Features
Freeing ourselves from colonial mentality – brownman or blackman
On several occasions I have stood in front of the mirror to observe my looks, I have wondered why I should call myself a Blackman? Unless I am colour blind, the colour of my skin is more brown than black. When I am putting on my trousers, I clearly see a very marked difference between my black trouser and the skin colour of my legs and I begin to wonder why I should accept the erroneous idea that the colour of my skin is black, and therefore I should call myself a Blackman.
It is true that the skin colour of some of our family members and friends can be termed as black. There are people in some communities in the western part of Ghana whom one can say are black. In fact one is assumed to be from a particular part of Ghana if his or her skin colour is black.
However, the majority of the people are more brownish than blackish and so on the average it would be wrong to call Ghanaians black people. There are people in southern Nigeria, in the Calabar area that look like Caucasians but are very African. How can you refer to these people as Black?
There is a very funny situation that makes for interesting analysis. There was a film about apartheid and the murder of Steve Biko. In that movie, the man playing the role of Steve Biko was asked by the judge that “Why do you call yourself Black because you are more Brown than Black” and in response Steve Biko said “Why do you also call yourself White, you are more Pink than White”. That statement brought home to me a profound truth and set me wondering why Caucasians call themselves white when it is evidently and abundantly clear that there is a marked difference between the colour of their skin and the colour white.
It brings to mind a people with either a confused state of mind or a people willing to pursue a deliberate agenda, at all cost. There is a definite racist white supremacist agenda that wants to implant an idea of inferiority complex in the mind of the African and people of African Descent. The objective is to make the African lose his or her sense of dignity, self-confidence and identity so that as a group, they can be easily controlled.
At the religious level, deliberate effort has been made by colonial powers to depict the African both on the continent and in the Diaspora as evil. Have you ever seen a picture of the Devil as a Caucasian? The answer is a definite no; he is always depicted as a Black person. It carries a certain subtle message which suggests to people that Africans and people of African Descent are of the devil and therefore evil. When this narrative is perpetuated according to the theory of propaganda, it has the potential to reinforce the perception that Africans and people of African Descent are evil.
People should, therefore, not be surprised at the rate of police brutality towards people of African Descent because there is a stereotype which brings to mind a person of potential criminal intent whenever a policeman sees a so-called black person.
Take a look at some words and phrases in the English language: Blackmail, Black sheep of the family, Blacklist, Black eye, Black market, Black out etc. are all geared towards ensuring an agenda to project so-called “Black people” in a bad light. All along there is a campaign to destabilise the wealthiest African nations and their systems by Western countries to project Africa as a poor continent that cannot survive without the benevolence of western countries according to Mallence Bart-Williams, a world-class Social Entrepreneur.
She further stated that this is achieved through Multi-million dollar PR advertisement campaigns waged by organisations like Oxfam, Unicef, Life Aid, Red Cross etc. The rationale behind this, is to prevent the threat of exposure to the world of how weak the Western World is without depending on the resources from Africa.
Therefore, let us continually create conditions that would project Africa and the people of African Descent as people who cannot survive on their own without so-called Western help. How best to achieve that is by creating an environment that would result in self-destruction by undermining the Unification of Africa agenda which was first initiated by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana. His overthrow through a coup d’état has now been established as having been orchestrated by the Western World, through the CIA to be specific.
There is the need, therefore, by Africans and people of Africa Descent to start rejecting the idea that they are Black People and start calling themselves Brown People if they want to use colour to define their identity as a people. This initiative must start from my own country Ghana where we pride ourselves as the Black Star of Africa.
It should rather be the Brown Star of Africa. There must be a deliberate effort to start an indoctrination process for people of Africa and Africa Descent to start believing that they are not black, that they are not evil like the devil and must start drawing the devil as a Caucasian since the actions of Caucasians like slave trade, colonisation of Africa etc. is a clear demonstration of the attributes of the devil. Talks must be organised in junior and senior high schools and tertiary institutions to reinforce this deliberate indoctrination with the objective of renewing the mind of the African that he or she is not inferior to any person of a different colour to his or her own.
The responsibility of freeing ourselves from colonial mentality, also to a large extent, depends on our leaders who must show the way. The citizens of the various countries also have a responsibility of holding our leaders accountable. A combination of these two things is the surest way of freeing ourselves from colonial mentality and raising the dignity of the African. The greed and the selfish interest of a lot of our leaders like the Mobutus, the Sanni Abachas etc. must be curtailed.
Jacques Chirac, the former French President, is on record as saying that “We have to be honest and acknowledge that a big part of the money in our banks comes precisely from the exploitation of the African continent”. A strong collaboration of people on the continent and those in the diaspora is the way to go in establishing our claim to recognition on the international stage.
An intensive renewal of the mind approach has to be adopted and practicalised by starting to love our neighbour as ourselves as the Bible declares in Mathew 22:39. The attitude of pull him down must be replaced with lift him up and push him up as Africans. This is what the Jews have established among themselves and no wonder they have the financial power and therefore wield such great influence in the world.
It is a well-known fact that a Jew would rather buy from another Jew even if the price of the Jewish shop is higher than that of a non-Jewish shop of a product, of the same quality. In fact it is claimed that money circulates 20 times among Jews before it goes out of their circles. This is a great lesson Africa and Africans in the diaspora must learn and practise and as we renew our mind, in other words become restless, we shall break free of the bondage of the tag of Third World just as Isaac declared upon Esau in Genesis 27:40.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah, Social Commentator
NATIVES of Sikaman are very religious people. Procure a Bible, hire an interpreter, get four benches, a chair, table and two candles and arrange them like you see in a church room. You have established a church and the natives will start coming to you for consultation. The ladies will come around mid-night if you ask them to.
Getting followers is normally not a problem but if you are finding it difficult, you only have to learn to be a good dancer so that your floor shows will be a side attraction.
Start a funky Christian hymn and dance in accompaniment. An old retired witch passing by is likely to join you. She wants last minute salvation. For sure, a civil servant wanting to fight VAT spiritually will also join the fold with his own brand of kpalogo. A church has indeed been born.
The demise or survival of such a mushroom church will, however, depend on the competence, cooperation or roguery of the interpreter. If for instance he is not properly fed before a church service, he can decide to give his own interpretations to reflect the extent of his stomach palaver. It is, in fact, a form of strike action Kumi Preko!
“You are standing on holy ground”, the pastor will say. “If you don’t receive your miracle and healing here, then Jesus is not alive. So long as Jesus is alive, no disease, no problem will come here and go back unsolved. Halleluyah!”
The hungry interpreter who wants to subvert the process of the new church will interpret thus “The pastor says this is a church for idiots and those who are idle and have nothing doing. It is also a church for those who want entertainment like you can get in the discos. Meanwhile he says the service is becoming boring so if you’re feeling sleepy you can go home and sleep”.
The pastor will immediately sense foul play and will call the interpreter aside to ask him whether he is normal.
Are you mental?” he’d ask.
“You gave me only one ball of kenkey so whatever you were saying didn’t enter into my ears”
“Did you use the kenkey to seal your damn ears?”
“No, I mean it was not sufficient for my stomach”.
“So if I give you three balls can you handle the job?”
“Yes, but if you make it four, I’ll not make any mistake again. But the fish must be double, or else I’ll develop kwashiorkor”.
With the increase in the ration of the almighty interpreter and a rise in his Sunday stipend, the church gains ground and before long, membership increases with beautiful women in the majority. They have got problems that can only be solved at the beach at midnight.
Yes, most women go to church for various reasons among which are learning to dance, seeking marriage, courting potential boyfriends, making business smooth and flowing and seeking healing for fibroids. Some women also go to avoid their sexy husbands who always desire to start climbing them as early as 7.30 p.m. By the time they return from the evening service such husbands are tired of waiting and resort to snoring.
Men also are not left out of the Christian show. They attend to pray so that God can reveal to them whether their wives are witches or not, because since marriage, they have not prospered. They’ve tried everything including lotto, but still … There must be setting behind!
Well, prosperity or not, Christian churches have been established all over the place. At Ashaiman alone, there are about 500 churches or Christian sects, some fellowshipping in converted kitchens and under trees. Many are breakaway factions but they all have the same objectives together with the orthodox churches that is SAVING SOULS. But are Ghanaian churches really saving souls?
Whether orthodox, spirito-charismatic charismato-magical, almost all churches in Sikaman have tragically deviated from the virtues of soul winning and now concentrate on financial matters.
Luckily, one man of God, Reverend J. K. Atto-Brown who obviously was becoming embarrassed by the unbridled and unwarranted ways of ministers of the word who concentrate more on money than saving souls, spoke his piece of mind.
“It is a well-known fact that a greater part of our worship time is often devoted to fund-raising activities, while very little attention and time is given to the spiritual message to feed the souls of members”, he said.
Reverend Atto-Brown also observed that the method used by churches to collect monies from their members clearly shows how Satan could easily adulterate spiritual worship with materialistic concerns.
Not long after he spoke his mind, another Reverend Minister, Francis Botchway, lambasted ministers of churches for using too many methods to collect monies from their members.
In fact, financial issues have gained priority in our churches to such extents that organizing offerings and collections have become major activities of the modern church. The sermon is hurriedly preached to give way to more serious matters – silver collection, etc.
Members are compelled to donate towards the building of a new church house that never gets built, a-new organ that never gets bought, pastor’s welfare, pastor’s transfer, harvests, funerals, tithing and sundry others.
Contributing to some of these things isn’t a bad idea but anything which becomes compelling, straining and excessive to the point that members are distressed and feel exploited is not good for the church.
Moreover, a large percentage of these monies are not properly accounted for and pastors often quarrel with their church elders over embezzlements of church funds and the like.
The whole palaver has become one suggesting that you have to pay money to get salvation and a visa to heaven, which must not be the case. Salvation is free. It also suggests that if you are poor then you better stay at home and go to hell. Poverty, therefore, becomes a passport to hell.
Anyway, the self-appointed Reverend Kofi Kokotako recently told me that there is no place for the poor man in heaven because heaven is a luxurious joint. The guy is not serious.
Anyhow, our Christian churches need to be reformed. The exploitation must stop so that even the poor can have the chance of getting salvation. Worshipping God must not be another luxury. Must It?
This article was first published on Saturday May 27, 1995
Rage, that primal, visceral emotion that courses through our veins like liquid fire, is often misunderstood and frequently gendered. Society tends to view male rage as a natural, even justified, response to provocation, while female rage is often dismissed as hysteria or emotional instability. But what’s beneath these surface-level perceptions?
The Socialisation of rage
From a young age, boys are socialised to express anger and aggression, often encouraged to “tough it out” or “be a man.” This can lead to a buildup of unaddressed emotions, which can erupt in explosive outbursts. Girls, on the other hand, are often taught to suppress anger, being told to be “nice” and “calm.” This doesn’t mean women don’t experience rage, but rather that they’re socialised to express it differently.
The neuroscience of rage
Anger is a complex emotion, involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hormones like testosterone and adrenaline.
Research suggests that men and women exhibit different neural patterns when experiencing anger, with men showing more activity in the amygdala and women showing more activity in the prefrontal cortex (Domes et al., 2010).
This doesn’t imply that one sex is more prone to rage, but rather that the expression and regulation of anger differ.
Male rage: A culture of toxicity?
Male rage is often linked to societal expectations of masculinity, power, and control. When these expectations are threatened, some men lash out in anger, perpetuating a cycle of aggression and dominance. This can manifest in toxic behaviors, from road rage to domestic violence.
Female rage: The unmuting of silence
Female rage, on the other hand, is often silenced or dismissed. Women are more likely to internalise anger, leading to anxiety, depression, or self-destructive behaviors. However, as societal norms shift, women are beginning to express their rage more openly, demanding justice and equality.
The power of rage
Rage can be a transformative force, driving individuals to challenge injustices and push for change. When harnessed constructively, anger can fuel activism, creativity, and personal growth.
Conclusion
Male and female rage are not mutually exclusive; they’re two sides of the same coin.
By acknowledging and addressing the societal, neurological, and cultural factors that shape our expressions of anger, we can work towards a healthier, more compassionate understanding of this complex emotion.
BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND-THOMPSON
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