REJOINDER: Atuguba Can’t Hide His Pro-NDCism & Anti-NPPism

BY: Shuk Abubakar

Amidst the hullabaloo of this election petition when all eyes were focused on the outcome and with the Asantehene calling for national dialogue and urging all Ghanaians to avoid politicise narrative during this testing times for our nation, Ms Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema came out with a bloomer (an embarrassing mistake) . Her poem titled ' Atuguba Can’t Hide His Pro-NDCism & Anti-NPPism' in 'Ghanaweb' dated May 25, 2013 (click for original article ) was out of place with no relevance to the overall divisive political environment. However, the message in the poem was quite clear and in line with similar poems and comments written by people fanning the flame of tribal disharmony in Ghana.

I have never written a rejoinder to any opinion article in any of our digital media. This is because; I strongly believe every individual has the ‘inalienable rights’ to freedom of expression in Ghana. However, her poetic attempt to cast insinuation of bias against justice Atuguba really ruffled my feathers. I was so taken aback I was quite unable to think of a suitably clever rejoinder. In response therefore, I hope she would enjoy this poem, which I titled:

“Bad Taste”

I write my share of bad taste poems,

I am a nationalist Denkyira beauty

I admit that this is true,

But I should draw the line at the effects of false insinuations,

And tribal rhetoric.

I write “populist hyperbolic, satirical” poetry,

And laugh at tribalist jokes,

I jostle at the non Denkyira Ghanaians,

Because we Denkyiras are macho blokes.

But when all is said and done here guys,

We nationalist Denkyira people, must remember that we need all Ghanaians to rule Ghana,

Best not to share our hatred of their kingsmen,

They find the subject quite unpleasant.

We must remember that we Denkyiras do not beg,

And neither do we give,

Well that is what we would have them believe,

for in the end, all you need in this life are ignorance and confidence.

Concluding then, I have begun to think that, this Ms Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema, Ph. D has lost or is losing the qualities that made her writes what she claimed critics ‘have called “populist hyperbolic, satirical” poetry’. I say this more in sorrow than anger affectation: I have enjoyed reading most of her essays on Ghanaweb. But this time, I am appalled by the robotic element both of her prose and of her narratives.

*Writer:

Shuk Abubakar

Abushuk2000@yahoo.com

Tweet me @abushuk2000