Feature: Tribal sentiments 

For whatever it is worth, I am not an Ashanti. However, if you do not pay close attention to what Afia Pokua said and how she said it, you can easily be fooled into thinking that her intent was to speak truth to power. But body language matters in communication. The subtle frown, attitude and tone conveyed more beyond the words she spoke. The depth of emotions she displayed seemed to suggest ‘I have long been waiting for this opportunity’. The apparent indifference of the host also spoke volumes. That ‘silence’ meant ‘Give it to them’. I find it irresistible to say that she spoke from a place of hatred and bitterness without provocation. The very issues she castigated Otumfuor for were the things she should have commended him for. The irony is that she admitted KATH is a national asset but without hesitation shifted the 

burden of renovation onto the Asantehene and Ashanti people. I think the latter should be commended for taking the initiative to save such an important national asset from imminent collapse. Having said this, I think that Manhyia should have accepted her apology. It is natural for people to make mistakes, and it is important to forgive especially when they show remorse. Nananom should have given meaning to the proverb, ‘When a child soils your lap, you do not sever it, you clean it´. 

In spite of Afia Pokua admitting that she could have chosen her words more carefully, her earlier comments appear to still receive endorsement from a cross section of Ghanaians particularly those who feel they want to settle scores with the Ashantis. Ashantis uphold their traditional values, and you cannot fault them for that especially when doing so does not preclude 

other tribes from doing same. Instead of being bitter, it is better transferring the energy into touting your culture and traditional rulers. Take it or leave it, in every group one stands out. To wit, among tribes and ethnic groups one will stand out by power of numbers, history, language and culture. In Ghana, it is the Ashantis. Wouldn’t you like it if your tribe was that noticeable? My point is not to say that Ashantis are superior, but you cannot deny that they stand out. Being an Ashanti is not earned but ascribed. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’. Be proud of your tribe and while we celebrate that diversity in unity it enriches our national culture. 

I dare say tribal issues predate modern Ghana. However, truth be told, much of the stirring of tribal sentiments in recent times 

is traceable to the rift between the Asantehene and Dormaahene following issues surrounding the funeral of the late Omanhene of Berekum, my hometown. According to the Queenmother and the traditional council of Berekum, the people have their roots from Asokore in the Ashanti region. In their wisdom, they owe allegiance to the Ashanti kingdom. I think where Berekum places her allegiance is a determination to be made by the traditional council and they have accordingly done so. It is important to note that traditional boundaries are older than administrative boundaries and the two do not necessarily coincide. The reason some chiefs in the Bono region pay homage to the Asantehene, and others in the Eastern region are connected to the Dormaahene. In principle, the Dormaahene understands this. I say so because recently he claimed authority over the Asumagya stool in the Ashanti region 

though the people called off his bluff. The difficulty I have with him is when he interprets the decision of the Berekum traditional council as a betrayal of the Bono people. When I cut through his manifest motive of uniting the Bono people, it exposes his latent interest of creating a Bono Kingdom under him, an example of robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

This rift, beyond struggle for traditional power, has political underpinnings. It is an open secret that a particular political party wants to create a parallel authority to the Asantehene. The proxy for that agenda is the Dormaahene. A simple scan of social media reveals that most the venomous attacks on the Asantehene come from some persons Dormaahene have openly endorsed and are also ‘sympathizers’ of a particular party. Besides, most of the vicious insinuations first came from Dormaa. The 

only interest I have is to be on the side of the truth. Being objective is better than remaining neutral when it matters most.  

Be proud of your roots but put Ghana first. This is an election year, and we need to preserve our peace like never before. While you exercise your choice between ‘reset’ and ‘upgrade’, do so as a responsible citizen. 

Ideas are more powerful than guns – Joseph Stalin

Writer: E-K Kyereh

BA (Economics) (University of Ghana); Mphil (Economics) (University of Ghana); PGDE (UEW, Winneba); MSc (MAE) (University of Oslo); MEd(Teaching and learning) Åbo Akademi University, Finland