Features
Blaming the Wrong Person
WHEN my bosom friend Kofi Kokotako was awarded a walking stick (Grade 9) in his Ordinary Level mathematics exam, he quickly blamed the maths teacher.
“He taught us the wrong things,” he claimed. I disagreed with him because others had Grade 1. Then he blamed his grandmother. “She is a witch,” he declared. After a while, he confessed, “I just didn’t practice.”
In Sikaman, the average human being blames others for his woes. Normally, the family witch is a stone, you can always swear that there is a spiritual reason behind it. Nothing happens by chance in Sikaman! Never!
If you wanted to wake up at 5.00 am to attend to some urgent business but slept too deeply and ended up getting up at 6.15 a.m., the old lady most probably engineered it electronically, by tuning your mind to a certain frequency far and above 99.7.
No wonder that news have been rife about people butchering, twisting the necks or stamping the buttocks of their mothers and grandmothers for electronically engineering their poverty, “I’ve been seeing her in my dreams telling me I won’t prosper”, they often claim. “Whatever business I do yields nothing. I’ve sold my house and all my belongings in order to survive. She deserves what I did to her. Looks like a bizarre way of judging suspects, you only have to dream and then look for a cutlass, sharpen it properly and detach your grandmother’s nose for no offence committed. And after her death, you still do not prosper!
My former classmate, Sir Kofi Owuo alias Death-By-Poverty, who has a lifelong alliance with Mr Joseph Poverty does not blame witches for his perpetual financial hypertension. He sees the world as one of unequals. ALL MEN ARE NOT EQUAL, at least financially.
Kofi Owuo is not that naive about the nature of the universe and wouldn’t stoop so low as to blame others for his hopelessness. He would rather blame himself for signing that unholy alliance after having refused to prosper. He won’t go and twist the ankle of his grandmother or pull his mother’s ears whether they are long or not.
Neither is he like the 48-year old teacher who created mirth in a Ho Circuit court on November 2 and when he decided not to blame himself. He stole 10 pieces of roofing sheets belonging to a Baptist church and when he was carted he decided to blame something else. He blamed the Economy of Ghana.
In a ‘Times’ report expertly penned by ace-reporter Alberto Mario Noretti, the teacher claimed, both my eldest wife and second child died in February this year, and in the following month, my youngest wife gave birth prematurely.” He ended by saying the prevailing economic situation compelled him to steal and pleaded with the court to deal leniently with him “since the offence was beyond my control.”
The judge was unsympathetic and explained to him that the economic hardships were global and not peculiar to Ghana. He fined him 200,000.
Well, blaming others for our predicament is as old as the beginning of time. When Adam was accused by God of eating the forbidden fruit, he quickly blamed Eve. “The woman you created gave me the fruit and I ate of it.” He didn’t state why he didn’t refuse to eat the fruit. He only wanted to escape blame. A smart guy there!
In Sikaman, blaming others unduly isn’t a new phenomenon. Ex-General I.K. Acheampong became disgusted with everybody blaming him when the rains were not falling that he was compelled to ask Ghanaians whether he was God the rain-maker.
Maybe Ghanaians thought the man was the representative of God on the Sikaman territory and therefore, knew all about the rainfall distribution and why the rains were not falling.
In 1983 when drought and bushfires destroyed our agriculture, many blamed it all on Flight Lt. Rawlings. If Rawlings had not been on the throne, there would have been no drought and no famine, they claimed. When then 1984/85 harvest was good and there was plenty to eat and belch noisily, everyone kept quiet and munched like mad, and never said, “Thank you Rawlings.”
FOOTBALL
Come to football! Any team that is beaten is not actually beaten. It has only been robbed. So the referee must take blame for the loss and if possible given a hefty slap so that next time round he won’t misbehave with the whistle. These days, however, some referees get themselves armed to the teeth before wielding the whistle. Some also engage in macho exercises and can deliver a terrible counter-punch when it comes to it.
In African politics, shifting blame is as old as democracy on the continent. No election has ever been free and fair. Tanzania today is embroiled in an electoral war with blames being apportioned left and right. Cote d’Ivoire has had its fair share and in Sikaman the so-called gurus of Ghana politics are yet to truly ascertain their claim to a stolen verdict. Whether another stolen verdict will be authored in 1996 is only a matter of time.
Well, blaming others for our failures and inconveniences has become part of the social culture. There is nothing wrong when we blame others for our woes so long as it is justifiable and provable. But to go about blaming the President for anything that is not even remotely connected to him is just unfortunate.
CONNECTION
When drivers of floating in Tema were recently being caught and harassed by the municipal authorities, thus causing inconveniences to passengers, some people blamed the government. When one man categorically stated that Rawlings must have ordered the exercise I was overawed. Luckily, another person around asked him whether what he was saying wasn’t stupid. If local authorities engage in an exercise, what earthly connection does it have to the man on top?
It is not strange, though. The President has been blamed for many things he is not culpable for. I won’t be surprised to hear people blaming their failed marriages, inadequate breakfast and natural floods on the President. He may even be responsible when some people constipate or develop kooko.
If for a change we could individually look more into ourselves than at others, we would be finding solutions to our problems. The very instance you keep blaming others, it means you’ve lost sight of your problem in the first place. And you’ll keep looking in the wrong direction for solutions that will never come today or tomorrow.
This article was first published on Saturday, November 11, 1995
By Merari Alomele
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Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace. The same report found that managers spend an average of four hours per week dealing with conflict, and nearly 25 per cent of people think their managers handle conflict poorly or very poorly.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you’re trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved, here are seven steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
1. Don’t put it off
Facing conflict head-on is hard. However, waiting too long to address it can negatively impact your emotional well-being, focus, and the entire office environment. If you’re feeling angry, letting that emotion fester can also escalate it over time. This can make you less responsive to other points of view and make it harder to resolve the issue.
The sooner you can address the conflict, the better it will be for you, the person you disagree with, and your entire team.
2. Learn all you can about the problem
It’s important to determine the type of conflict you’re dealing with. Begin by considering the cause of the conflict. For example, ask yourself whether someone said something that upset you or if you have emotions of anger and resentment that stemmed from something that happened.
Then try to identify if it’s a task, relationship, value, or team conflict. Once you know what type of conflict it is, you can work to resolve it with specific tactics for that situation.
If you skip this step, you may waste time or escalate the situation further by trying to address issues irrelevant to the real conflict.
3. Actively listen
Listen attentively when people share their side of the story. Active listening is one of the most valuable professional skills you can possess. This type of listening involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also listening to understand their point of view.
No matter your role in conflict, it’s easy to begin sharing your opinion with little regard for the other people involved. However, it’s important to learn about all sides of a disagreement to make well-informed decisions before drawing conclusions.
To reach a resolution, you must step back and prioritize listening over talking. Ultimately, that will encourage the other person to do the same when it’s your turn to speak. –source: betterup.com
Today, I focus on the Temple Of Praise Ministries International (TOP Church) in Helsinki, as I continue my description of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The TOP Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments that must be made known to the public. 
Some history
The Church was established in Finland in September 2016. Since its inception, it has steadily grown both spiritually and numerically, by the grace of God, as disclosed to me by Mr Matthew Anini Twumasi, the Presiding Elder of TOP’s branch in Finland. The TOP Church has other branches across Africa, Europe, and America.
The Church in Finland was founded with a vision to create a welcoming and dynamic community where people could experience God’s love and grace (see, www.topchurchfinland.org). According to Presiding Elder Matthew, the TOP Church operates within a unique environment where Christianity coexists with what is seen as a largely secular society.
Despite this, he submits, there are significant opportunities for outreach, unity, and demonstrating the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
Activities
Church services at the TOP Church are typically held on Sundays for the main worship. In addition, there are mid-week prayer sessions, Saturday prayer services, and a half-night service held on the last Friday of every month. “We also organise quarterly programs”, Elder Matthew added.
His impression of the Church so far has been positive. “It is a vibrant and welcoming community where members are committed to worship, fellowship, and supporting one another in faith”, he stated.
In sum, Elder Matthew said the Church continues to grow by God’s grace. “We remain hopeful and committed to spreading the Gospel, strengthening the faith of our members, and making a positive impact in society”, he continued.
Achievements
The TOP Church has a number of achievements and achievements. Some of the strengths include strong community bonds, cultural diversity, and deep commitment to spiritual growth.
I also remember that during the COVID-19 period, I heard that the TOP Church was one such bodies that hugely supported its members and others to cope with the situation.
According to Elder Matthew, the challenges facing the church include “adapting to cultural differences, engaging the younger generation, expanding outreach in a secular society, and securing a permanent place of worship”.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The TOP Church plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the TOP Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
The Church also has mechanisms in place to support its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them in times of death and funerals.
The Ghanaian community has played a vital role in the growth of the Church. Their strong sense of fellowship, dedication to worship, and active participation have helped build a solid foundation and attract others to the ministry, according to Elder Matthew.
Integration
By its activities, the TOP Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society.
This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process.
The role of migrant associations and groups such as TOP Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
