Knives Down- Let's Starve The Monster In Us

There is chaos everywhere in this country. Whether or not it be a political diversion, a brave soldier has fallen. How he fell and how similar injustices keep happening show there is a monster hidden somewhere in us.

In Everyone.
I grew up in the streets of Amakom and have witnessed four of such *Saint Stephen-like Assassinations* there so far and I do not wish to see or hear of any anymore. Yet there is a monster which has to die. In us all. A monster so much rooted in our hearts. Before we think of killing, knives down. Let's starve the monster in us to death first. Let's digest this.

In every typical Ghanaian home, by the time a male child turns 12, he should know how to slaughter at least a fowl. We kill at home during all festivities and we see nothing wrong with it.

With stones, cutlasses and fire, we chase rats out of their abode and stone them. (This is where the monster enters the lynchers)As if that is not enough, we bring them home to burn their corpses to our desire, cut them up, then we eat them.

Except for the eating aspect, this isn't very different from what happens across the country, with especially the recent one in Denkyira Obuasi.

We see no faults in doing all these in the presence of our children, so they grow up as hardened killers - whether animal killers or human killers.

During our durbar festival called Sallah, we kill cattle in the full glare of the community and everyone just looks on.(The monster enters onlookers.) Media men go around to take coverage of these activities and we enjoy hearing about them.(Monster enters video and picture takers.) We learn how to kill, how to murder, even how to look-on and how to take pictures and videos while another being suffers - from our homes and communities, so we obviously do not find it difficult testing it on humans.

If we intend to put a stop to all these, to put our knives down and to starve the monster in us to death, then the revolution must start in our homes and societies.

1. Let's enact a law to stop the inhumane killing of animals

2.Let's get our meat from the abattoirs..
3. Let's find a humane way of hunting game
4. Let's stop the public display of cruel animal torture as done during some festivals (Papa Nantwie)

5. Let's learn from the West.
_ restrict the animal
_ stun it to make it unconscious...
_ kill it quickly.
6. Let's give it a try and the hearts of our countrymen will be softened.

7. Let's talk about it
8. Let's stop this cruelty
9. Let's share it around.
#StunAnimalsBeforeKillingGh
#KnivesDownStarveTheMonsterInUsGh
Richard N. Asuming.
Presby. Univ. Coll. Ghana
[email protected]
0245596402