Almost every single passing day, there is a report of a man defiling a girl child; a man defiling his daughter; a teacher defiling a student, among others. I read these with sorrow, and I believe you do too. So I ask myself, when are these going to stop? When? What happened to our Ghanaian moral values?

Recently, traders around the Novotel area threatened to go nude in demonstration against their relocation by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to the Pedestrian Shopping Mall at Odawna. The nudity idea was unfathomable. How could a Ghanaian woman ever think of stripping naked to express her displeasure at, and opposition of a policy? The moral issue is not about the policy, but the said demonstration. Why would any morally upright (Ghanaian) lady dare think of nude demonstration? It could happen elsewhere on the globe, but on the soil of Ghana? Come on, what has become of us? Have our mothers, wives, sisters, aunties, etc thrown their moral esteem into the gutters? Why?

Barely three months ago, a friend approached me about the situation of homosexuality in Ghana, at a time Uganda and other African countries were being severely criticized for their anti-gay laws. Without mincing words, I assured her that there was no such thing as gay in Ghana. Of course, I had a reputation (the Ghanaian pride in me) to protect. I recall that a few years ago, these gay people wanted to hold their confab in Ghana, and then President Kuffour cancelled it. We were all (I suppose) happy, exempting them (gays). I made it clear to that friend that homosexuality is something we frown upon in Ghana. Homosexuals might exist, but they dare not come public that they are gay. I was therefore put to shame when I read about the recent gay party at Takoradi. I just could not believe it. Registered gays? Gay Association? In Ghana? What?? Are you kidding me? To add insults to injuries, a Cameroonian friend of mine showed me pictures of these gay people on flickr. Those pictures only reminded me of Vandals (students of Commonwealth Hall at the University of Ghana, Legon) taking a day off, and dressing like women, during hall week celebrations. It had nothing whatsoever to do with homosexuality. Of course, Volta Hall had a direct opposite dress code in their Hall week celebrations.

The whole talk of gays in Ghana, and their burgeoning numbers, appears to me like a dream. Again I ask, what happened to our Ghanaian moral values? Are we culturally, religious, and socially going insane? What is wrong with these people? To especially male gays (since lesbians are also gay anyway), why? Our Year 2000 Population and Housing census indicated that there were more women than men in Ghana, and I want to believe this trend has not, and will not change. So why on earth would men leave the numerous women we have, and rather engage fellow men in sexual acts? Are we going to compromise morality in the name of democracy? Is the government going to act now or allow this canker to fester, and become unstoppable?

What bothers me most is the way we abuse our “freedom of speech”. We insult one another at the least opportunity. Read the comments on Ghanaweb, and see how abusive some Ghanaians are. An apolitical topic is up for discussion, and all of a sudden, some commentator(s) sway(s) the whole discussion by politicizing and tribalizing it. That begins name-calling, casting of insinuations, direct verbal assault on people and their tribes, religion, region, inter alia. Is that how we want to build Ghana? When will we change for the better?

Just last Monday, Adu Gyamfi (aka High Priest) called President Mills a “chimpanzee”. Really? We have that temerity? It was not the first time in History that someone insulted a sitting President with such impudence. President Kuffour had his share of this misconduct! Why? Must we insult people to make our point or argue our case when we have debates? Cannot we discuss and analyze issues/policies maturely and responsibly without recourse to insults? What is wrong with us? A typical Ghanaian family teaches its children to not insult elder ones. It is immoral to insult our leaders. It is ok to criticize their policies, actions and inactions. But to attack their personality in the name of “freedom of speech” is unseemly and lamentable. We need not abuse the benefits of democracy. We should keep in mind that where one’s freedom ends, is where another’s freedom begins. Freedom of speech does not mean insulting people.

So who is culpable? Who is to blame? Our leaders are the biggest part of the problem. They have taught the youth to resort to insults as a way of making one’s opinions heard. If ex-presidents indulge in verbal war, and ministers and former ministers call each other names every now and then, why would the youth not tow their lines? Of course, we are children who would not depart from the path that our leaders teach us to tread on. Let our leaders begin to respect themselves. They should lead us by example, by eschewing insults and verbal abuses; by attacking issues, not personalities. They need to demonstrate a high sense of moral rectitude for the youth to emulate.

God Bless Us All, and God Bless Ghana!!

Iddisah Sulemana (iddisah@gmail.com)