body-container-line-1
01.06.2021 Feature Article

Ms. Aku Akufo's Unfortunate And Ill-Judged Marie-Antoinette-Type Provocation

Ms. Aku Akufo's Unfortunate And Ill-Judged Marie-Antoinette-Type Provocation
01.06.2021 LISTEN

If you are cursed to possess one, one of the most irritating things about what some refer to as a "posh English accent", is that it invariably gets in the way, most of the time, when dealing with people in Ghana. It is vastly overrated, in one's humble opinion - and one hates it with a passion for that reason.

If one correctly understands the controversy generated by Ms. Aku Akufo (who is said to have stated that she cringes when she hears some Ghanaian government ministers speaking), the implication is that she would rather all our ruling-élites had posh English accents. Hmmm, eyeasem, ooooo...

Saying that she cringes when she hears some government ministers speaking (because they don't have posh English accents, anaaa?), is an extraordinary thing for someone from a privileged background to say - if it is fact-checked fact, and not fake news, that is. Eeiiii, Oman Ghana - enti yewieye paaa enei? Asem kesie, bi, ebeba debi ankasa, ooooo. Yoooooo...

Most irritating of all, is the implied-aspersions she cast, on Ho Technical University-type of tertiary institutions across Ghana. Yes, by all means, let's celebrate all those Ghanaians who excel in some of the world's best universities abroad - but let us also aim to turn the Ho Technical University-type of tertiary institution, in our nation, into world-class centres of learning. Haaba.

For a retired old fool like me, who has no formal education, whatsoever, to speak of, it is monstrous for any privileged Ghanaian, to imply that some of our universities produce only mediocre students. Unconscionable. Disgraceful. Abominable. Unpardonable. And, finally, for Ms. Aku Akufo to cap all that egregious-arrogance, with careless talk, about some Ghanaians being envious of privileged people of her ilk, on top, too, and in the same breath, is pure and unadulterated Marie-Antoinette-type provocation, and an incitement to boys-abr3 violent-street-demos, ooooo. Yooooooo...

By Kofi Thompson

body-container-line