Ghanaian rapper Okyeame Kwame has clarified his stance about comments he made in 2023 telling Ghanaians to “fix themselves” when concerns were raised about bad governance in the country.
It could be recalled that in September 2023, Okyeame Kwame sparked controversy on social media after he tweeted that Ghanaians should fix themselves and the country instead of relying on politicians.
He was responding to a question by Naa Ashorkor, who asked who would fix the country. Many users criticized his tweet as insensitive and hypocritical, comparing it to the #FixYourself campaign that opposed the #FixTheCountry movement in 2021.
Okyeame Kwame's tweet was seen as siding with the government and ignoring the challenges faced by many Ghanaians, such as poor roads, healthcare, and the economy.
In an interview with Berla Mundi on TV3, Okyeame Kwame said that he was not trying to insult anyone but rather called on Ghanaians to admit their own role in the corruption that plagues the nation.
According to him, Ghanaians are equally to blame for the problems in Ghana, as many engage in unethical practices such as bribing the police, seeking favours for relatives, and cutting corners on the road.
He said that Ghanaians are also part of the solution, as they have the love and the light to bring development to the country.
“People said I've said that we should fix the country, But I said we should save ourselves because the corruption that is in Ghana is not outside of me. I am equally to blame. I'm the one looking for boarding for my nephew. I'm the same guy who is making a quick turn, the police catching me. And I am telling the police, I'm the one who is trying to get ahead of everybody. I am the corruption that is inside Ghana and in the same way I am the same person who possesses the love that I want to see to bring development. So if I turn on the light of that love inside of me and everyone turns on that light, it becomes like a two-day conversation,” he said.
Clearing the air about his stance on the Tema Motorway, he said that he did not trust the politicians to fix the Tema Motorway, as he had been using the motorway since 1996 and it had never been fixed, so he would rather work hard to find money to fix his shocks than to depend on the government.
He also said that he did not forget about who voted the politicians into power and that the voters were responsible for choosing terrible leaders.
According to him, the politician was the perfect reflection of the voter, and both needed to be blamed and held accountable.
He said that the change must begin with the individual and that people should not point fingers at others without looking at themselves.
“Someone asked, what about the Tema Motorway? And then I said that for me, I am 47 years old. I would rather work hard to find money to fix my shocks than trust a politician. Because I know that no one will fix the motorway because I've been using the motorway since 1996 and it has never been fixed. So I said that my state of mind is to stay joyous no matter what is happening outside of me.. And then they said that I had insulted them.
“I didn't say we should forget about who voted the politicians into power. You and I, we did it. We choose our terrible leaders. We are terrible. So the politician is the perfect reflection of the voter. We need to blame the politician and hold him accountable. But we need to first blame ourselves and hold ourselves accountable for our decisions so that we don't make them again. But it begins with you. You cannot go outside of yourself and begin to question others and point fingers at everyone. Don't forget that the last three are pointing at you, he said.
He added that Ghanaians must change their mindset and fix their relationships with their children, their partners, their colleagues, and their God.
He argued that even if all politicians became great, it would not make a difference if the 30 million citizens still behaved the same.
“We Ghanaians must change our mindset. We must fix our relationships with our children to show them love. We must be honest with our girlfriends. We must get to work on time. If we go to church, we must be Christians. We must show Christ we can't go to church on Sunday, pray for forgiveness, and on Monday, go and take a bribe and delay someone's procurement document so that by Friday that person will bring a kickback. And it doesn't make sense.
“How many politicians do we have in Ghana? 1000? 2000? If all the politicians in Ghana become great and the 30 million of us still behave the same, there's no development. So the light must begin with us. That is the only one you can control,” he said.
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