Features
Fake prophets! Leave God out of your nonsense!
The late Professor P.A.V. Ansah, the former Dean of the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, had a way of announcing his anger in his column anytime people presumptuously deviated from the norm. “Today, I am going to town,” he would warn. That meant he was going to descend heavily on shameless trespassers. Today, I feel like him. I am angry. So, I will go to town.
When I was about 16 years, an old man in Cape Coast and my mom exchanged some views about God that have stuck with me since. Everybody called him Papa. On hindsight, I guess he might have been in his late-70s, or early 80s. Occasionally, he would drop by our house after a stroll, relax for a while, chat with my parents, and move on.
One evening, while with us and watching TV, black and white for sure, a scene popped up in the Akan drama sketch. I think the actors portrayed God in a bad light and Papa remarked in both Fante and English, saying: “Siseyi, Nyankopcn twer ne lazy chair mu reka d3, you rascals.” This loosely translates to: “By now, God is relaxing in his recliner and slamming these people, saying: you rascals.”
In response, my mom said: “Ah, Papa, abc akcd3ena etwer lazy chair mu ntsi, afa no d3, d3m ara na Nyankopcn so tse,” meaning, “Ah, Papa, because you are an old man, and love to relax in a reclining chair, you are imagining that God is like you.” We all laughed over the issue. But time has taught me how poignant that exchange was. It has given me an idea about how vainly some people treat God.
“Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord in vain,” so commands the Word of God. But, of late, many so-called men of God and spiritualists are doing just. They lie and claim, “Thus says the Lord.”
In the run-up to the two-legged epic encounter between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Super Green Eagles of Nigeria, a flurry of lying prophecies filled the airwaves. The conclusion was unanimous: the Black Stars would never qualify.
A man calling himself Seer Gyan, predicted that the first leg in Kumasi would end one-all, while the scores for the return match in Abuja would be zero-zero. That implied that Nigeria would qualify on account of the away goal rule. He claimed that in the spirit realm, he saw two goals in Kumasi which could be shared by the two teams.
Alternatively, if the Black Stars fought hard, they could claim both goals, otherwise Nigeria could grab them. The man was just trying hard to leave a window of escape in case his prediction backfired. But try as he did, God dribbled him. It was goalless in Kumasi and one-all in Abuja. So, the Black Stars rather qualified against all odds.
Another one, Bishop Isaac Appiah, also known as Ogya Nyame, founder and leader of the Shining Grace Chapel International, was careful not to give specific scores in a bid to leave an escape route for himself should he fail.
“I saw in a vision that the game will not be determined in Kumasi, and I said it last week. An angel made me to see after the final whistle in Abuja, that the Ghanaian players were sorrowful while the Nigerians were jubilating and saying they had won the game. We should go before God and pray because in the spirit realm, what I saw has not been reversed.” Rubbish!
Pressed to be more specific, he repeated what he saw in the vision. When told by the interviewer that Ghanaians would think he is a coward by not coming out with a scoreline, he replied that Ghanaians do not want to hear the truth. According to him, they would brand you unpatriotic if you told them the truth. He said as someone who loves the country, sometimes he sees some evil coming against us, and he stands in the gap for Ghana to avert the danger.
But listen to the “patriotic” pastor’s response when asked if he could do something to turn the tide if “consulted.”“Yes, that would be better than doing it with their own strength.” Nonsense! What did he mean? That Partey and co should depend on his prayer and intervention to win in Abuja? Surely, he wanted to make an easy buck. How dare you try to rip off the whole nation like that? Papa rightly said: You rascals!
The prediction that infuriated me the most is the one by that uncouth idol worshipper who calls himself “spiritual father.”He had the nerve to declare that Ghana is an idolatrous country established by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with the help of “Kankan Nyame,” an idol that Ghanaian folklore claims to have been worshipped by Nkrumah. For that reason, he vehemently urged Ghanaians to go back to that idol.
Foolish man! Who told you that Ghana was established through the help of an idol? The Bible says: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” God’s Word also declares: “The fool has said in his heart that there is no God.”Are you not ashamed of yourself that in this day and age when wise men are still seeking Jesus,you have the audacity to recommend idols for Ghana?
He said if the country failed to apologise to the former GFA president, Kwasi Nyantakyi, Ghana would miss Qatar. Besides, Partey should not accept the captain’s band unless he apologised to Asamoah Gyan. Otherwise, he would be injured in the return match in Abuja.
Banging his hands repeatedly on the table, he swore in twi.“Whether it is a mallam, fetish priest or whoever it is who can help Ghana win, if that happens, I would give the players 50,000 pounds.” The Akans say,“Kwatrekwa se ob3ma wo ntoma a, tie ne din.” It means:“If a man called Naked promises to clothe you, be advised by his name.”
Asked what he would do if Ghana qualified, he pulled an over-sized weapon like a matchet resembling Goliath’s sword, raised it to his neck, and swore that he should be beheaded should Ghana qualify.
He brought out a fetish and shook it in the air saying it had never failed him. While still being pressed on his crazy effusions, he deceptively assumed an out-of-this-world posture as he bowed his head and pretended to be in a trance communicating with the fetish. Suddenly, he raised his head as if he had just been released from the spirit world to talk to mortal men and asked the host whether he was saying something to him. Impudent liar!
After Ghana qualified, he was defiant. He argued that he only said the Black Stars would not win the match, and that came to pass because it ended in a draw. Questioned how come Ghana qualified, he claimed that some “big men” called him on his phone and pleaded with him to do something about the situation. Besides, he boldly declared that the “big men” went to apologise to Kwasi Nyantakyi and Asamoah Gyan as he directed them to do and that led to the qualification. Eeeii!
When he ran out of excuses about why Partey was not injured but rather scored the goal that earned Ghana a slot at the World Cup, the pathological liar easily invented an escape route without scratching his head by instantly claiming the phone line seemed jammed and that made the interviewer’s voice inaudible.
The truth of the matter is that a jaded, faded Black Stars failed miserably at AFCON with a profusely leaking defence, and broke the nation’s heart. Imagine a team like that pitted against the Super Eagles of Nigeria who had the luxury of a dilemma in choosing from the array of world-class attackers like Victor Osimhen of Napoli, Ademola Lukman of Leicester, Victor Ighalo, Simon and others.
With Ghana lacking such strikers, besides a defence that had given the nation cause for alarm, the foregone conclusion was that the Black Stars would be buried under an avalanche of goals. And so, these liars parading as prophets and spiritualists, took the easy road, judged by the trend, and deceived us that they had heard from the Lord.
Hear the Word of the Living God!
I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.
But I carry out the predictions of my prophets!
Isaiah 44:25-26, New Living Translation
The Bible declares: “He traps the wise in their own cleverness so that their cunning schemes are thwarted,” Job 5:13, New Living Translation.
This is how God exposed these liars and made an open show of them, You do not know God. Leave Him out of your nonsense!
Contact: teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
By Tony Prempeh
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.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
