Ghana’s Akan People are More Intelligent Than ……

evidence of Akan intelligence

On Friday, 28 September, 2012, Ghanaweb published a feature article by Columnist Adofo Rockson titled “I thought the Akans were Intelligent but.....” In the article Mr. Rockson, who claims 'Kumawu citizenship,' contorts himself like an acrobat to present a convoluted ethnocentric argument which asserts among other things that:

a) Akans “are complete bigots to allow the mischievous minority Ewe tribe to manipulate them in an attempt to subdue the Akans.”

b) “Some Akans out of stupidity, greediness, shortsightedness and sheer wickedness are helping the minority tribe enslave the majority tribe of which they belong.”

c) “Some greedy sycophantic bastards in Ashanti rent themselves out to the NDC to help the NDC subdue the majority of their fellow Ashantis.”

What loaded language? How can a man who claims he is not a tribalist spin a yarn of such hate laden diatribe? Dear Ghanaian of whatever tribe or political persuasion; thank Heavens, mother Earth, God, the gods or whatever deity you believe in that the majority of Akans think intelligently and independently.

Ghana is one indivisible country of numerous tribes. It is therefore fitting that our major political parties have representation and membership through the length and breadth of the country. It is also normal that national political parties have local or regional strongholds, a common phenomenon the world over.

In the United States of America, where I live and vote, the Democratic Party is strong in the North East and California while the Republican Party has a choke hold on the Southern and Bible Belt States. There is nothing wrong with that so having an Ewe dominated NDC or an Akan dominated NPP in Ghana's politics is not problematic.

Problems arise when folks like Columnist Adofo Rockson use tribal affinity to segregate countrymen into absolutist tribal parties or enclaves. That is ethnocentricity, a highly volatile recipe for war and genocide. It is the root cause of the two World Wars, the Nigeria Biafra war as well as the recent horrific massacres in Rwanda, Kenya and Sudan.

Columnist Adofo Rockson's article implies that something is definitely wrong with the 'Ewe Loving' Asante's and Bono's he indicts. He tells us that “Nana Agyemang Konadu Rawlings, an Akan from either Ashanti Region or Volta Region, might have sat unconcerned or aided his husband, AFRC Chairman Rawlings to abduct and kill in cold blood, fellow Akan High Court Judges and many other Akans.”

Since when did 'ASANTE DEHYEƐ' Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings hail from the Volta region? And does Adofo Rockson really picture Ex-chairman J. J. Rawlings at the dinner table calmly informing his wife that he is about to abduct and murder three Akan High Court judges? What skewed imagination! Does the Columnist really not know that the High Court judges were murdered on June 30, 1982, under the PNDC and not under the AFRC which ruled in 1979? This information is readily available with a simple Google Search. Is Adofo Rockson that ignorant or is he a Machiavellian attempting to use projection to ensnare the global Akan into his bigotry?

The columnist also writes that “Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC General Secretary is “from Seikwa in Brong or Bontuku in the Ivory Coast.” Hmm! 'General mosquito' is an Ivorian who has taken the NDC for a ride? Hopefully, the NDC government financed sophisticated Biometric Registration System has smoked that foreigner out already. And he will be deported home to the Ivory Coast as he deserves, huh!

Columnist Rockson also questions global Akan intelligence because Boakye Gyan agreed to make Rawlings the Spokesman of the AFRC. An Akan abdicated leadership of a group to an Ewe, a sacrilegious act in Rockson's book! Well, he (Rockson) is intentionally obfuscating historical facts or is writing about things way beyond his depth. It is common knowledge that the core group of junior soldiers including Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings, Capt. Boakye Gyan and Sgt. Allolga Akata Pore put together a three layered plan to push the SMC out of office in 1979.

Rawlings, an Ewe, the designated spokesman of the group was to lead the first coup d'état. If he failed, Boakye Gyan, a Brono - Akan, was to lead the second putsch. If that failed then Alolga Akata Pore, a Northerner (tribe unknown to me), was to lead the 3rd group. Rawlings of course failed on May 15, 1979, Boakye Gyan succeeded with his group on June 4 that year. So Rawlings was liberated from jail and made the spokesman of the AFRC as pre-arranged.

Why does Columnist Adofo Rockson make the 1979 Coup Plotters arrangement a barometer for measuring global Akan intelligence? Fellow Ghanaians, fellow Akans, this is reverse psychology at its worse. The man is attempting to make us (Akans) feel that opposing his bigotry make us unintelligent. The old trick used by the two crooks in Hans Anderson's fable “The Emperor's New Clothes.” We, Akans are wiser, we know this emperor is naked and will tell him so.

Fellow Ghanaians, the beauty of democracy is that citizens are free to join any political party of their choice. Whatever your tribal affinity or political affiliation, it is imperative to eradicate the danger posed by articles like Columnist Adofo Rockson's. He needs to understand that the intelligence of Ghana's Akan people is beyond his comprehension. ƆBA NYANSAFO, YƐ BU NO BƐ NA YƐ NNKA NO ASƐM.

Written and submitted by L. Kojo Yeboah, Raleigh, NC USA on 12/05/12.

Please follow the link below to read Adofo Rockson's article http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=251501