A Call to Regulate Ghana's Airwaves

I was shocked (and later quite amused) this past weekend when I received distressing phone calls from family members and friends back in Ghana in an unexpected and unexplained state of alarm. I was being told that people back home were dropping dead like flies—-all because of the use of their cellular or mobile phones.

The prevailing story making the rounds of the day, which I was being warned by my well-meaning, but obviously misinformed, loved ones back home is that media (namely the radio stations and supposedly also some television ones) were reporting that nine people had already died as a direct result of them receiving calls on their mobile or cellular phone from an unknown caller—-with the caller ID only showing some mysteriously “colored” numbers. As the story goes, anyone in Ghana who receives a phone call on his or her wireless device with the caller ID showing strange numbers in either black or red (instead of the expected normal “white” color of the text) should not answer the call or else the receiver of the call is doomed to either have a stroke or die right there at a moment’s notice. Apparently, upon picking up or answering the call, these strange and colored numbers would somehow then transformed themselves (i.e. via “magic,” juju, voodoo etc.) into some “satanic” like image, which would in turn creep into the unsuspecting receiver’s ear and brain, rendering him or her in a comatose-like state or altogether dead.

I know that some reading this article might find it funny and hard to believe, or may even think I am fabricating or exaggerating a bit about the facts of the events described above, but brothers and sisters, I am sorry to tell you that this is indeed exactly what is happening in today’s Ghana. In this day and age, how such stories still continue to exist and perpetuate in our beloved country is shocking, if not unexpected. Ghana’s (like most of Africa’s) history, culture and way of live is still deeply rooted in the oral tradition. Many of our people still continue to live lives entrenched in spirituality, superstitions and fears (of fates and deeds not easily understood or explainable) emanating from our oral traditions and understandings. The “he/she said” or “hearsay” phenomenon continues to be the norm as an acceptable form of cultural and societal truth, whether or not there is empirical evidence or proof (logical, scientific or otherwise) to the contrary.

Such old wives’ tale and urban legends can be found among every people group, culture and country in the world and not exclusive to just Ghanaian society. For example, it was once a commonly held belief in the United States that any man (especially a young buck) who happens to “please” himself (i.e. without the participation and assistance of his female counterpart) was bound to go blind or get an incurable deadly disease such as cancer. The problem though in Ghana right now is that such stories of untruth, craziness and fantasy are becoming more and more “official” news, as a result of these tales of fiction being able to be easily spewed on the many radio stations sprouting around in the country in dramatic fashion.

It appears that any Amma, Kwaku, their mother, or their uncle can come on the radio these days to say anything and that person will have an immediate massive audience that will believe and accept his or her word as the cardinal truth. We all know of the opinionated, politically motivated and propagandistically obsessed so-called serial callers who abound “a dime a dozen” on these stations, but should we also continue to accept and allow radio owners who are intentionally spreading falsity to the people without any accountability or repercussions? Free speech is one thing, but deliberately spreading lies to the public without consequences is all together something else that should not be allowed in any society in any way, shape or form.

This “Kwaku Ananse” type story such as this one I have touched upon is not an aberration and is all too common in Ghana radio’s land. These anecdotes are being allowed to spread like wild fire in this free-for-all environment without any recourse for the society at large. Rather than using the airwaves as a medium to not only entertain but also educate the innocent and often wide-eyed masses, the owners, operators and personalities of these stations have instead chosen rather to use the medium as means to confuse.

My preferred hypothesis and hope is that some anti-cellular phone and power-outage angry practical joker of a scoundrel concocted this hubbub over these supposedly spiritually-possessed wireless devices as a way to protest and scare off people stiff away from recharging and using their mobile phones (which some believe as a direct contribution to the nation’s current energy crisis). But my sneaking suspicion and better and more plausible conclusion is that some money-driven crooked businessmen-cum-radio owners/operators deliberately make up such stories to prey upon the fears of and take advantage of a people, a culture and a country that is naturally religious, spiritual, or superstitious.

Obviously the more people can tune into a particular radio station in wanting to hear such supernatural-like stories that are clandestinely and cleverly disguised as PSAs (public service announcements) or warnings, the more this radio station is able to command and generate in advertising revenue. Sensationalism sells and seems to sell quite well among our people. Notwithstanding the few so-called “educated” individuals who still like to believe and blame the “devil” or some spiritual force for any and every thing that continue to ail our nation and people, I believe that the majority of the owners and presenters of these radio stations know better than to allow such stories of fantasy to be broadcasted, but yet they continue to do so because of its financial rewards.

I don’t really care as to why and how this nonsensical of a story involving these cellular phones started. My gripe is why are such stories continually being allowed to be aired on these stations with no regulatory body overseeing and enforcing rules so that the public interest is protected. What does our Ministry of Communication do anyway? Why aren’t these operators and presenters being made to account for the veracity of what is said and reported as news on their stations? Sensationalism and tabloid-drenched “news” stories seem to be the order of the day in our nation and no one seems to be responsible for what they do or say (that is, as long as it doesn’t directly and negatively affect the life or pockets of some “big” man or woman in society).

Broadcasting these stories of lies on a radio station is tantamount to someone shouting “FIRE” in a crowded movie theatre, which is quite a serious and a punishable crime here in the U.S. Radio and other media in the public airwaves in Ghana should be regulated in like fashion as is done here by the United States’ Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Rules and regulations have to be established to ensure that truth and decency are enforced and propagated on these public radio stations. Those suspected of going against the established laws should be investigated, prosecuted and punished or fined accordingly.