Prof. Kwesi Yankah
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By Kwesi Yankah
In the past few days, weeping has made headlines beyond funerals: ‘Wife slaps cheating husband to tears,’ or ‘Kejetia Market in Flames, traders in tears.’ Of higher news value are celebrity tears, where the journalist is even compelled to add the expression,‘wept uncontrollably.’ Here the big man himself may have been caught weeping (maa maa maa) like a baby.
Men’s tears at women’s funeral are often unknown except for widowers, whom custom permits to shed a few tears to appease relations of the dearly departed. A widower’s dry eyes could raise suspicion. ‘Barima Nsu,’ (A real man avoids tears) is often the standard consolation by women who rather seek to arouse an overflow from men with stony eyes. Whatever you do however, please avoid crocodile tears or else you may be whisked away to Paga for verification. Remember the famous crocodile pond which I visited in 2017 while on a formal visit to Bolgatanga Polytechnic (now University). I did so partly with the eyes of a tourist, but also out of curiosity to witness crocodile tears. Were the tears of Debrah borrowed from Paga reptiles?
The problem with Julius Debrah is indeed shedding somebody’s tears in her absence. Dr Debrah seemed to say, “I do hereby weep uncontrollably on behalf of the CEO of Free Zones Board who made that offensive utterance, but has been unwilling to cry. I hereby wear her eyeballs to weep.” Julius seemed to be saying at his 60th birthday key soap concert.
Seeing a big man publicly cry in a celebratory garment is rare. In truth, though Julius refused to let bygones be bygones. His Government currently grappling with a reset agenda knows the political implications of offending a church leader who had millions of following. Votes in Election 2028 may indeed flee ‘Pentecostally’ if damage caused is not swiftly controlled. The public tears of Julius Debrah, a likely contestant for the presidency, thus had the trappings of Paga reptiles; but it was meant to seal the deal and clear the path for a presidency he eyes.
Very few however stop to ask the genesis of all this drama. On 22nd April, Apostle Dr Nyamekye, Chairman of Church of Pentecost in his State of the Church address lamented how polluted rivers had adversely affected Christian baptism in mining communities.
Within a day of two of this, the CEO of the free Zones Board issued a rather combative rebuttal: ‘If the church leader continues to behave like a politician, we will deal with him as a politician.’
The negative public uproar to this, across the country compelled the Chief of staff to quickly transform his 60th Birthday into a tearful anniversary, where he apologized profusely. But tears of a chief of staff would have been more patriotic if they were in response to the nation’s wider tragedy. Consider this excerpt from a viral essay by Tony Asare:
‘From Bekwai through Brofoyedru, Ofoase Ayirebi, to Oda to Nsawam and back to Accra; every single one was the color of clay. Thick. Dying, Poisoned. Dead. Shame. This is not water. This is running mercury, cyanide, and the fluid corpse of a nation flowing into the sea. Galamsey has won. Ghana has lost the fight.’
It is such a tragedy that qualifies to move a Chief of Staff to public tears, not a CEO’s imprudent rebuttal to wise words.
Please read also a recent letter by the Pediatric Society of Ghana addressed to His Excellency the President, lamenting a nation’s assault on her children. An excerpt:
‘Pre-natal exposure to mercury is associated with irreversible brain damage…It increases the burden of chronic diseases, infections and malnutrition of children. Galamsey isn’t just an environmental problem; it is a slow assault on the Ghanaian child…’
Julius, this is what should draw tears from you and the staff you lead. Your Boss indeed confesses that some of your staff are complicit in the assault on Ghana. Julius, weep Not for rude CEOs.
Cry for Mother Ghana:
‘The fluid corpse of a nation flowing into the sea.’
kyankah@ashesi.edu.gh
