Editorial
‘Oobakè’,‘Akwaaba’ brouhaha: Why re-invent the wheel?
Dear Editor,
I HAVE followed with a concerning interest, the ‘Oobake’ euphoria in recent weeks among a section of Ghanaians, particularly and dangerously on social media, and I dare say that may be misguided right from the outset, risking to polarize our tourism terrain.
Rather than improve our tourism [even within the Ga -Dangbe enclave], that move for me, may lead to a wane of interest in Ghana’s tourism.
It is worth reeling back to the period between mid-1990s to early 2000s when similar banter between Bonwire (Asante) and Kpetoe (Volta) over an unnecessary claim as to who were the originators of kente in Ghana.
That development almost tore apart the kente industry in Ghana as far as tourism was concerned. I believe the likes of Messrs. Frank Kofigah, W. Nkunu Akyea, E. Komla, among others will be too willing to attest to that.
So, what about Oobake? Is it relevant? Certainly yes. But, it must be complementary; it cannot forcibly replace the trade word, – call it the catchword or the golden word – “Akwaaba”, that for all these years, has been synonymous to Ghana, the world over.
‘Akwaaba’ is more of a generic word of welcome in Ghana. The whole world knows that word and its pertinence to Ghana, next to Nkrumah.
Therefore, in an effort to brand, does it take replacing completely what resounds so much about Ghana in every part of the globe? How difficult would that be?
More importantly, will it inure to the benefit of national and sectional interests, overall? Again, won’t such a move rather open a Pandora’s Box that will only end up in balkanizing Ghana’s cultural tourism, and negatively affecting the nation and its people as a whole?
I may be a novice in marketing. However, we may dare make this analogy of the oldest surviving brewery [company] in Ghana: Accra brewery.
With all her attempts to re-brand, re-set and introduce new products, they (ABL) have never taken out (and cannot make the mistake to replace) ‘Club’ or superimpose any other name or brand/or slogan – be it Shandy or Charlie How, etc., on the popular Club; all those would rather be popularised under the ‘house-name’: ‘Club.’
Likewise, “Oobake” (Ga) – and by extension, others such as “Woezò” (Ewe), Maraaba (Dagbani), etc. – can only be used in appropriate contexts.
For example, in my practice as a tour guide and also as a master-trainer of tour guides, I, like most professionally-trained tour guides, use ‘Akwaaba’ as the generic word of welcome, but also know when to introduce the guests to other local vocal forms of welcome such as Oobake.
Thus, we move from the generic to the specific, in this case, making both words relevant in our tourism and expression of our identity in particular.
So much has gone into our tourism industry to this point, and we cannot afford to lose it.
Cosmos Ata Sracooh
Tour Guide and Master-trainer in Tour Guiding
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
