Sophia Akuffo, Prometheus of the Pensioners

The recent fire or weight the former Chief Justice of Ghana’s Apex Court, C.J. Sophia Akuffo, threw behind like-minded pensioners to picket at the ministry of finance in order to put as much pressure as possible on Mr. Ofori-Atta, the nation's finance minister, can be enthusiastically applauded for referencing Prometheus!

Who was Prometheus? Why did Prometheus give fire to humans? What was his punishment? And what did Prometheus’ stealing of fire reflect about the character of the former C.J. Sophia Akuffo?

Despite the simple fact that he was a god, Prometheus is best known for upsetting the Olympian gods by taking their fire and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge, and civilization in general. For this reason, he is regarded as the real hero of mankind!

In like manner, someone who is classified as brave, daring, inventive, creative, or kind can be described as being Promethean in spirit and deed.

As the myth of Prometheus would have it, at first there were only gods and no living things. The gods combined the elements of fire and earth to create countless animals when the time was right. The Titan Prometheus was then given the order by Zeus, the main supreme god of Olympus, to give each living thing a unique set of abilities.

Some creatures were naturally slow, so Prometheus gave them great strength. He granted speed to those who were weak. He armed some while providing various forms of protection for others. Small creatures were given the ability to fly on wings or to bury their homes underground. Large animals used their size as a form of defense. And he was careful to provide each creature with a means of self-preservation, so that no species would be in danger of extinction due to another species.

Humans are born naked, unshod, unarmed, and with no bed in which to lay their heads and rest safely. Not knowing what else to do, Prometheus stole the technical wisdom of the gods Hephaestus and Athena and gave it to mankind, along with the gift of fire, by sneaking into Hephaestus’ workshop at Mount Olympus and stealing fire and forging implements and giving them to the humans.

This myth contains some remarkable imagery and ideas that clearly foreshadow recent ideas about social vice versus virtue and political justice versus injustice in Ghana under President Akufo-Addo.

This article, therefore, reimagines the myth of Prometheus in light of C.J. Sophia's recent action in opposition to the Akufo-Addo-led Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which aimed to deny retirees the interest on their bond savings.

In my estimation, she deserves that "semi-divine" recognition for her free will and the vocal roles she played in joining others to oppose the DDEP's move against pensioners because she serves as a bold advocate for the voiceless.

Herself being an eminent retiree from the apex court of the land who doubled as the kinfolk of the country’s current president, she typically mirrored Prometheus. Like Prometheus, I see in C.J. Sophia a reflection of a heroine-villain who has done good but only by performing an overreaching or, as you might call it, a "rebellious" act against her kin.

As such, through the Promethean lens, she was compassionate, creative, and courageously original in her picketing for the exemption of retirees from the government’s DDEP.

Regardless, like other sons of Zeus, the finance minister, Ofori-Atta, was deliberate from the start not to exempt pensioners from the ongoing DDEP—a conduit through which he could satisfy an IMF conditionality for a debt bailout for a struggling Ghana.

But C.J. Sophia, the Lady Titan, by arising and bringing fire to the retirees' purpose in a way that has never been attempted before, essentially means that she is taking the power of life away from gods (her brothers, the president, and the finance minister) and giving it to humans (pensioners), much like Prometheus did with fire.

Now, why did Prometheus give fire to humans? simply because he had a kind heart and knew how much man needed fire for food and warmth, even though Zeus had told all the gods not to do that.

And what was his punishment? For this transgression, Zeus sentenced him to eternal torment. He had him bound to a rock, where an eagle feasted on his liver every day for many years. Prometheus remained in this agony until finally freed by Heracles.

Prior to her release from prison, CJ Sophia, the Promethean, played a decisive role in President Akufo-Addo’s government, securing an election petition victory for him and the NPP. So, Zeus' torture of Prometheus (like the disgusting tweets by Gabby Otchere-Darko) thus becomes a particularly harsh betrayal.

Addressing Parliament on the state of the DDEP, Mr. Ofori-Atta said:

"Mr. Speaker, the government remains committed to the well-being and dignity of our senior citizens and pensioners.

"Indeed, it has personally caused me great distress as a number of them have picketed at the premises of the Ministry of Finance since Monday, February 6, 2023."

"Mr. Speaker, I subsequently wrote to their convener, letting him know that all pensioners who did not participate in the exchange are exempt."

Obviously, the minister’s U-turn might be an afterthought based on the fire C.J. Sophia had snatched and introduced into the pensioners’ petition. She and other retirees have successfully whipped him into line, period!

At this juncture, what did Prometheus’ stealing fire reflect in the character of the former Chief Justice Sophia? To put this in perspective, although he was a god, Prometheus' theft and release of fire is a symbol for human freedom from the gods. Ultimately, in the Ghanaian context, it represents a clear revolt against the powers that be through picketing for pensioners' exclusion from the DDEP.

Overall, like Prometheus, C.J. Sophia will be remembered as one of the greatest benefactors to pensioners because she gave them a voice of fire.