AFRICAN PLATFORM FOR ETHNIC, POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE How many of you know or heard about Rwanda before? What about Bosnia Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Liberia, Sierra Leone or Burundi. Of course Cote d Ivoire, is just a stone-throw from us. Yes, we do and so what? Wait a minute, do you know that the 1994 genocide that occurred in that country took 800,000 innocent lives in 100 days? do you know that the Bosnia war was fought on ethnic lines? check who are the Bosniak and Serbs. In Liberia, Prez Sgt Doe was accused of promoting his Krahn tribesmen and so you could imagine how that civil war was fought. Did some tell you that the conflict in Central African Republic is now a conflict between Christians and Muslims? Thats okay for now. My research reveals that almost every war that occurred in Africa had some ethnic undertones. Consider your poor grandmother, uncle,aunt, nephew etc. who stay in your village and do not care about what politician A and B discuss on the air waves. And even though they vote, they care less about questioning those politicians about their promises they trumpeted into their ears during their campaigns. Ethnicity has become a monster in our body politic. Unfortunately politicians find it the most easiest way to win votes. They are lazy politicians who cannot campaign and convince the electorates to buy into their ideas. Yes, they use divide and rule tactics. Unfortunately, when the genocide occurred in Rwanda, the Hutus who form the majority lost their relatives. The Tutsis who were handed power by the Belgians lost their relatives. Prominent politicians from both ethnic groups and who perhaps sparked or fueled the genocide were killed. So you see, if you dig a grave for someone, dont sleep in the night. Ghanaian politicians read but they choose what promotes their political fortunes. They do not want to learn from the mistakes of the past. They hate the truth because it does not help their political ambition. They do not care if their relatives have to die so they can win power. That reminds me of Machiavellis book The Prince.....the end justifies the means. Ethnicity or ethnocentrism is growing from worse to worst and yet politicians are not bothered because the tribal card helps them. It has become so pervasive that today, some people from certain parts of this country cannot rent rooms in certain houses owned by certain landlords and landladies from certain parts of the country. The undercurrent of this dangerous attitude or behaviour does not extricate anybody from the devastating effects thereof. War or conflict, whether civil or ethnic does not boundaries. You see, when I was in college, I shared the same dormitory with students from all parts of country. In the University of Ghana,I made a lot friends. I am an Ewe but my best friend in Legon (Mark Augustine) was an Ashanti and a Brong. I dont want to lose him through ethnic conflict or whatever. In my masters class, I was put in presentation groups comprising Notherners, Fantes, Ashantis, Gas etc and I dont ever want to lose them. At my workplace I eat with officers from all ethnic divide. Politicians should stop chasing power for their parochial interest and self aggrandizement and start addressing the issues that spell doom for this country. Like I said earlier, war or conflict, be it civil or ethnic, does not know who is a politician, accountant, teacher, Ashanti, Ewe, Fante, Ga, Dagomba, Gonja, Kwawu, Akyem.............
Posted on: Sun, 18 May 2014 02:21:37 +0000
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