Wither stands culture – kusum?
The interim agreement between the Ga State and protestors about the usual ban for a period before the start, is only pyrrhic triumph for both together with the culture Ministry which brokered that. For want of anonymity, I shall use religious groups to represent the protest. Their case is the embargo would block audibility reaching out to congregants. Worship would be drab and of course the collection bowls would be less over-filled. They did not say that but it is plausible imaginatively.
The main sense of the deal is noise levels would be minimised— boom boxes, shouts inclusive. Noticeably, there in the threat not to comply, a significant shift away from the hitherto. The Ministry intervened to pre-empt confrontations. Previously, the revolt was against what the groups term paganist. Until recently, mainstream orthodox religion had gone along. The beginnings of rebellion culminating in the threat to defy can be dated close to the upper 70s. That brought the surge of unorthodoxy which spoke out that the restriction was for UN-CHRISTIAN purposes. The dissent gathered momentum in the latter 80s and had been relentless leading to some minor security interventions into the present crunch, put in abeyance.
The agreement is temporal. There shall be Round-Tables to strike a permanent deal. Three factors to note are [i] our national disease of procrastination is either the problem dissolves itself (to become a norm to live with) or [ii] push gets to shove; and at that also, discloses our ability fails badly because of our secondary illness for short cuts. Interestingly a window of opportunity lies in that [a] it ‘Will Be Looked Into’ and [b] there is a significant drop of total defiance into a ‘’PLEA’’ to allow boom box and clapping on reasonable minimised. The only biblical ‘some- what against’ is in the ‘’Oliver Twist’’ nature in us, all creatures.
And both sides shall have to tread cautiously about that caveat. The wise saying is that “KUSUM GBOO’’—tradition does not die.’ Informatively, it takes traditions to build a culture which distinguishes nations, each from another. We wouldn’t be wrangling recently about the national anthem—value, distinction and inspiration. Our former Leader Flt. Lt J.J. Rawlings’ advisory-appeal to the Starlets ’90 which won the world football title. He said: ‘’ remember all that is left of the country are the national anthem and flag.’’ Put simply, it is all about ‘’KUSUM’’ basic in any tradition accumulating into a culture, sacred for its people. The coronation of English Kings/Queens at the Abbey dates from William, the conqueror 1066. A five-hour of culture and religion including Jewish was reduced to a little over an hour at the crowning of the current King Charles III.
It demonstrated that cultures can be developed not backwards for someone else’s convenience— certainly not kulturkampf. Secondly, the overdone of rebellion can’t happen anywhere else in our country—never in Kumasi or Elmina. Thirdly, it proposes on one hand, that the rejectionists’ God resides only in Accra. Do not sojourners in Accra travel back home for festivals and dare they call what precedes and proceeds pertain to UN-CHRISTIAN? On another hand, it exposes the argument thrown in latterly that Accra is the capital as very lame. If at some future date the country after all goes back to move the seat of government to Dodowa, just Nigeria from Lagos to Abuja. By the way, our thinking to relocate precedes Nigeria’s. Indeed, the Constituent Assembly 1979 almost did, laying down for legislation lower taxes or havens or exeats for firms which moved out of Accra. The targets were primarily economic, spreading development and decongest the city, even at that time—foresight. Was the new and old credos going to stay celibate of Dodowah because the Krobo would not have their “Asafotufiam’’ jerked. It all devolves around chieftaincy as leaders.
And the loyalty and respect of our native bottom rock in not a difficult equation between Chiefs and citizens who belong or hail and trace their roots to that ancestry. This system of governance is as old as Kusum. The quid pro quo is that the subjects will look after their chief and the chief will be of self-decorum. The original history has it that the Kingship ( only FIVE –Ashanti, Winneba, Nzema, Yabom with Accra as British political honorarium} and Chiefdoms vary from place to place without altering that mutual custom-demand’s -MOU. Accepting the variety, the preciously forgotten is that Kings and Chiefs are the physical leadership which covers the spirituality in the persons of the CHIEF SHRINE ATTENDANTS –KOMFO PANYIN. S/He gave orders or directives, if you like in Greek Mythology’s Soothsayers and the ORACULA. I learned that in the years of internecine mixed with the eighteenth-century Prussian Empire annexation-war-mongering, the troops won’t move until the King or Chief had spoken. For instance, in that oral pass-on, the Chief of the Gas told his troops before the final Akwamu war that if he fell on his face, he would have suffered a treachery shot from among them. That signalled defeat. Nana Yaa Asantewa and Okomfo Anokye would not let Ashanti warriors attack until ‘’the omens were propitious’’—same Greek mythology.
Generally, the Accra freeze had a faux pas to point before talks for future avoidance–the next season. The Ministry was rushed or jumpy in countermanding the Ga State’s public notification. That administrative error lit a simmering Ga-anger. I admit that ministerial portfolio is the trickiest and highly sensitive to require ginger walking. For the protestors, the anti-God attitude shall be moderated because of evident pretence and or hypocrisy. Either of the prior descriptions derives from attitudes to rituals led by Libation, a sine qua non in Kusum, but it is emphatically a prayer. Just observe and or listen to hear the incantations start with reverend refs to the creator, ask his permission and blessings—‘Asaasewura,Twereampon, Adzenyinara bofo’ maker of all things and one who never disappoints who rest on you…et al. The Gas is most informative and confirmatory as the Shrine Chief Attendants cry out loudly:
“oh mawooooh’’ ‘-though oh supreme father above’’ before anything else in terms of supplications. [I choose to fantelise ‘’Maawu’’ as ‘’ma wu’’ he who gives until death]. The final inadmissible by the protestors is that Shrine Attendants attend church services, civi-clothed.
I believe it would be legitimate to ask in whose interest this is. The dangerous thing in the ad interim settlement is the likely endeavour by some who may think they would want to go further to gnaw at some more, feeling perhaps tails-up. Grossly mistaken because even ‘’Oliver’’ could not ask for more beyond after all, according to author Mark Twain. That was for food but this is a slippery temptation with regard to tradition. And they are Ghanaians [Africans]. The other side, Eurocentric or Colo’s ‘’is the best’’ to perpetuate that negative narrative of us. Here, we have dealt with Trokosi (female mutilation) and widowhood rites move development forward and not backwards.
Looking forward, whilst Accra is the probable ‘guineapig’, one sees it may energise other total prohibits in our MORES. To stamp feet and thump fists that it would not happen, not even in Kumasi, is misreading of the drift to be complacent about an international movement’s relentless machinations to erode our culture, subordinating ours to theirs—in some cases, exploiting poverty. Another argument trumped up during the brief talking across purposes was ‘’Human Rights’’. It refers to the UN declaration, Berlin 1948. The sad remiss was to state that none of those or the entire bundle are unlimited—freedom of choice, association speech and independence of the press. The clarity today shows they make human cultural-developmental senses; because culture, as a heritage requires building on, without desiccate its decent raison d’etre for spurious excuses like commonest cited now and again carelessly. [Remember Africa was no member of the UN and wouldn’t have been consulted].
Whether or not what’s going on is a chipping of culture. Culture is identity. It is most imperative to note and hold that any nation without its own distinguished identity, does not exist. Fundamental Human Rights were thrown in. Before dealing with that, I shall dismiss logically, residence in Accra as sojourners versus ‘’Accra is the capital city-stuff.’’ It is defeatist and quite eery.
In summary on the fundamental Human Rights. Each each right’s foundation rests in ‘’irreducible minimum standard of behaviour our society can expect’’ (retired Justice F.Y.Kpegah, SC, lecture June 1997). Coming back to raise the future dominoes with reference to relations between religion and tradition, I should quote from the learned Justice who said: ‘’We must always remember that our country is frail and our democracy is young, fragile and vulnerable. … that our constitution does not exalt or elevate individual liberty above legitimate concerns of others and society.’’
[To be concluded]
By Prof Nana Nssilfie-conduah.
