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10.09.2014 Opinion

Juju Money: A Moral Degeneration In Ghana

By Daily Guide
Juju Money: A Moral Degeneration In Ghana
10.09.2014 LISTEN

Permit me a little space to draw the attention of fellow well-meaning Ghanaians to a new trend of moral degeneration that is being advertised on some Ghanaian television stations with careless abandon and impunity.

This comes in the form of Juju Money advertised by self-styled spiritualists.  Gone are the days when the mention of juju money was done in whisper, and people who engaged in it were despised.

In recent times, a number of television stations, notably Z TV and A TV both on Multi TV Channel, extensively advertise juju money. They go to the extent of allowing the spiritualist to display their powers of conjuring money live on the television for the whole world to see. Once upon a time, there were Magic Shows that were done in enclosed public places for those interested to attend at a fee. Also in some cases children were not allowed to attend for good reasons.

But what is happening today on our television stations does not give the option for one to prevent children from viewing.

The said spiritualists, both male and female, boldly display their charms on the screen, and conjure as much money as pleases them.

Some even conjure other things as snakes to show how much spiritual powers they wield, while others conjure both the Ghana Cedi and foreign currencies such as the US Dollar.  The spiritualist and in some cases the presenter/host invite the public in an urging manner to contact the spiritualists for his or her service and display the contact details of the spiritualists.

They claim to have the powers to get money without work, charm a man or woman for love, travel illegally, win a court case with or without justice, speak with 'Maame Water. They claim to have the powers to help people to elude creditors, just to mention a few.

Which of these activities being advertised is legal in this country?  For instance, how will the spiritualist feel if someone who owes him is able to escape justice through the assistance of another spiritualist?

It is interesting to note that while most Ghanaians frown upon 'Sakawa', as a means of making money, no one appears to see these activities as something detrimental to the sensibility of the Ghanaian. There is no difference between what is being advertised by these spiritualists on television and 'Sakawa.' So if Sakawa is frowned upon, why not these spiritual conjuration of money, and the rest?

Besides, the socio-economic and cultural effect of this development on the nation is dire, especially on our youth. In the first place it has the potential of promoting laziness among our youth in particular and Ghanaians as a whole. If it is feasible to get money as much as one desires instantly and without working for it, then what will motivate one to look for work? If one is sure of getting all the money that one needs, then going to school would become optional to many of our youth. If the majority of our youth buy into these adverts, and can actually make quick money out of that, then the culture of hard work and patriotism will be dead.

Also, most of these television stations on Multi TV are viewed globally. What image and signals do these adverts send to other countries across the world? It certainly depicts Ghanaians as people who look for quick ways of solving problems whether descent or not. The fact that some of these spiritualists order their spirits to enter into banks, and wherever they find money suggest that the spirits could be fetching the monies from banks and people's homes or pockets.

Which foreign investor will like to deal with a country that possesses spirits that loot people's monies even from banks? Who knows whether the activities of these spiritualists and their spirits are not contributory factors to our current economic difficulties.

It is important to note also that these spiritualists appear not to be in position to help themselves with the very money they conjure.

Most of them do not look affluent as they should be. In any case, what is their main motive in paying for airtime and advertising their capabilities instead of simply using the charms to support themselves and their families.

It means benefiting from such wealth or powers have some long term serious consequences that they dread to expose themselves to. If it is out of genuine goodwill that they want to help the poor and needy, why do they charge for their services?

It is high time the National Media Commission (NMC) consider these broadcast inimical to the well-being of the nation. What is happening is dangerous to the moral fabric of the Ghanaian society. It is evil, and potentially a doom to Mother Ghana and her culture of hard work, honesty and patriotism.

Those television stations that broadcast such programmes can as well close down their businesses and go to the spiritualists for easy and quick money. Moreover, I don't believe that if the spiritualists pay for airtime using monies that they conjured, the station will accept such monies. So they should stop encouraging others to patronize such ventures.

It should also not be out of place to consider the activities of these spiritualists criminal because the spirits steal the monies. Though these spirits are invisible and therefore cannot be arrested, their owners are visible and should therefore be held accountable for any criminal act.

Email - [email protected]
 Dr. Michael Akurugu Brigandi, Tamale Polytechnic
 
 

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