Condemnation Of Onipa Ba’s Article (Ghana Must Unite At All Cost)

john afoun

As the self proclaimed peace broker for the forum, I am compelled to respond to Onipa ba’s article of September 22nd 2009. The timing of his article was rather unfortunate, given the fact that it was the week of the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who stood for the unification of all Africans, and dedicated his life to promoting unity in Ghana as well as in Africa. Dr. Nkrumah may have made many mistakes, but I am certain that one thing we can all agree upon is that he was a great advocate for tribal and national unity which we will do well to emulate.

Onipa ba’s article is an out right divisive, hateful and direct attack on the Ewes which was not called for. The article therefore could be construed as tribalistic and the write considered a tribalist. If the article was meant to incite tribalism then he has failed, as there are some of us who refuse to engage in the tribal war. How can a tribe be directly attacked like this and not react? And if they react they are labeled trouble makers, inward looking and tribalistic. While I am not a tribalist, but I believe this was a direct provocation. How then, can we expect a united Ghana if we are going to be attacking each other at the slightest opportunity we get. Our objective and goal should be to write articles which promote unity as oppose to division. Ghana belongs to all of us and no tribe is going anywhere soon, so the sooner we learn to live with each other the better, and the sooner we find a lasting solution to the problem the better. Now that there is so much hatred here in the forum and we are trying to address it, Hateful articles such as the one written by Onipa ba, dose not help matters, it only adds fuel to the fire. Therefore the article must be condemned by the forum in the strongest possible terms. The article was a provocation for all out war and we cannot allow this to go on. Men like Onipa ba find it profitable to toy with fire in a warehouse full of dynamites. God forbid it takes an explosion for them to get what should be obvious. There are some things you just don’t play with. What profit is there to be gained by inciting a tribal hatred?

The charge against the Ewes in the article is one that all tribes in Ghana are guilty of. It is therefore unfortunate that the Ewe were singled out. The problem as I see it, it is more of a corruption than tribalism. What we should be calling for is equal opportunity for all Ghanaians who are duly qualified for a position without regard to tribe. We must all join the fight against tribalism and take personal responsibility for our actions here at the forum. We should aim to be part of the solution and not the problem. While I acknowledge the fact that Onipa ba has the right to express his views, however, that right should not offend others. And as the self proclaimed peace broker for the forum, I feel that you owe the Ewes and the forum an apology for your tribally motivated article. We must not allow the forum to be turned into tribal war zone. The forum can be a very useful avenue for learning, exchanging of ideas, debating issues of national interest, developing friendships and sharing great ideas for the progress and development of Ghana. Therefore narrow minded, hateful tribalistic people like Onipa ba must not be allowed to reduce the forum into uncivilized, backward thinking, tribal battlefield. I strongly urge all peace loving and progressive Ghanaians to exercise constrains and to hold fire. We must not allow casualties like this to derail the peace process. Forward ever, backward never. I am confident that we shall rise above our tribal difference and victory shall be won soon. The haters and the enemies of progress shall not prevail.

Long live Ghana, Love live unity.

God bless Ghana