Everybody  is talking

 A couple of years ago, I wrote an observation in this very column titled “TALKATIVE COUNTRY”. The substance was generally about reported suspect of bias about and or for a particular political party at the time of a stand-off between the Parties and the Elec­toral Commission [the EC]. The plethora of opinions—contradic­tory-counters put this nation in a spin, principally ‘’who to believe.’’ That state of doubt was not arrested; but dragged into “Bal­lot’24” [ December 7, 2024]. The results are history; but not quite because we seem to be in dire need of resurrected great Philos­opher called CONFUCIUS to ex­plain the apparent ever-spreading din of politics playing possum in foul diction, unprecedented in our deteriorating disrespect, immoral turpitude and “TRUTH”.

However, whatever was and is being spoken, said and or writ­ten, is most IRRELEVANT as to whether our National Broadcast­er, the GBC, has or not fulfilled its pursuant obligations to this country from Station ZOY, ( July 31, 1935) a radio service through a system into a corporation adding in progression a television ( July 31 1965—Black and White, added colour, 1986). The reason: Our GBC IS NINETY (90). I am recalling from memory a thor­oughly accurate definition offered by Prof. Alex Quarmyne, happily and incidentally, a former Director General of what a national Broad­caster is and shall be in brilliant presentation at the State-spon­sored conference [COMPOL ‘98], a-24 selected Ghanaian Professionals to craft a National Communications Policy:

In summary, I recall, Prof. Quarmyne detailed his thoughts as ’a pervasive neutral, educative, build a consensus for develop­ment and entertainer, culture being a sine qua non and previ­ously ordered by the then ruling Junta, NLC to engage commerce, February 1967. (GBC was not prepared in advance of the order and it’s not yet au fait competing a proliferating FMs in the country).

Three things had happened concurrently as Colonial Gov­ernor Arnold Wienholt Hodson inaugurated the first cast: the Executive Council of the Gold Coast colony was empowered to act for Ashanti and Northern Territories; Achimota produced its first University Graduates; and the Ashanti Confederacy was restored. But Governor Hodson had envisioned in that broadcast “you can imagine what an influence this will have from psychological point of view’’. What he was hoping would bridge the country to the world and exert freshness at individual homes and persons, informatively and of course benign Britain.

The real tasks in the capsules of Hudson and Quarmyne’s are found in brief remarks made by the then Vice-President John Ma­hama in a brochure marking the 75th anniversary of radio-broad­casting 45th of television “Our generation faces new challenges… rapid population growth, global economic crisis, climatic change, diminishing natural resources and numerous social problems.”

Let me address a poignant issue among the “numerous social problems” via an anecdote. It is key today and its affinity is that it was a significant theme for a famous broadcast, the “Dawn Broadcast” April 8, I96I (from old Studio 3, BH3, the current) by Prime Minister then Dr Kwame Nkrumah to the country: ‘’Berko said that the Odikro informed Asamani that the Ohene said he paid a sum of money to party officials to become a paramount chief. Kojo said Mensah told him that Kweku took a bribe. Abina stated that Esi uses her relations with Kweku to get contracts through the District Commissioner and the blessing of the Minister in Accra. So, day after day, night after night, all types and manner of wild allegations and rumors via an an­ecdote are circulated and they are always sprinkled with: They say, Wo see, Wo See, Akee, Akee.’’ [I had quoted myself from my 70th GBC Anniversary Lecture at State House to align my introduction from the beginning of this piece today.]

Throughout its Odyssey, the GBC has survived—blackmail including attempts to sell it into private ownership, delayed subvention, encroached or seized lands, reserved frequencies and plenty of presumptive political cajoles with amazing tenacity. The worse kept secret in the narrative of its story is that it has an auto­matic bounce-back to have stood the worst of time, taking together within this country’s topsy-turvy politics. (A national independent BROACASTER is an inextricable part of any nation’s sovereignty— the Flag, Anthem, shipping and air lines, a central Bank and authentic voice, the Broadcaster).

In that respect, I have nursed decades-long lament about the revival of the External Service. It was killed stone dead. It was one of the major targets of the Oppo­sition which regarded it as one of the bastions of Nkrumah’s global fame. [I learned recently that the Government is working vigorous­ly to re-establish Ghana Airways – Black Star? Not hinted yet. (I push back tears ahead of an unlikely audit, if any was dared, assets et al today).

The Exter­nal Service was compel­ling listening as the Mecca for East and Western governments to plot poli­cies towards Africa in particularly the halcyon period of emancipation. Whereas it is ‘haram’ (forbidden) to be the mis­behaved dinner guest, I regret to ask. All the international broad­cast institutions have offices or Representatives (Correspondents) sprawled in foreign countries. The or else, is perhaps cost which undermines a very wing which is unnecessarily important both for image and countering when na­tional character comes under close scrutiny and or so much money reportedly missing. Next, It is equally remembered that GBC pivoted the formation of URTNA (UNION RADIO TELEVISION NATIONAL AFRICAINE). URTNA would have been the electronic sister of PANAF NEWS AGENCY, thrown up to pioneer-plan by GNA and NNA.

Military take overs influenced to ditch both because they were again presumed for destruction obviously long-planned as Nkru­mah’s Pan-Africanism schemes in­stead of national pride and sequi­tur-eminence. I probably have to re-tell the arguments at the Man­agement and Directorate meeting to approve “Ghana-Muntie-Her­ald”: with the exception of E.M. Cooke, all the African-Ghanaians accepted to delete what compa­triots concurred in the view along with the Whites who thought the crescendo ending was unchristian. He asked ‘’is broadcasting for only Christians’’? That col­lapsed the objection. So we have “Ghana Muntie” in full. The truncation had shortened the Na­tional Anthem. But Achimotans kept the finale “Osei yie” from music Master Phillip Gbehoe’s original score.

Having passed the age of pain and aches into the century stretch, every cricketer batman knows how crucially slippery bowled out. It is all nerve wracking and jitters all the way, farming out the googlies and caught behind or skying the ball through long-off– real gamble, more mind-dislocating to more than concentrate by specta­tors who wish you well beyond. Both Governor Hudson and Ma­hama spoke about change, which influences can bear and bring. The Service was started with casuals. Now it is an establishment which may hire part-timers as con­venient necessaire. Becoming a broadcaster professionally is not a picnic. It is skillfully competitive, compulsorily demanding instant ability to match [endowed or not] with firmness of mind to adopt and adapt simultaneously, re­sponding to a crisis moment from a hugely versatile exactitude. But you learn as you go along.

I met at BH2 a band of Elders [months before independence 1957] who longed and ready to teach the rubric as long as you show yourself as needing the tough rigors of self-discipline and contrite sufficiently to take correc­tions—remove or drop the huge or small chip on shoulder(s). And finally, you are being monitored and on trial daily. Looking back, I feel like making the exceptions of citing names. I am stumped by the invidiousness-trap, if he, or she and or them had passed on and found poorly hyping their super contributions to the GBC. We, as the nos vivimus (alive), rather than the nos morituri (about to die, inevitably) salute them. Now what’s the future?

[To be concluded]

© Prof nana essilfie-condu­ah.