Dear Ato,

Reading through that preposterous post of yours, I didn't know what to think of it or make of your motives. If you simply wanted to insult your own race, why didn’t you just go ahead and do that in your own words? At least it would have been original and I would have had much more respect for you and your opinion and you would look more dignified.

To borrow words from a colonialist who basically regarded you as half human beggars belief. I am ashamed that you, Ato have neither the oratorical aptitude nor descriptive disposition to articulate your own concerns.

Hiding behind Lugard is the worst crime against free speech and creativity. I do take it out on my own people just as friends do take it out on each other and so forth. Whiles it is ok to criticise ourselves and amend our shortcomings; it is unthinkable and defies common logic to use racist bigots like Lugard as point of reference. It is quite amazing that you (Ato) know what Lugard said but not what Dr James Kwegyir Aggrey with the accolade 'Aggrey of Africa' said. Ato, I bet my last dime that people like Lugard would have long eaten back their words after meeting Dr Aggrey. Sadly today, after about ninety years since Dr. Aggrey died, we have an African who sides with Lugard, absurd.

My purpose here is not to analyse whether or not Lugard is right. If people like Ato believe that for themselves, so be it. What I’m interested in saying however is that too much mediocrity has crept into the media today.

Ato should be wary of the fact that he is no ordinary blogger. The level of traffic he attracts to his blog is influenced by the fact that he has the vehicle of JOYFM to promote his views. In light of this, anything he writes or features must be sound. Writing simply because you feel like it or don’t care what people think is ignorance. Ato, I suppose is one such writer. On his blogsite he refers to himself as ‘Ghana’s most irreverent.’ whatever that means?

As one reader of the Lugard article, Amoulanga comments; Ato does not care about what Ghanaians think of his views. He does care about how our reactions to them affect his fame and pocket. As long as he continues to make his money via click-rate dollars from his blog he cares less about the rest.

Oh how we yearn for quality journalism? Ato, get in touch for a dose of grey matter, boy you need it. In the mean time whiles you configure linking up with me, how about the following from Dr. Aggrey as an appetizer?

AGGREY'S EAGLE A certain man went through a forest seeking any bird he might find. He caught a young bird, brought it home, and put it among his fowls and ducks and turkeys, and gave it chicken's food to eat. Five years later, a naturalist came to visit the man, and noticed the bird. He said to the owner; “Look here, this is an eagle, not a chicken.” The man replied “Yes, you may well be right, but I have trained it to be a chicken. It is no longer an eagle; it is a chicken though it is enormous”. Said the naturalist: “No, it is an eagle, it has the heart of an eagle, and I shall make it soar high to the heavens”. The owner comes back with a retort: “No, it is now a chicken, and it will never fly”. They agreed to test it. The naturalist picked up the bird, held it up, and said loudly: “Eagle, thou art an eagle; thou dost belong to the sky and not down here. Stretch out thy wings and fly”, and with that he hurled the bird up. The eagle turned this way and that, and then looking down, saw the chickens eating, and came to join them. The owner said: “I told you it is now a chicken”. “No”, said the naturalist, “This bird is an eagle. I shall come back and prove this to you”. The exercise was repeated three times, with the same result. The bird always came back to feed with the chickens. The naturalist returned yet again, chose a hill, and held the bird aloft, pointing it to the rising sun, and shouted “Eagle! Thou art an eagle; thou dost not belong down here. Thou dost belong to the sky; stretch forth thy wings, and fly!” The eagle looked round, trembled as if new life was filling it, and suddenly it stretched out its wings, and with the screech of an eagle, it mounted higher, and higher, and never returned. It was really an eagle, though it had been kept and tamed as a chicken!

“My people of Africa” Aggrey continued “we were created in the image of God, but men have made us think that we are chickens, and we still think we are, but we are eagles. Stretch forth your wings and fly! Don't be content with food of chickens”.

Credit: Felix Konotey 2007 Ghanaweb.

People like Ato prefer to continue feeding with Mr. Lugard’s chickens.

CIAO!

ISAAC SIMPSON UK; conqueror80@rocketmail.com