Features
British monarchy and the African revolution
• King Charles III
On September 8 this year, the world was assailed by the news that the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, had died, aged 96. Easily the longest serving British monarch, Elizabeth II was the only British monarch the modern world has known, having served for 70 years as queen.
Her death means different things to different people. Some people think the monarchy should give way to a republican status, while others hold the view that it has guaranteed stability in the United Kingdom (UK). Some claim that it has become archaic in the face of current world politics and tenets of modern democratic practice.
There are yet others who believe that maintaining the monarchy is a drain on the British public purse since members of the royal family are taken care of by the taxpayer. It is said that the funeral of the queen cost a whopping £4 billion at a time the UK is experiencing an economic downturn.
A group calling itself the Young Communist League of Britain has issued a statement in response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. “The death of Elizabeth Windsor highlights to our generation and working people across Britain that the abolition of the monarchy remains a pressing and important issue,” it said in part.
“It is fundamentally clear, now more than ever, that Britain must become a modern republic. A tiny interbreeding sect of a decaying aristocracy cannot and will never reflect the interests of working people in Britain…..the imposition of an obscenely wealthy, unrepresentative, unelected head of state is offensive to all working people. But this is not just a matter of important democratic and egalitarian principles,” it continued.
It did not end there. “The Royal Family’s wealth and the Crown estates, vast tracts of land and resources across Britain, are centuries of stolen wealth from the working people of this country and the oppressed and exploited peoples in Britain’s colonies……the monarch’s position as the head of state, not just of Britain, but of various former colonies and as head of the Commonwealth plays an important symbolic and ideological role in maintaining British imperialism around the world,” and advocates “…….the immediate abolition of the monarchy and its replacement with a democratically elected head of state.”
The firebrand leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) of South Africa, Julius Malema, warned his country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, not to order flags to fly at half mast. If he did, his EFF would marshall people to raise them up all across the country. His beef was that the British plundered the resources of his country.
Many commentators speak of British atrocities in Africa, especially in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe in the name of the Crown.
I confess that, personally, nothing about the British excites me, but I watched the Queen’s funeral with a journalistic interest. Forget about the Crown making money on every single slave sold in the Americas. Forget about the two Barclay brothers who made money as underwriters to slave ships and ended up setting up Barclays Bank from the proceeds, and later Liverpool FC. All blood money, if you asked me.
Yes, some of the expensive diamonds and emeralds that adorn the imperial crown might have been plundered in India and Africa. Some might have been gifts from coercive influence but what else would have been expected from the Brits?
Today, we grouse, rave and rant about what colonialism did to us. I do not yet know if we do this to massage our inadequacy and pain as a people or expect recompense. This behaviour is like closing the door to the barn after the horses have bolted.
Today, we elect leaders who plunder our resources far in excess of what the colonial Europeans did. We elect characters who take millions from multinational companies and grant them concessions to mine our minerals and our countries make less than 10 per cent from the proceeds.
I was sorely disappointed watching almost all leaders bussed to the Westminster chapel for the Queen’s memorial service. I wished to God that only our African leaders were bussed. I would have laughed loud and said, “You guys got your just desserts. Serves you right.” But that did not happen. If it did, that would jolt them into knowing how little they mattered in the geopolitical scheme of things. The final act of humiliation.
Those developed countries know some of our leaders for the rogues they are; for the frauds they are and for the plunderers and corrupt characters they are.
We elect leaders who dance to the tunes of the imperialists, yet shout their voices hoarse to their people about reparation for the obnoxious slave trade. We elect people who, assuming office, become overlords running roughshod over the people.
The whole nation becomes their ‘spoils of war’ that must be shared among lackeys, friends, family and bootlickers. They account to no one and, as a result, manipulate the system to keep winning elections.
How many foreign politicians syphon their countries’ resources into African banks, buy properties or invest in Africa? Our leaders do not have confidence in the countries they lead. And we turn around to blame everything on the characters that colonised us. Do we not have minds of our own?
All this has to change one way or another. And this I call the African Revolution. It must be a revolution of like minds among the youth and of the continent; be it francophone, anglophone, lusophone or any other phone.
The youth will rise up and declare that enough of the plundering is enough and will take leadership of the continent; and with one voice. It is an epoch I will love to live and witness. Thankfully, I am aware of the undercurrents.
Our young women who have been subdued into pigeonholes of subservience must strive for leadership roles as men. There are quite a number of young women leaders in many countries. And they are doing a good job too.
The African Revolution must question the usefulness of the Commonwealth. Who controls the wealth that is supposed to be common? If this group does not benefit our economic growth, let us walk out of it. How can a group of economic vampires sit on the comfort of their couches and determine how much they buy what we produce, yet determine what price we buy theirs?
These are the issues we must avert our minds to and bargain on equal terms. Because world trade is conducted in American dollars, the USA will never go to the IMF for a bail out; America will just print more dollars and still remain atop the food chain of economic might.
What stops Africa from a common continental currency? Even the talk of sub-regional currencies that has been on the table for decades has not seen any concrete action. The European Union has become a powerful trading and economic bloc, even if the British, in their egotistic nature, have exited. The African Revolution will take us there.
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
Writer’s email address: akofa45@admin
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic 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.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic 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 in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic 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!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
