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Fare thee well, Christian Atsu
• Christian Atsu
“A sad fact is that with life comes death. It will happen to all of us but that doesn’t make dealing with our understanding it any easier”. – Sally Collins.
When news about the survivors of the Turkey earthquake started filtering in to Ghanaians, hopes were high that our Christian Atsu would be found alive in spite of the uncertainties surrounding the disaster that had affected Ghanaians as well as other people in the world.
Finally, when the unfortunate news about the death was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the entire country became devastated by the development. The devastation did not exclude anyone but all Ghanaians, including the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, all government officials, parliamentarians, members of the judiciary and, indeed, everyone in the country. People in foreign countries were all saddened by the news.
UNIQUE PHILANTHROPIC SPIRIT
What is more painful about his death is not only his connection with the game of football but his unique philanthropic spirit exhibited to many Ghanaians.
He was kind-hearted and cared for the poor and the needy. He helped widows, many poor people in the country and also prisoners who could not pay the fines imposed on them for which reason many of such people were committed to prison.
The Executive Director of the NGO, Time With Prisoners, Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng will be the best person to testify to Christian Atsu’s exploits and assistance in this area.
The late football star supported also the sick in our hospitals as well as provided support for those suffering from breast cancer. May God continue to bless him.
GHANA LOSES GREAT PERSON
Ghana and the world have lost a great person at this time. His replacement would be very difficult as has been pointed out by President Akufo- Addo.
It is good that the govenment through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has arranged and brought the body of the late football star to Ghana. Indeed, we are all grateful for this role and wish to extend our gratitude to the government.
ATSU’S KIND-HEARTEDNESS WORTHY OF EMULATION
Christian Atsu’s kind-heartedness is worthy of emulation by all Ghanaians. This is what God the Creator expects us to do when we are blessed with resources in any form.
The late Christian Atsu was very respectful, humble and also, unlike others, did not publicise his good works. In fact, what we know about his philanthropic activities have come to light because of certain individuals in the media.
Indeed, left to him alone, most of his good works would have been kept on the quiet.
There are many other philanthropic activities which he has undertaken and again had intended to undertake to help humanity which are not known to the public. God will continue to bless him abundantly even in death.
We read in Mathew 25:36 as told by Jesus Christ that, “I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; in prison and you visited me.”
ATSU’S DEEDS WILL NOT BE IN VAIN
What this means is that, Christian Atsu’s philanthropic exploits were done for Christ. These deeds would not be in vain but serve as a reward for him as well as his wife and children and the entire family. He has opened a doorway for special blessings for all of them. This explains why he will be remembered in this world at all times.
Today, Ghanaians are sad because of this untimely death but we know that God is still in control.” He heals the broken- hearted and bandages their wounds”. – Psalm 147:3.
Again, we are encouraged, those who are sad, by the scriptures to stand firm in the Lord no matter what. This is because we read in John 14:1 that, “do not be worried and upset but believe in God”.
We further read in Psalm 34:18 that, “the Lord is near to those who are discouraged. He saves those who have lost all hope”.
GREAT LESSONS FOR EVERY GHANAIAN
Christian Atsu is dead and gone but his life on earth has brought great lessons for every Ghanaian. In the first place, we should be committed to whatever we are doing on this earth. Secondly, we should know that the special talents we possess are to help us serve our country and the world in a positive way.
Thirdly, we should be patriotic and also philanthropic enough to serve humanity and that should not be done for our personal fame and self aggrandisement but be carried out in a quiet and non-publicised manner as was carried by our late star.
The late Christian Atsu has played his part in a positive manner. What about you!!!
Email address/whatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail.com/ (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.
Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.
These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.
In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.
Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.
Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.
These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.
Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.
Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”
Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.
My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.
According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND-THOMPSON
