Features
Peace, be still
In certain parts of Africa, you can’t walk for 100 metres without looking over your shoulders twice. May be you’re a top-ranker of a political group and a member of an opposition or rival group might be following you with the intention of putting a bullet into your bloody head.
So when you look back and you see about four people following you rather closely, you’ll start wondering which of them is the killer. You’ll get confused and in an attempt to identify the assassin, you’ll start defining the word ‘Killer’. How does the forehead of a killer look like? Do killers have high intelligence quotients, and are they supposed to be married?
When someone calls you from behind, you’ll be tempted either to bark or to take off like an Olympic athlete. Just as you are about to decide which is safer of the two, you will realise that the caller is a friend. You breathe easily now. But you still have to examine his eyebrows to see if it fits the definition of a killer.
It may also be that your style of walking suggests you’re a rebel and must be gunned down before you start misbehaving. The fact is that, rebels are very stylish and it shows in their gait.
Imagine you closed from work and you were having a nice time with your friends and just then two hooded fellows entered the joint and started spraying everybody with a Kalashnikov AK 47 rifle. Stampede, Press reports-18 people died, 12 critically injured, Bar man’s head blown off, and his daughter in hospital in critical condition with an amputated thigh.
Sounds impossible isn’t it? But it is happening in Angola, Togo (which is next door), Liberia, Mozambique, all because of political misunderstandings and socio-politico- economic nonsense.
In Sikaman, the Hand of God is stretched over the territory. Peace be still! God is with us, and we must be thankful.
When a cloud of controversy formed over the results declared at the presidential polls, many chanted war songs, some silently, and there was cause for concern. The atmosphere was charged with looming violence.
The opposition refused to contest the parliamentary elections and all thought that was a prelude to civil war. The Christians prayed, Moslems worshipped, Buddhists chanted and Krishnas sang. The time- bomb was defused, and tension fizzled out. And there was peace, heavenly peace, nothing but peace.
It is most commendable that although possible strife was forecast, the opposition displayed maturity and today, you can drink in a beer bar without any fear of your head being blown off by an idiot.
Even for us journalists who close late at night, there is no fear. I’ve discharged my bodyguard because I am not in any real danger. Moreover, he has been demanding double pay and I’ve also been reminding him that he is not a civil servant. “Only Civil Servants have the constitutional right to demand double pay, don’t you know?” I often tell him.
He also tells me he is going to buy a copy of the 1992 Constitution to look for the clause on double payment. I pity him because it would take him a life-time to track down the clause since it doesn’t exist, anyway, I’ve paid him off handsomely though and given him an over-coat as his end-of-service benefit.
The whole palaver that journalists are vulnerable and relatively more endangered than any other human breed. Fact is that not everything we write go down well with everybody. Some of our pieces cannot be swallowed, much more digested without the swallower vomiting his or her intestines out.
Because of this we make friends just as we make enemies. And with journalism someone can be a friend today and an enemy tomorrow just because you have stepped a bit on his last toe, without asking permission.
Sometimes some people are both friends and enemy simultaneously and they are the most dangerous because when a person slaps you in the dark, you’d wonder how a friend could slap you that hard.
The kind of letters and messages we receive these days demand that I go in search of my bodyguard whom I pensioned not quite long ago. He has the capacity and ability of identifying enemies and potential enemies because he has a third eye. And I like him because he is a south-paw and has very good reflexes.
The only problem, however, is that I have to feed him twice daily and he has a helluva appetite. This means the budgetary allocation covering his stomach alone is not a ‘small thing.” Anyhow, it is all for my good because when he is bellyful he automatically gyrates into a third degree alert. When he sees anybody getting close to me he growls like a tiger, and I nod my head in appreciation. That’s the spirit!
Yes, as I was saying, government and opposition have made it possible for peace to prevail in our dear country such that the security of everybody’s left ear is guaranteed. Anyway if you feel that yours is not, you may go and insure it for any eventuality. There are many insurance companies in town.
In any case, it is unlikely that violence would erupt in foreseeable future. The New Patriotic (NPP) is doing all its best to engage in proper rapport with the government, and I bet you that is a really encouraging sign of co-operation.
The elephant and the umbrella must not be enemies. They must dine together. Politics is not a war. It is a game and even dogs play it better than humans. The dog says, ‘When I fall for you and you fall for me, there is no palaver’.
Fact is that no one party is going to rule forever, so why not cooperate with each other to make democracy meaningful in the country? I salute the NPP for the prudent overtures towards reconciliation, understanding and peace.
However, I must say I was disappointed when a leading member of the party went abroad ostensibly to paint Sikaman rather black to potential investors. I was terribly disappointed because I respect him for his intellect.
He must know that the country is not for only Jerry Jot Rawlings or for NDC. It is for everybody including himself. So to go about discouraging investors from doing business in the country just because Jerry Rawlings is in power is not sane politics. It doesn’t speak well of him, and the country deserves an apology.
This article was first published on Saturday, August 21, 1993
On Sunday, October 11, 2026, it was the turn of Ghanaian Catholics in Finland to lead the singing in the church service of the African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland (ACCF).
It was indeed a spirit-filled feeling for worshippers present. And for the Ghanaian migrants, the occasion also brought back to them memories of church services in their home country, Ghana.
The ACCF has a roster for each country/community to sing from time to time. Next Sunday will be the turn of the Nigerian community. Other communities that usually sing are the Kenyan/Tanzanian community, the Cameroonian, the Ugandan, group, etc.
A powerful religious experience
The mass services of the Chaplaincy usually give a powerful religious experience and a display of cultural diversity, especially in occasions such as when the Bishop of Helsinki, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, celebrated mass with the Chaplaincy on Pentecost Day, May 24, 2026.
There was a similar time of spiritual joy last month (September 27, 2026) when Emeritus Bishop Teemu Sippo, former Bishop of Helsinki, visited the Chaplaincy. Bishop Teemu was the main celebrant, assisted by the Chaplain, Reverend Father Thomas Otieno.
Last Sunday, Reverend Father Bernard Sor, a Ghanaian Catholic priest based in Austria, was the main celebrant in the mass service where he performed a rite of baptism. Fr Bernard had celebrated mass a few months ago when he visited his sister and her husband in Helsinki. 
All these well-attended religious occasions indeed leave lasting memories. The homilies (peaching) by the priests usually emphasize religious tenets such as the importance of loving and serving God in truth, existing in peace with our fellow humans to promote unity in diversity, etc.
Unity in diversity and a colourful display of cultures
The African Chaplaincy church services usually produce impressive displays of diverse cultures from different parts of Africa and elsewhere. The events are often spiced by rich cultural displays of dances and colourful attires which are a delight to watch.
On special occasions, members of the Ghanaian Catholic community, in their gay and colourful kente attire and with adowa dance and music, usually lead the procession into the church. Other communities such as the Cameroonian, Nigerian, Kenyan and Tanzanian as well as Sudanese/South Sudanese groups also put up well-choreographed performances from their cultures.
The African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland
The African Chaplaincy was founded on June 4, 2017, which was a Pentecost Sunday, in a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Monsignor Emeritus Sippo S.C.I., the then Bishop of Helsinki, at the St. Mary’s Catholic Parish Church in Helsinki.
The Chaplaincy was created by Bishop Teemu in collaboration with the Diocesan body when they detected a great flocking of African immigrants to Finland, the majority of whom were Catholics. This was to give the immigrants a possibility to integrate into the Finnish society by worshiping as Catholics and in their African cultural identity.
The responsibility of the Chaplaincy was given by Bishop Teemu to Father Dr Leonard Wobilla Shwei, who is thus the first Chaplain and ably led the Chaplaincy. He was succeeded a few years ago by Father Thomas Otieno, who continues to move the Chaplaincy forward. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
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She did not find out he was cheating. She found out he was drowning.
It was two weeks after their beautiful wedding. The jollof was still in the fridge. A loan officer called her number-not his-and politely asked, “Madam, please tell your husband to pay his overdue loan. We have been calling him.”
That was how she discovered her new husband had entered their marriage with a hidden debt of over GH¢ 40,000. No cheating. No other woman. Just a financial secret.
And that is how many Ghanaian marriages begin to die. Not with a shout, but with a secret alert on a phone.
We prepare for the wedding. We do not prepare for the wallet.
What is money honesty?
Let me define it simply. Money honesty is not that you both earn the same. It is that you both know the same. It is the ability to sit down and say without fear:
“This is how much I earn.”
“This is how much I owe.”
“This is how I was raised to see money.”
“This is what scares me about money.”
Financial transparency is not about control. It is about clarity. You cannot build trust on top of secrets.
Many couples tell me, “Counsellor, we love each other, love will handle money.” I always answer, “Love is the car, but money honesty is the fuel. Love without honesty cannot move.”
How To Buy Your Marriage Insurance Today – My 5-Step Protocol
If you are engaged, newly married, or even 20 years in marriage, you can still fix this. At Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult—CPAC, this is what I give couples:
Step 1: The 90-Minute Money Naked Session.
No phones, no blame. Each partner writes down on paper: Monthly income, monthly debts, monthly family obligations, savings, and your biggest money fear. Then you exchange papers. Read it. Don’t react for 24 hours. Just absorb.
Step 2: Create OUR Money, YOUR Money, My Money.
You need three pots. OUR money for rent, food, school fees, utilities, properties, and the like— joint contribution. YOUR money and MY money—a small agreed allowance no one questions. This stops the feeling of being controlled.
Step 3: The No-Secret Debt Rule.
Agree from today: No new loan, no new hire purchase, no new family financial commitment above GHS 500 without telling each other first. Not permission, but information.
Step 4: Talk About Your Money Personality.
Are you a Spender or a Saver? Are you Risky or Safe? Most Ghanaian marriages are a Spender married to a Saver. Neither is wrong. But if you don’t understand your partner’s personality, you will call his saving “stinginess” and her spending “wastefulness.”
Step 5: Do a Monthly 30-Minute Money Date
Not an argument date. Light, with tea. “How did we do this month? What worried you? What should we plan for next month?” Couples who do this divorce far less.
My Final Word
Before you say “I Do” at the altar, have pre-marital counselling and also have the money talk on the sofa.
Ask your partner:
“If I lost my job today, how long can we survive?”
“What debt are you bringing into this marriage?”
“How much do you send to your family monthly and will that continue?”
If he or she gets angry that you asked, don’t get married yet. A person who is angry about accountability will be abusive about money.
Marriage insurance is not bought at Star Assurance or Enterprise. It is bought in honest conversations when no one is watching.
The wedding costs one day. The marriage costs a lifetime. Don’t enter a lifetime contract and covenant with hidden costs.
You can still insure your marriage today.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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