Ghanaians did not see the usual doom prophesies that emanate from pulpits of many prophetic ''one man'' churches on the eve of every New Year. The reactions on social media have been mixed. Whiles some are cursing the Inspector General of Police for attacking the prophetic ministry and attempting to stifle religious rights and freedoms, others are showering praises on him for bringing decency into the system. You recall days before the 31st night of 2021, the Ghana Police Service issued a stern warning to prophets who intend to create fear and panic with their 31st Night Prophecies.
The attempts by prophets Owusu Bempah and Nigel Gaisie to dodge the IGP with their Doom prophecies have received the most trolls on social media. However, the statement from Nigel Gaisie that he was not prophesying about the nation Ghana but the nation of Umuofia and that he will not allow the IGP to use him as a scapegoat has not been only unfashionably witty but utterly hilarious.
Those of you who have read the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe would find the use of the name Umuofia by Nigel Gaisie very comical. I have no doubt Prophet Nigel Gaisie read Things Fall Part in Secondary. Nigel was my junior at the University of Ghana, so I believe just like me, he also read Things Fall Apart, which was one of the recommended English Language literature for Secondary Schools in Ghana at the time.
So, is Umuofia a real nation as Nigel Gaisie attempted to portray in his prophecies? A simple Google search reveals a town called Umuofia located west of the actual city of Onitsha, on the east bank of the Niger River in Nigeria. However, Umuofia is famous as a fictional village in Things Fall Apart, with Okonkwo as the novel's protagonist. Umuofia is the fatherland of Okonkwo.
This article plays with and compares phrases and characters from the novel Things Fall Apart to what is happening in Ghana between Akufo Dampare and the ''false'' prophets. If you have not read the novel, you may not find this piece interesting. "A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground, it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so." In the spirit of Christmas, many Christians expected the IGP to invite Christian leaders for a feast just as he met them a couple of months ago, but no, he chose the occasion to instil fear in our famous prophets with the view to ensuring decency in prophecies. In his anger to apply the law, he forgot that it was the Week of Peace. Many concerned Ghanaians, including the NDCs Sammy Gyamfi, ran out in great alarm, pleading with Dampare that it was the sacred week. But like Okonkwo, Dampare was not the man to stop beating somebody halfway through, not even for fear of a goddess.
This year 2021, the prophecies did descend. But they did not settle on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs but could not cover the bare ground. Mighty tree branches did not break away under doom prophecy. Top Ghanaian entertainment personalities were not covered with brown-earth colour in panic and fear of their lives. The prophecies came, but Dampare has worked to alter the landscape and psychology of the false prophecies irreparably.
After the press statement by the Ghana Police service warning prophets to be mindful about their prophecies not to create fear and alarm, the prophets gathered and asked themselves; Does this Dampare man understand our prophetic ministry? How can he when he does not even speak in tongues? But he says that our prophecies are bad, and our own brothers who have taken up his sweet words also say that our prophecies are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? This IGP man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to meet with us. He has won our brothers, and our clansmen of ''false'' prophets can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together, and we have fallen apart. ''Turning and turning in the widening gyre. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world’’. There is imminent collapse and disintegration of the false prophetic ministry, threatened by Akufo Addo’s appointment of Akufo Dampare as IGP. Unlike Okonkwo, when Dampare walks, his heels touch the ground, and he doesn't seem to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody. Yet, like Okonkwo, he does pounce on people quite often. Dampare is not a physically intimidating man who exhibits a generally aggressive personality. Still, his words and presence are accompanied by fear and trembling.
Perhaps down in his heart, Dampare is not a cruel man. But his whole life is dominated by fear, failure, and weakness. It is deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and magic, the fear of the forest, and the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Dampare's fear is greater than these. It is not external but lay deep within himself. It is his fear, lest he should be found to resemble former ''incompetent'' IGPs. Akufo Dampare suffers from the existential anxiety that he will not succeed in his position and thus end up like his unremarkable predecessors. If Ghana decides on war against indiscipline, all would be well. But if they choose to be cowards, Dampare would go out and avenge himself. Just like Okudo in Things Fall Apart, Akufo Dampare sings a war song in a way that no other IGP could. He is not a street fighter, but his voice has the power to tame lions into sheep.
Like Mr Brown, the missionary in Umuofia, Dampare has been preaching against such excesses of the zeal of prophets. Dampare has become respected even by Christians because he trots softly on their faith. Akufo Dampare himself is a Christian, so I doubt he intends to backstab Christianity. Dampare's efforts to keep the peace in the country makes his work seem threatening for many religious groups. But, Dr Dampare's careful approach makes him seem unthreatening, making his policing work much more effective. Dampare has earned respect from Muslim and Christian clansmen by spending time with them, learning about their beliefs. Like Mr Brown, Dampare appears less invested in gaining converts than he really is. Will Christians comfort with Dampare ultimately contribute to things falling apart, as the novel's title suggests? I doubt.
Dampare has learned a good deal about his clansmen's religions and has concluded that a frontal attack on them would not succeed. Although Dampare earns respect from many Ghanaians for treading softly on religious beliefs, compared with Mr Brown in Umuofia, he remains intent on destroying false prophecies. Akufo Dampare is a strategist, but he conceives his strategy. Even when presented with a kind face, Dampare's intentions in his mission remain intact.
Dr Akufo Dampare, Ghana's Inspector General of Police, I do not know how to thank you enough. So far, so good.
Welcome to a peaceful and a prosperous 2022.
James McKeown
Helsinki, Finland
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