Don’t Overburden Yourself

“A mind that is full of conclusions is a dead mind, it is not a living mind. A living mind is a free mind, learning, never concluding” - Krishnamurti

A son, aged 30, comes home and introduces his fiancée; another man, aged 26, to his parents. Son: Dad, I want to marry Antony

Dad: What! Is that what the world has come to?

A daughter, 25, comes home and introduces her husband-to-be; another lady, aged 35, to her parents.

Daughter: Could you arrange the marriage ceremony between me and Augustina.

Ma Adwoa is overcome by trauma, she swoons and could hardly be revived … in short, she dies.

This is what our world (Ghana) would have come to had our Parliament not passed the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Right and Ghanaian Family Values Bill”, which criminalises people using their social platforms to propagate gayism, sponsored by Sam George and some bold MPs.

They were guided by Article II (2) “The common Law of Ghana shall comprise the rules of law generally known as the common law, the rules generally known as the doctrines of equity and the rules of customary law including those determined by the Superior Court of Judicature.”

For the purpose of this article, 'customary law' means the “rules of law which by custom are applicable to particular communities in Ghana.”

The gay people and so-called human rights activists are up in arms. Angel Maxine, Ghana's first openly transgender musician and LGBTQI+ activist, says, “My heart is broken and devastated (over the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ bill; by Parliament).”

Larissa Kojoue thinks, “The anti-LGBT Rights Bill is inconsistent with Ghana's long-standing tradition of peace, tolerance, and hospitality and flies in the face of the country's international human rights obligations…”

And Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the UN High Commission says, “Consensual same-sex conduct should never be criminalised…” The U.S. State Department, through Matthew Miller says the United States is deeply troubled because it threatens “freedom of speech”.

An unnamed queer person says, “The passage of this Bill demonstrates to me and all Ghanaians that our politicians do not respect our democracy. They do not respect our constitution, nor do they respect the many international rights treaties that Ghana has signed onto over the years.”

Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Chairperson of the Centre for Democratic Development, says the centre will continue advocacy that the Bill gets thrown out.

Ghana's Ministry of Finance is urging President not to sign the anti-LGBTQI+ bill because Ghana could lose a total of $3.8b in World Bank funding! Blackmail, Intimidation, holding us to ransom?

Let Ghanaians go to the U.S. and preach polygamy. Let the U.S. go to Saudi Arabia and threaten to withdraw from an agreement because the country has laws against LGBTQI+. Nonsense. Then we remember Robert Mugabe, late Zimbabwean President who said of gay people: “Worse than pigs and dogs… wayward. It is just madness, insanity.”

At the UN, Mugabe exclaimed: “We are not gays… we are against the West prescribing models which are contrary to our (African) culture, traditions and norms…” We check our B.P and find it rising; 140/90. We tell ourselves, “Let the President take his own decision – to sign or not to sign… go back to our songs.”

We might have swooned. Then, a call from Dr. Adinkra and Kwame Awuah who wanted to confirm the date for our sister, Ama Serwaa's one–week observance. They wanted to know the selected songs: Cool music, Gospel, Christian songs (Twi, English or whatever language).

“I hear the sound of distant drum”, “This world is not my home I'm just passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me…” and “Take my hand' (Jim Reeves).

We check on the highlife songs – from Kwaa Mensah, born in Lagos in 1920 and playing “adaha”; formed the Fante Trio; then E.K. Nyame, Kaikaiku, Onyina, Gyasi, Pat Thomas, CK Mann, A.B Crentsil, Ampadu… Ramblers King Onyina's 'Destiny of Africa' reminded us of the 67th Independence to be held in Koforidua, this year. Yema mo afenhyia pa oo!

We decided to go African – We looked at Yvonne Chaka Chaka: “Umqombothi” a song based on the South African tribe “Nguni” traditional beer made from maize, malt, sorghum, yeast and water; the beer is the unifying force bringing people together: “Nema Dlamini Uph'unqombothi (Hey, Ma Dlamini, come and drink my beer) inviting “madoda”(men) to enjoy the simple things of life”, or Miriam Makeba – Patapata: Saguqugasathibegunantsi

Then, we looked at the persons attending our sister's one–week observance: Professor Akuoko, Dr. Boakye, Dr. Adinkra, Kwame Awuah, Esq., former Chief Justice Kwasi Annin Yeboah, Dr. Addo Kufuor was well represented, and wow – a handsome sum for week observance!

You can't measure how you are loved, until you fall into trouble and you check the people who will come and save you.

How can we thank all the attendees at our sister's 'one–week observance'? We can only say “thank you.”

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By Africanus Owusu-Ansah