In our last reading for the year 2011, we will feature Dr Gheysika Adombire Agambila, author of the novel, “Journey”.




Gheysika Adombire Agambila was born in Bolgatanga, and was educated in Ghana and the USA, where he had his BA from Brandeis University, an MBA from the University of Rochester, and Ph.D from New York University. Dr Agambila has worked with Ernst and Young, taught at the University of Ghana Business School, and served as a Deputy Minister of State in the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Harbours and Railways, and Environment and Science.

He also has to his credit a collection of short stories for children, “Solma: Tales from from Northern Ghana”.

Dr Agambila will read from the novel, “Journey”, described by reviewer Kari Dako as “…an absorbing exploration of reality in contemporary Ghana…” and by A Denkabe as “… a fine novel, written in a sober yet often moving style, and rich in the way it reflects the Ghanaian post-colony.”

“Journey” is published by Sub-Saharan Publishers and is available in bookshops across Ghana and also online at Amazon.com

This event offers the opportunity to meet and interact with G A Agmabila. There will be a short discussion session after the readings. Copies of the book will be on sale.

This monthly reading series is organised in collaboration with the Goethe Institute, Accra.

Date: Wednesday, 30th November
Time 7:00pm – 8:00pm.
Location: Goethe-Institut Accra, 30 Kakramadu Road, (next to NAFTI ), Cantonments, Accra.
Admission is free.

the nonsense of 'don't politicize...'

Pal,
I think when people don't have any meaningful thing to say they should not disturb our ears! else they should warn us they are in for only nonsensical talk. So we know.

Seriously, I'm sick and tired of hearing people say stuff like 'don't politicize education', 'don't politicize sports', 'don't politicize health', 'don't politicize farming', 'don't politicize chieftiancy', etc. Why? if politics is some leprosy then why don't we eradicate it from society? or cast it out like some beastly demon? why don't we ban politics and in it's place go on our knees and look up to God (no apology to the atheists) to drop manna directly into our mouths, build our schools, run our hospitals and build the bridges? What in God's name is wrong about politics?

I made the above point on that book that looks at the face online and I got interesting comments from a friend from the arena!

COMMENT 1: Albert said: "... To play politics means, a. to engage in political intrigue, take advantage of a political situation or issue, resort to partisan politics, etc.; exploit a political system or political relationships.
b.to deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for jobadvancement."

--my response to that is: from his definitions, both a and b. It's clear politics can lead to both good or bad. Hence it's not politics that is the problem per say but the type of politics or to what end someone takes his/her political intrigue or manipulation.

COMMENT 2: Albert said: "so why shouldn't people tell people not to 'politicize' things, as defined above eh?"

--my response is simple. It's answered in my first response. But to buttress the point. It's just ABSURD to say a thing like 'don't politicize...' because it means there are some issues that should not be politicized and that can't be true. Every issue under the sun in society (and I mean, again, society) is a political issue by nature. People must explore and take advantage of situations to drive society to either good or bad. And it's up to each and everyone of us to either state or act out our agreements/disagreements as may be deemed fit or even decide to stay aloof and or just ponder.

COMMENT 3: Albert said: "U shouldn't also forget that in Ghana people like to follow 'mainstream thinking' and 'usage'. As in for example,'the effects of the menace cannot be underestimated' or 'it is rather unfortunate' and other hackneyed phrases from the media."

--my response to that is: exactly part of the point I'm making. People just follow stuff without checking properly. But it's no peculiar thing to Ghana. All over the world you hear people say meaningless things like 'don't politicize education'. And my point is that enough of these meaningless talk. People should learn to communicate properly and be exact!

I normally get the feeling (just feeling, nothing cognitive!) that when people say 'don't politicize...' they want to mean 'don't play party-politics with, say, education'. But again, therein lies another absurdity. Political parties are supposed to state their positions on issues and that cannot be bad in itself. Hence it's another nonsensical thing to say people should not play party politics with some things. It's simple, let people state their individual or party positions. If you agree with a position, then you say yes, else say no. Or if you want the parties to reach a consensus then say so. Say you think the parties can draw some points from each other and reach some consensus. Else if you don't know what to say, just keep quiet and don't waste our ears with meaningless stuff.

And the irony! You'd find that people who tell you 'don't politicize issues' would themselves me stating their views on the very issues and be 'arousing' you to accept their views which are nothing but political views too.

Pal, it's pretty simple, people cannot say one thing and mean another! That is absurd to say the least.

Regards from O Jebu!
catch you later.

flip-side of an Okoro-hoax of racism

Pal,
If you are 40 years and above then please seek parental guidance before reading this.

The subject of racism is age old. I don't like racism. I don't want anyone to discriminate against me on any issue based on my race. So I don't do that against anyone. I love everyone, both friends and foes alike. black, white, colourless, ...!

But me too, the same me, I would stand any day, come rain, come hurricane, and defend the right of anyone who chooses to be a racist! uhuh! I mean it.

So it happened in the land of Ghana. A lady cried loud along the coast that she was refused admission into some seafood loving/eating club based on her race! She said a man told her the club was meant for only whites. Meanwhile she was at the premises which promotes that club for the second time and had access to food just as she had the first time there without being told her skin does not qualify to eat at the restaurant! and of course; more complications to the story! but let's leave the side-tales to rest while we focus on the skin.

So this Okoro woman decided to blow horns of alarm. And many a response it was she got! Ghanaians were up in arms! how could it be that some foreigner comes onto their land to operate a racist club? on their own land! after independence? haram! musu!

But yours truly heard and my immediate response was: 'woman making noise without merit'. It reminded me of Obama's stupidity when some confused Harvard scholar Gates cried wolf that he was targeted by the police because he was black. O Yes! I looked deep down into the deep of the hole! and raised my head to look up at the horizon. I prayed the gods would let this turn into a beautiful legal battle of a true declaration of pro-racism against anti-racism for us to see which Ghanaian law could bar any group of whites or greens from deciding to associate with only their kind for some particular objective that clearly is no one's business.

I'm a man of freedom. I love freedom. but I know I can't just walk into anyone's house because I have freedom to move about. The club in question is certainly a privileged club. and there are many many clubs/associations/societies/groups/caucuses in Ghana which are nothing but privileged entities that discriminate in one way or the other! and the constitution of Ghana says no discrimination! The same constitution says 'Freedom of Association' and both provisions have caveats!

So I have looked at the constitution and I don't see any thing in there that prevents any greens from having a greens-only club like what the Okoro woman told us about. Yes the constitution says there should be no discrimination on based on race! yes! that is there. But this club must be looked at as what it is and not what it's not! and like I've stated, it's surely a privileged club formed by some individuals that can just exist in some corner without needing to serve the state any notification. It's more or less a private club. And so there can't be anything that can prevent the members from restricting it to only some race whether Ghanaians like it or not! Whether madam Okoro is a racist herself or not.

I mean, if a green man drives down the street of Accra and insists that his private car is shared with only people of his green race and so he won't allow any charcoal-blackman or nigger to sit in, nothing prevents him from insisting on that? and indeed nothing must stop him from having such a primitive mindset! Yes, he'd be on the land of Ghanaians alright but that car is his private space!

So it came as a disappointment to me when I was later to find out that the man accused of racism was said by the same Okoro woman to have apologized to her and stated that he was only joking and that he was even married to a Ghanaian. Ah damn! mE! I love drama, not anti-climax! That mischief part in me just kept wishing the man never apologized so we could see how far this case could go! but alas, the restaurant being operated at the place had no license and this hoax of racism led to their being found out! The place has been closed down by the govt forces until they seek proper legal basis for their business!
and you can read another angle to this hoax HERE

Pal, my point simply is that you may not like racism like I do not like it but it does not mean every perception of a manifestation of racism, real or hoax, must be denied or punished. you can speak against it but you must not deny the right of anyone from expressing hatred for your skin in a purely private context. Individuals must have the right to express any kind of hatred/dislike they so wish to express in their private capacities. And that includes racism.

I'm anti-racism but I'm pro-rights!

till we meet again.
ciao