For what shall I compare the so-called eminent citizens of Kumawu?

Who is an eminent citizen to start with? By dictionary definition, an eminent person is he who is famous and important or “(of a person) famous and respected within a particular sphere”. Therefore, does being super rich, highly educated, wise, be of a noble family background or a philanthropist, make one an eminent person?

From many a Ghanaian’s perspective, yes, when you are endowed with any of the above mentioned qualities, you are an eminent person. People will hurtle to your feet at the crack of your fingers to pay you obeisance. This is a fact that try as one does, they cannot deny it. It is so ingrained in the mind of the Ghanaian that no matter how far you try to let them see otherwise, it won’t wash.

Without mincing words, I will pose a question or two to the general public about the relevancy of an eminent person to his country or locality. How is a highly educated or super rich person, an eminent person so to speak, be of relevance to his locality or country? Should such a person perform some activities that will have positive impact on society or it suffice for the person to simply selfishly continue to wallow in the glory of their riches, acquired educational knowledge or wisdom, without doing anything to benefit his people and country?

Permit me to use a real story to assist us to determine how important and famous a person is to their country or locality. The story goes thus, a so-called powerful traditional overlord in Ghana, indeed a ceremonial head, has illegally succeeded in availing himself of hundreds of thousands of hectares of Kumawu cadastral stool lands. He has claimed total ownership of the land, leased it out to a foreign company for fifty years and pocketed the proceeds of the lease at the expense of Kumawuman subjects.

However, the said traditional overlord is from a different division within Asanteman or formerly the Asante Confederacy. And, one of the endorsed principal rules and regulations binding the divisions, although loosely, together, is that “All land in Ashanti is the property of the Stools of the various chiefs”. Why then has a chief from another stool descended on Kumawu to usurp her land without anyone boldly raising any objection but Rockson Adofo and a few people whose names I cannot mention here for specific reasons until their permission has been obtained?

There is a Club of Kumawu Eminent Persons in Ghana. The membership of the Club are highly educated, rich, wise and you just name it, they have it.

How relevant are the members of the club to Kumawuman if they will simply nonchalantly sit by or look on as if nothing is happening or nothing has occurred while their very ancestral place of birth is dubiously collusively deprived of their precious God-endowed inheritance?

If these truly eminent persons had raised the red flag, warned the said so-called powerful traditional overlord to back off, I think, he would have hurtled away like a frightened dog with its tail tucked in-between its hind legs. Nonetheless, they did absolutely nothing, but to look on unconcerned for Kumawu to be raped, insulted in the face and her land usurped.

There were only two or one within the club that showed real practical concern in attempts to stop the daylight robbery then being inflicted on Kumawu but as a lone tree cannot resist the ferocity of the hurricane, but a forest, he finally buckled under pressure of some sort.

The saddest of all was to hear about one of these so-called eminent persons from Kumawu secretly ran to collude with the so-called traditional overlord to deprive Kumawu of her rights and wealth.

How proud are you, oh, Kumawuman eminent citizens, when you look on unconcerned when your ancestral place of birth is disgraced and robbed naked in a broad daylight? Do you still feel proud calling yourself an eminent person when you become of no benefit to your people and locality?

How I hope these eminent persons will get off their deceptive self-aggrandisement to be of service to their locality but not to collude with outside criminals to ravage havoc on the wealth bequeathed to them by their ancestors.

How your ancestors are weeping and writhing in their coffin in regret, oh Kumawuman eminent citizens! Are you that cowards or you are simply being selfish with disinterest in being of service to your people and locality?

He who comes by this publication, please forward it to any Kumawuman citizen you know of, without distance becoming a hurdle in your way of disseminating the information herein contained.

This publication is food for thought!

Rockson Adofo

Friday, 03 December 2021