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A change is gonna come
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The “A CHANGE GONNA COME” song by Sam Cooke was inspired by various events in his life, most prominently when he and his entourage were turned away from a white-only motel in Louisiana. Cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and those around him, and pertained to the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans.
Sam Cooke wrote the song in 1963, recorded in January of 1964 in Hollywood, CA, and released the song as a single in December, 1964. He performed it live on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson television show and gave testimony to his struggles (shared and personal) for the civil rights and social justice.
As a little boy, when Sam sang in church, everyone made note that his voice had ‘something special’. His refusal to sing at a segregated concert led to what many have described as one of the first real efforts in civil disobedience.
Sam was not only a great soul-singer but he was a civil rights activist in late 50’s and early 60’s America, where he was given a platform for both his music and his opinions and in the eyes of the society then, this made Sam Cooke a very dangerous man.
Thus, the song – “A Change is Gonna Come” is much more than a civil rights anthem. It’s become a universal message of hope, one that does not age. Generation after generation and people all over the globe have heard the promise of it. It continues to be a song of enormous impact.
I am sure some of you would obviously wonder why this song?
To my mind, Sam Cooke wrote the song for such a time as this in Ghana as we traverse the journey towards three decades of the Fourth Republican dispensation in 2023, with the dire challenges of a HUNG PARLIAMENT and with all the issues of ‘uncertainties’ around the 2022 Budget Statement facing us as a Nation and as a People.
Like Sam Cooke, I am relating the challenges he faced with the civil rights movement to the job uncertainties for our youth amidst several insecurity threats and forms, entrenched positions of the two main parties in the Parliament forcing the populace to question whether we have missed the road to the future promised by the parties since the dawn of the 4th Republic in 1993.
The situation we face now is akin to the period of the intense American Civil Rights confrontations of the sixties, when black as well as coloured lives mattered for little.
You see within all the confusions, denials, strives, hunger, joblessness, lack of amenities for the blacks, unequal pay for same jobs, lack of equal opportunities (not on party lines as we witness now) and no housing facilities for majorities of the blacks, ONE SMALL VOICE with so much hope against dire indiscriminate, police brutalities rose up with just the lyrics of a melodious song: ‘CHANGE IS GONNA COME’- to push for a change.
“I was born by the river, in a little tent
Oh, and just like the river
I’ve been running ever since
It’s been a long
A long time coming
But I know a change gonna come
Oh, yes it will
It’s been too hard living
But I’m afraid to die
‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there
Beyond the sky
It’s been a long
A long time coming
But I know a change gonna come
Oh, yes it will
I go to the movie
And I go downtown
Somebody keep telling me
Don’t hang around
It’s been a long
A long time coming
But I know, a change gonna come
Oh, yes it will
Then I go to my brother
And I say, brother, help me please
But he winds up, knockin’ me
Back now I think I’m able, to carry on
It’s been a long
A long time coming
But I know a change gonna come
Oh, yes it will”
Don’t forget that when Sam Cooke composed the lyrics, he never dreamt beyond the impossibilities to imagine or think, much less, see the election of the first African-American President of the United States of America – Barrack Obama: because he never thought that was going to be the end of the struggles of the black race in America.
It means for us in Ghana, our fight is far more than just a slogan of ‘BREAKING THE EIGHT’ or the ‘GREAT RETURN OF THE JOHN FROM THE WILDERNESS – Baptist’ or a possibility of an ‘ABABASE IN EAGLE CLOTHING’. Indeed, our fight is even more precarious with the possibility of a ‘THIRD FORCE’ of the ‘Bilson’ stock. Thus, what we are faced with has nothing to do with our individual or collective allegiances to the two main political traditions of the 4th Republic. It has, instead, everything to do with how we can be ‘A BETTER NATION AND A PEOPLE’.
It also has everything to do with how our HONOURABLE Members of Parliament continue to conduct themselves in front of TV cameras for not just us as adults but also before our children and their own children and those of the MPs too.
Otherwise, how on earth will an ‘Honourable Member’ so conduct himself ‘dishonourably’ and we all pretend we did not see anything – from the voting for the SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT; to the whisking away of the Speaker’s Chair; to the rejection of the Government’s Budget Statement; to the inclusion of a budget allocation for the sea defence issues of the Volta Region, especially where ironically, there is an ‘ANLO NEW TOWN’ in a prominent part of the ‘Garden City of Ghana’, Kumasi, where the people are predominantly EWES?
What are we trying to teach our children and their children too? …that lawlessness pays?…for as long as you end up as a Member of Parliament to assume a certain level of immunity? …and from what?
Sam Cooke’s ‘CHANGE IS GONNA COME’ song, no matter how long, should let us all be mindful of the truth of life that NOTHING IS FOREVER and that…”It’s been a long; A long time coming; But I know a change is gonna come; Oh, yes it will.”
I do not want to assume that, there is an existing CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS at the Parliament House for our Honourable Members of Parliament, on how to go about the business of the House, (or if there are sanctions for dishonourable behaviour in the House) or they are kept away from common men and women like the people who voted and or vote for them every four years?
Otherwise, we would institute a monthly ‘BADGE OF DISHONOURABLE MAN / WOMAN’, where the public would be invited to vote on a Member of Parliament who tops the list of dishonouring himself or herself in any particular month with the support of all media houses in the country.
I am not a ‘prophet’, nor would I, for any reason assume such a position on earth, but as long as night follows day, I know a CHANGE WILL COME SOONER THAN LATER in the way our elected officers are conducting ourselves in public life.
On a personal level, I wish we could amend the 4th Republican Constitution that justifies the appointment of a certain percentage of Members of Parliament as Ministers of State so that they could apply themselves solely to the matters of state as MPs. However, a government could be permitted to nominate any MP for a position but not by a stated quota in the Constitution.
Members of Parliament, Ministers of State and other public office holders should always know that they do not occupy these positions of themselves but because of us as Ghanaians; that we vote them into office as MPs and thereafter, get appointed into those public positions because of us, the people and they should never forget that.
They should also be mindful of the impact their actions and inactions have on the general populace so they ought to act RIGHT ALWAYS WITH HONOUR and nothing else.
By Sam Cooke The author is a Land Economist & Appraiser, Event Architect & Planner and Sport Business Consultant
There is a culture that permeates all aspects of leadership in the advanced countries which I believe has contributed to the success in all aspects of their national lives. Citizens strive to excel so that they will not find themselves in a situation where they would have failed, to necessitate a decision to resign.
Countries where failure is frowned upon, it pushes the citizens to strive for success. In our part of the world, failure and mediocrity has become an accepted norm and therefore, there is no shame in failing in a particular position of leadership.
A head of an organisation mismanages the place and he does not see the need for him to resign. The appointing authority does not also see the need to sack him and so the merry go round continues.
It becomes friends and family as usual and if care is not taken, the rest of the world will leave us far, far behind.
The practice of resignation in parts of the world for failure in some parts of the world has to be institutionalised in our country too. It encourages the principle of accountability which is good for any organisation, sector of an economy or a country.
It promotes good governance, a necessary ingredient in the growth of the economy of any country.
When this practice becomes a culture, every individual, privileged to hold a position of trust, gives his or her full attention to the job assigned him or her, to ensure that objectives are achieved.
This trickles down to every individual down the chain of command and there are no rooms for errors.
That is how efficient systems are built over time and this is the difference between advanced nations and third world countries.
Where systems are designed such that people take responsibility for things that go wrong under their supervision or ultimate responsibility, there is evidence of development.
There are a few people that I admire in Ghana as far as this culture of resignation based on principled stance. One of them is the late Mrs Emma Mitchell. She was a cabinet member but chose to resign after the confrontation between late President Jerry Rawlings and late Vice President Kow Akaah.
She was not prepared to be part of a cabinet which was lying to the general public that Rawlings did not assault Akaah.
She was of the conviction that telling the truth is more honourable than telling lies and that if she was bound by confidentiality oaths to tell a lie, then she would resign and she did exactly that.
That is how we build a culture of truth and accountability. We have people in positions who have not lived up to expectation but are still holding on to their positions not prepared to let go of it.
This is a clear case of display of selfishness, trying to be a Boss instead of a Servant to serve the people, which leadership is all about.
The ineffectiveness of some leaders, often result in waste of resources which could have been channeled to other sectors of the economy which could have been more productive. A culture of voluntary resignation must be advocated for by all stakeholders, especially the CSOs, traditional leaders and the clergy.
This is the only way the needed growth in every sector of our national life would manifest.
Presidents, Prime Ministers, heads of reputable organisations have voluntarily resigned by taking ultimate responsibility and it is about time, we started seeing it manifest in our country.
The people in charge of our sports especially our soccer, can initiate this long desired culture and resign in view of the embarrassment witnessed from the defeat of the Black Stars by Gambia. God bless.
BY LAUD KISS-MENSAH
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THE QUR’AN FORBIDS RELIGIOUS PROVOCATION
There is a remarkable verse in the Qur’an which every Muslim preacher should memorise.
Allah says:
“And do not insult those they invoke besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in hostility without knowledge.” (Qur’an 6:108).
Think about this carefully.
Allah knows that the unbelievers worship false gods.
Yet Allah tells Muslims: Do not insult their objects of worship.
Why?
Because your speech may provoke an even greater offence.
This establishes a profound principle:
A Muslim must not fight religious provocation with religious provocation.
If someone insults what we hold sacred, we do not respond by insulting what they hold sacred.
If someone attacks Islam, we defend Islam with knowledge.
If someone misrepresents Muhammad (pbuh), we explain who is Muhammad to him.
If someone lies about Islam, we answer with truth and knowledge.
We do not allow another person’s bad behaviour to dictate our own morality.
LOOK AT MUHAMMAD (PBUH) — HE WAS INSULTED BEFORE WE WERE
Servant of Allah,
Sometimes we speak as though the Prophet (pbuh) lived in a world where everyone respected him.
No.
He was mocked and insulted. Quran 37:36, Quran 15:6
He was called a liar, magician, and a mad man. Quran 51:52, Quran 17:47
He was ridiculed. Quran 6:10
His followers were tortured, and some were killed. Quran 85:8-10
He himself was persecuted, leading to his migration to Madina.
Yet he remained the Messenger of Allah.
Allah said:
“Indeed, we know that your heart is distressed by what they say.” (Qur’an 15:97)
Allah acknowledged the Prophet’s pain.
Islam does not say that insults do not hurt. They hurt.
But the question is: What do you do with the pain?
THE DAY OF TA’IF: WHEN THE PROPHET (PBUH) COULD HAVE CHOSEN
REVENGE
One of the most powerful examples is the journey of the Prophet (pbuh) to Ta’if.
He went seeking support for his message.
Instead, the people rejected him and incited their children and others against him.
He was chased.
He was insulted.
He was struck with stones until his feet bled.
He was physically and emotionally exhausted.
Then the Angel of the Mountains came to him.
The two angels offered to crush the people of Ta’if between the mountains.
The Prophet (pbuh) could have said: “Do it.”
But he did not.
Instead, he hoped that Allah would bring from their descendants people who would worship Him.
This account is recorded in the authentic hadith literature, including Sahih Muslim (Muslim, 1795).
What a lesson!
The Prophet (pbuh) had suffered injustice.
But he did not turn his pain into indiscriminate revenge.
He saw beyond the offender.
He saw the possibility of tomorrow.
And this is one of the greatest characteristics of prophetic leadership:
The Prophet (pbuh) did not merely ask, “What punishment does this person deserve?”
He also asked, in effect: “What can this person become?”
THE PROPHET IN MADINAH: LEADER OF A DIVERSE SOCIETY
When Muhammad (pbuh) migrated to Madinah, he did not enter an empty city.
Madinah contained different communities, including Muslims and Jews, and there were also Christians who interacted with the Muslim community.
The Prophet became the political and communal leader of Madinah.
The Sahifah (A Covenant) of Madinah, preserved in the early sīrah (Prophet’s biography) tradition, established arrangements concerning mutual obligations, security, justice and relations among the communities of the city.
This is important:
The Prophet did not build Madinah by teaching Muslims to hate everyone who was not Muslim.
He built a society governed by covenant, responsibility and justice.
Allah says:
“Allah does not forbid you from being kind and just to those who have neither fought you because of your religion nor driven you from your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (Qur’an 60:8)
This is not weakness.
This is Islam.
THE PROPHET DEALT WITH JEWS IN MADINAH
‘A’ishah (Wife of the Prophet) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) bought food from a Jewish man on credit and gave him his iron armour as collateral.
“The Prophet purchased food from a Jew on credit and mortgaged his iron armour to him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 2068)
Think about it.
This was Muhammad.
The Messenger of Allah.
Yet he conducted lawful commercial dealings with a Jewish citizen.
He did not say: “He is not a Muslim, therefore I cannot deal with him.”
No.
Islam gave him a relationship governed by justice and trust.
Jabir رضيهللاعنه narrated:
“A funeral procession passed before us and the Prophet (pbuh) stood up, and we stood with him. We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, it is the funeral of a Jew.’ He said: ‘When you see a funeral procession, stand.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1311)
Another narration records his response: “Is it not a soul?” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1312–1313)
What kind of heart did Muhammad (pbuh) possess?
A heart that recognised human dignity even in death.
THE PROPHET AND THE CHRISTIANS OF NAJRAN
The Prophet also received the Christian delegation of Najran.
They disagreed with him theologically.
Yet when they requested a trustworthy person, he did not choose someone because of hatred.
He selected Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.
The Prophet said:
“I shall send with you a man who is truly trustworthy.”
He then appointed Abu ‘Ubaydah.
This is authentically reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 4380–4381.
Notice something profound:
The Prophet could disagree with people without becoming dishonest toward them.
That is the standard we need today.
The author is the chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governance Expert.
