Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, Fritz Baffour, has bemoaned comments targeted at people living in Kumasi following the opening of the Kumasi City Mall.

Social media has been flooded with numerous trolls aimed at people in the Ashanti region after the region welcome its first mall.

But the former Information Minister says he is “scandalised at the unnecessary and unseemly brouhaha that has arisen because of the unkind joshing by wannabe comedians on social media aimed at Ashantis on the occasion of the commissioning of a new shopping mall in Kumasi”.

He said most comedy turns consist of poking fun at real or imagined stereotypes of human situations “but that can woefully fail to be funny when there is a hint of malice afore thought, which I think is the case with those sallying forth”.

He said narrow-minded individuals guilty of the act rather “need a little exposure” to the wonderful things in the region which makes it unique. For him, Kumasi is at par with the capital when it comes to several developmental issues.

“I grew up in Kumasi and treasure the city and its people. There is so much to be proud of, in this pearl of a city. The ebullience, confidence and hospitality of its indigenes are something worth bragging about. Yes, every language has its shibboleths but that shouldn't detract from the cultural richness and uniqueness of Asante Twi and how its speakers express themselves in other languages. I must say that there is nothing rustic about Kumasi life. It is as urbane and cosmopolitan as any I have been to worldwide and I have visited a few,” the ex-lawmaker wrote on his Facebook wall on Sunday, April 23.

“Kumasi deserves a large shopping mall and that has been long overdue. When I was a little boy, good things came to the city before the national capital, Accra. Music superstars such as Chubby Checker, the originator of the ‘twist’, Millicent Small of ‘My Boy Lollipop’ fame, ace drummers Cozy Cole and Max Roach all performed in Kumasi before Accra. I will go further to say that the city's night life in the sixties was an experience to behold with Jamboree, Copacabana, Hotel de Kingsway and City Hotel being the focal point for revellers. KNUST, its premier university, was a port of call for most heads of state who visited Ghana. Kumasi’s architecture and notable buildings are a tourist's delight along with its festivals and cultural events.

“I guess those who think it is a backwater in the boon docks are blinkered and decidedly obtuse and need a little exposure. To those trolls and goblins out there, all I can say is....onaapo!”