Eyo Osagyefo,
I read the comments you made about my last letter in your reply and I want to respond to that.
Anyway, have you heard Ntitie Pa, Obrafour?s latest maxi-single hit? Ghana?s rap priest is at it again and he?s supporting the anti-indiscipline campaign championed by Traveler John?s sidekick Aliu. It is a powerful song that goes about its business and implores us all to have Ghana as part of our dreams. ?Be at the right place, the right time, c?mon y?all, do the right thing. ?Asem yi di ka, Rap Sofour, me hu a meka nti na meboo Pae mu ka?. Got carried away there, chale, but you get the scenario. He speaks to the MPs, who seem to be busy riding their 20,000 dollar cars that they tend to ?lose control? (sleeping) while parliamentary sessions are on. Well, he doesn?t stop there; he implores the civil worker to report early to work and the taxi driver to be careful on the road. Why do I bring this up? We need more music like this on our airwaves. Radios belting out Kpoi, Kpoi, Kpoi in every Batman song is fine, but we need to educate, teach and entertain the way forward.
What is the way forward? You can?t be wrong by answering with discipline. ?Indiscipline all over the place?, goes Wofa Efo. Taxi drivers ply their trades with reckless abandon, houses and kiosks are put up with little respect for planning, rubbish litters our urban areas like the whole city is one big dustbin and civil workers report to work like they own time. There are enough vehicular traffic problems in Ghana aided by the ongoing road constructions, Osagyefo, I think we can do away with reckless driving. Ghana?s roads are not the best but somehow drivers in all sorts of cars find enough reason to replicate Formula 500 races on our roads.
Where can we find discipline? Our minds are open to right and wrong. Character comes from personality, personality arises from choice and conscience and the latter comes from what one gets from the immediate environment. Discipline and good character are hardly taught in the newspapers or in the movies. They are mostly given from the preacher?s pulpit, the teacher?s table and the conversations with friends and family. And boy, aren?t there many pulpits these days? In the market place, in the school?s assembly, at the sports stadium and at the church, the gospel is making its way into the hearts of many. However, in the present day, some feel they are too big for the gospel and many a time, the message goes through the left ear and immediately leaves through the right. We have to start showing the evening the good we learnt in the morning. And yeah, not just anything we learnt in the morning.
I find it very unfortunate that people are looking to religion to explain the troubles affecting the world, especially Africa. Granted, a lot of religious people in Ghana and Africa these days are leaving work to crusades and conventions losing sight of productivity and hard work. A lot of pastors are duping their members and ripping them off. Many conflicts in Africa are religious related. The problem is as follows, the same corrupt people are some of those who are attending these conferences and dragging us behind. It is safe to say as ?Corruption scent no, agye bebbeaaa?. When two political parties start going to the wire to acquire the rights of a song, you know how much impact that song is making. There are a few genuine people who hold true the word and teachings, Osagyefo, the reality of the situation is that there are not enough. The harvest is plentiful, the laborers are abundant but the impact is small.
God blesses a nation whose heart is after Him. Yes, whose 'heart' is after Him. People who love God are selfless and love their neighbors as themselves as Scripture puts it. Loving one?s neighbor as oneself has no room for armed robbery, theft, corruption, lying, conflict and misleading messages. Sure we need to worship God in spirit and in truth, but we also have to employ the ideals of bearing moral, social, and economic fruits in our lives. I do the prophets and men of God no harm but they must bear good fruits, and we need the pastors to start shifting the focuses of their sermons a bit for our nation to prosper. Let's get to preaching the message of hard work, love, respect and peace. Christianity and every religion that preaches morality and character does not affirm and accept laziness. Scripture says, "God helps those who help themselves". This message must be sent to the average Ghanaian. Neglecting and criticizing religion would inevitably break down the moral and social structure of the nation, fuelling the already bad rates of promiscuity, immorality, robbery and selfishness. The things of the world are fleeting pleasures, but the things of the soul are things to hold onto for generations to come.
It is beautiful to see the influx of many churches and religious organizations. Preaching the gospel is not a business, neither is it a trade. Ghanaians want to prosper. One thing that baffles and amazes a lot of outsiders is the happiness and peace Ghanaians show even in times of adversity and high costs of living. We are a special people. Ghanaians are becoming religious as they search for answers to the mysteries of this world. The bottom line is, if we continue to exhibit the backwardness of indiscipline, corruption, selfishness and bad character, we will not find those answers. I will champion my point again, Osagyefo, we need to twist our sermons to meet the interests of our nation and its development. You can?t pray all night and not learn and expect to pass your exam, chale, it does not work that way. However, God can grant you the wisdom and understanding to learn and cram and the retentive memory to reproduce the goods when the battle is raging. We need seeds of discipline, hard work and selflessness sown in our hearts. We can all reach for the skies and echelons of this world if we build the right ladders and foundations.
Yours truly, (Jay Q)
Maximus Ojah.
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