would be ever own a car and where are his children likely to go to school? If he is likely to have some savings at the bank, how much could be possibly put away for the education of his children and for emergency. Would Ghana's Mr. Average ever take holiday abroad, or even go on vacation somewhere within the country for pleasure after working for a year or two?

The article had been informed by a research in the United Kingdom, in which the British media had done an unusually brilliant job at defining the average person in Great Britain, complete with their typical characteristics. Britain's Mr. Average is not a poor person; he may be able to own a car and hold a job. He could afford a holiday once or in a year or in two years. The average person in Britain could also afford a mortgage but not in a pricy area. Generally, the average Briton is proud of his country. The report did not talk about the relationship between Britain's Mr. Average and foreigners. There were manyother details of the report that are not necessary for our context, but generally, it was representative of what many Britons would consider average.

In Ghana today, it may be difficult to spot the average person. Essentially, Ghana's Mr. Average is a poor person. Well, the people in the statistical and population service have categorized Ghanaians into two: poor and non-poor. There may be various categories of the poor and the non-poor. When I did my very unscientific exploration years ago, I found that the average person in this country would be living in a compound house with no prospects of buying a car. He would own a second-hand television and fridge, and would not patronize expensive clothing because he cannot afford them. He would hold a low-paying job and would not usually have any savings. He is a typical hand-to-mouth religious fellow who is concerned about developments around him but looks up to others to fix problems. He would have average education, up to senior secondary or less. He would have interest in party politics or at least show some concern.

The dynamics have changed now. We have an emerging middle-class and we are a middle-income economy. There are mortgage offers and car loans by companies who have stiff payment terms for salaried workers. Smart businessmen are investing in the mortgage business, buying many houses for rent. As it happens in London, Toronto and New York, there are Ghanaians who work two full-time jobs. People earn higher wages these days and can afford brand new cars. Now, there is such a thing as Ghanaians who spend their leave and vacations abroad, where they do their shopping. A university degree these days is not such a great achievement. But the average Ghanaian today is as poor as he used to be 10 years ago. It may seem easy to buy a plot of land, but those building huge mansions and sleek cars are not average. Ghana's Mr. Average is somewhere quite close, yet too far from living with dignity.

KwesiTawiah-Benjamin
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