A Letter To Miss Yvonne Nelson

Dear Yvonne Nelson,
I first of all wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you and all organizers of the #dumsor must stop vigil. You were marvelous and I say Ayekoo!!! My letter is addressed to you only because,to me, you deserve it all. May God bless you all for your human service to mother Ghana.

I have followed and reflected on your august revolution against our now-beloved brother in Ghana,Mr Dumsor.

I must surely confess it came to me as a suprise when i heard you first whipping the government on the way and manner it is tackling the dumsor menace.

Even, your interview with the BBC wasn't enough to cast out my doubts as to how seriously you were speaking for we,the voiceless in society.

Please, allow me to confer an honour to you in my own small way...it may not be enough but "gold and silver have i none",i would cloth you with customized gold dress and shoes.

However,accept this honour and its simple,henceforth I,in no capacity but with the authority of common sense and liberal consciousness through the Almighty God have added "Nana Yaa Asantewaa" to your name.

So pardon me to call you Yvonne Nana Yaa Asantewaa Nelson.

KUDOS!! for the voiceless in the society shall always be grateful. Indeed,as Sarkodie said, a great history has been made and it had a certain Yvonne Nana Yaa Asantewaa as its anchor and author.

Before May,2015, the name Yvonne Nelson was only known on screens and at the mention of that name means a new movie had either hit town or yet to. It took most us by suprise when i heard you wanted to Start a campaign against dumsor which is crippling businesses and for that matter,colapsing the economy.

Though i wasn't present,but i can confirm that a certain 16th of May,2015 is the day many will have a change of mind about who you really are,as a matter of fact,you have proven to be more than an actress and an entertainer.

Back to my honour,you may ask why this name at all?

My reasons: just as then then kings,men and the able youth of the Ashanti kingdom teased and made mockery of the abilities of a woman (Nana Yaa Asantewaa) when she vowed to conquer the armed british rule against Asanteman,so did some Ghanaians including government communicators and appointees did to you but you never gave up but you fought for victory and i believe you really earned the victory over your saboteurs. Not even the infamous "prostitute" comment from Alhaji Haruna Attah.

....in your case of the dumsor vigil,every event and happenings concerning it from your oppressors and your brave actions against all odds,is a clear indication that you deserve the name "Yaa Asantewaa".

Madam, with that long match of Ghanaians from all walks of life; the academia,politics, civil societies,business,labor unions,law and legal spectrum, musicians,movie and music producers,media stalwarts and the long list of induviduals confirms again,your influence in the society. I want you to believe that you are not only an actress but also a rolemodel to many especially the young ladies of our dear land.

As for me,i now have a two-in-one respect for you; a good actress i have always loved and cherished and again,a great motivator and pillar to learn from.

Incase,you didn't saw them,a WhatsApp group I belong captured personalities such as the Head of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, Prof. K. Ansu-Kyereme (Legon). It also captured Prof. Kwame Karikari, former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Dr. Esi Ansah and Dr. Lloyd Amoah of Ashesi University, Mrs. Comfort Ocran, Manasseh Azure Awuni of joy fm and other journalists were also present.

Lawyers, top business executives all stole the stole the show.

Renowed medical doctors, politicians, actors,actresses,students,pastors, and indeed all calibre of persons.

That was a great revolution, my sister.
You have painted a good image for the creative arts industry...ideally,you are too good to have organized this vigil.

With the mammoth crowd that followed you on that faithful day,even if the government do not listen,Ghanaians know you have done your best as a woman.

To our entire leaders in the country, you can choose to make a meaning from the vigil or not but one thing is positive. Gone are the days when the youth in Ghana were stupid to your political assasinations where you can put us total deceptions in your campaign era and turn your back at us when you are in power. Gone are those days where we never demand accountability from so you were always at ease to put our taxes to your personal benefits.

In the events of those days, ill developments such as SADA, WOYOME, INFO SUBA, GYEEDA and the several rots in government would have gone unconcerned but it is rather the opposite in 21st century Ghana.

What it means is that,the young kid of those days in Ghana has grown to be an able adult today.

Ghana is on the wrong path...the past successes we have chalked under previous leaders since independence are all being rubbed under the current administration; government subventions to senior high schoola in northern regions and some special schools in the country are nomore effective ,NHIS is collapsing, school feeding program, cocoa mass spraying, and the several social intervention programs we were enjoying as citizens are nomore working.

Agriculture is dying,our education system is already collapsed and these are things Ghana can really cater for.

Corruption is on the rise,perhaps the only achievement of this John Mahama led administration is the almighty dumsor and corruption, either than that,except those who have sold their human consciences to politics,nothing can be written home about this present leadership in Ghana.

Like I have always told me friends, "in the next revolution in Ghana, our leaders will rather run to the bush and the animals will rather come home and enjoy" because we will not forgive them at all. It will not be a revolution of arms and conflicts but one with moral impunity valued and cherished by the society,a revolution of common sense and personal honesty. It will surely happen because Yvonne Nana Yaa Asantewaa Nelson have started it for others to follow.

I end my letter with a plea, and its in a form of a question; which part or tribe in Ghana are you from, Miss Nelson?

I surely would love to marry a brave and fantastic,fearless and astute woman like you. Perhaps, you can find one for me. Indeed, you are a true explanation to a cliché I least accepted all my life and it goes "what a man can do,a woman can also do it even plus one".

Hope to see and hear more from you in subsequent days and abysmal performing governments.

Thank you.
The writer is a final year student of the school of Agriculture, Kwadaso-Kumasi and social commentator.

Email: [email protected]