Features
Reorganising life after Easter
By the grace of God, the people of Ghana, together with the rest of the world have celebrated Easter shared in the joy of that occasion which to Christians serves as a salvation period for mankind which aims at bringing about peace to humanity.
Many a time, this occasion though always celebrated, is taken for granted without critically and comprehensively examining its essence to society and mankind. It is an important occasion that must be thoroughly examined in other to understand its purpose and importance or significance.
Even though we have been celebrating Easter since our childhood, we do not seem to really understand what it stands for and how we can use it as a guide for our social, economic and political life.
ESSENCE OF EASTER
As a nation, Ghana and its people ought to reflect on the essence of Easter and bring it close to heart as a way of guiding all activities in society to maximise its benefits for the good of society. It is only when this is done that, we can boast of having maximised the benefits from Easter.
Easter is usually celebrated on Sunday and this occasion is referred to as Easter Sunday. However, Easter is not a one-time occasion but is preceded by events all of which contribute in a relevant manner to that occasion which has become known as Easter Sunday.
The preparation for Easter begins a week before and this is known as Palm Sunday. On this occasion, the saviour of the world is hailed in a vociferous manner by people who follow him, pointing out to the world that the saviour ought to be accepted and praised. This praise was carried out in a genuine manner throughout that period and everyone present accepted that the Lord our saviour indeed deserves to be praised.
GENUINE COMMITTMENT
It is for this reason that he was given a donkey to ride on to show how genuinely committed to the people. The treatment given to the saviour on this occasion also showed that he was a great person who ought to be treated with respect and revered by all.
Interestingly, not long after this, the Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by his own people. On holy Thursday for instance, he became sad because he knew he was going to be betrayed by his own people. This was a very unfortunate situation.
After being rejected by his own people, he was crucified on Friday and because of the shedding of blood to save mankind that occasion became known as Good Friday. It was an occasion that marked the salvation of men and women on this earth. How sweet this day was!
Being a true son of God and created for this special purpose, Jesus Christ did not stay in death but had to rise again after three days. This is what makes him a unique person. He was special because he did not stay in death but had to resurrect to prove to the world that he was indeed wonderful and brought into the world for a special purpose.
EASTER MONDAY
This special purpose was celebrated in various forms and on Easter Monday, which was declared a holiday in many countries, Christians took advantage on the Monday to celebrate this occasion in various ways. It is widely known that picnics were usually organised by churches and other groups of people to engage in enjoyment of special social activities meant to celebrate the occasion. On such occasion, people bring food to share with friends and loved ones after which games are also played with each other.
The Easter festivities were meant to give us useful lessons which when properly adopted can make our lives better. Not only can personal lives be improved upon, but society can also be turned round for the better. The first lesson which can be learnt from the period of Easter is that it is not everyone who praises you who must behave as genuine. This is because the very people who shout “Praise him! Praise him!!” are the same people who will turn round and say “Crucify him! Crucify him!!”. This is often done to our political leaders some of whom sacrifice their lives to make things better for the country.
Even before the occasion of Palm Sunday, Christians go through a period of lent. This period teaches Christians a big lesson, to deny themselves of some comfort to appreciate the sufferings which other people go through. When you deny yourself of the pleasures of life and fast or even abstain from sex as married couples, it makes you realise the difficulties that people go through when they have no food to eat. Even though it purges the body of excess food and prepares a person for a new life, the pain and discomfort encountered help to teach us useful lessons about life.
DENIAL
Again, Jesus Christ was denied by one of his own disciples in the person of Judas. There is a Judas in every home, household, or country and this teaches us that every leader must be prepared to undergo disappointment in this way. As a son of God who existed in human flesh, his human nature might have made him very sad after being denied by Judas who was very close to him as a friend.
Earlier before this incident, Simon Peter had also vowed never to deny Jesus of any support. Unfortunately, before the cock crowed, Peter had denied him “three times”. Again, it tells us that man, no matter what can never be dependable.
However, the good news is that Easter had brought us real joy and made us stand for what is good. If we are to stand for what is good then we need to appreciate one another and remember what society has done for us, not forgetting about the great contributions made by our leaders, so that together we can appreciate one another and make society a better place for all.
In our national politics, we need to be genuinely committed to one another and to show genuine love to all manner of people irrespective of political affiliation, social status, religion, or ethnic background. We must not show pretense when within our heart we do not like certain things being done to us. At the same time, those of us who criticise us for one reason or the other should not be marked down for hatred, punishment or discrimination.
NEW SOCIAL LIFE
The old way of doing things must give way to a new social life. This new social life must be pleasant, positive, impactful and bring all of us together for the common good. This common good when promoted is what will bring progress to all manner of people in society irrespective of their familiar and unfamiliar backgrounds.
Ghanaians must therefore not go back to the old way of doing things after Easter but rather turn on a new leave for the rapid progress of the country. We want to see much more cordial relations in parliament between the majority and minority but not the usual negative ways of doing things over there. Political parties and other groups and professionals must also exhibit genuineness and sincerities in all things done, so that we can find it easy to depend on one another.
We must also be prepared to help those who are in need in our neighborhood so that life, even if not perfect, can be bearable and made more pleasant than it is today. Those are the positive changes we want to see after Easter, but not to move on “with busines as usual.”
The world has taught us useful lessons, whether in the past or present. In the light of all these problems, challenges and daily issues we become confronted with, we need to reorganise ourselves after celebrating the Easter to make our country a pleasant place for all.
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
I have often been saddened by the condition of Sikaman musicians. Of course, some are not musicians. They are jokers who think anybody who can sing a hymn is a musician. And why wouldn’t they think so when people think that every man wearing a rasta hair is a reggae musician?
Well, these days, almost everybody is dreaming of becoming a musician, even some ministers and parliamentarians. And it is never too late for them to begin learning the solfas and composing songs like “If You Do Good You Do For Yourself,” after all, life begins at 60 these days. If you die three years later, that’s your luck.
For the jobless, becoming a musical star is an everyday dream. They think when you are a music maker, you automatically break alliance with poverty. They are often mistaken.
I know people who claim they are musicians but are always fasting not because they are devout moslems or are on a hunger strike, but because even one square meal a day is a perpetual wahala. And the only drink they can afford is the poor man’s holy whisky which has a thousand names including ‘Nyame Bekyere’.
Even most of the popular musicians we see in town claiming they are foreign-based stars are more of hustlers than musicians. When they tell you they are going on tour abroad, it is a careful way of saying they are going overseas to scrub the whiteman’s toilet or pick tomato or apples to save their neck from musical poverty.
When they are back to Sikaman, they appear quite flamboyant with chains hanging all over them. They change the few dollars they have scraped, spread it around and promptly get broke. Then they can organise another ‘tour’. In between tours, they struggle to release an album and that levels them up a bit on the financial balance.
It all points to the fact that the life of the average musician isn’t quite organised. He has no calendar, no programme and no concentration on the job. He has to wash plates, become a waiter, janitor and toilet scrubber while finding time to make music. No musician succeeds in life that way.
One musician I’ll always respect, who thinks deeper than the ordinary Sikaman musicians is Carlos Sakyi. He is not like the Kokoase guitar musicians who see the world just in terms of bitters, a willing girlfriend, constant supply of kokonte and jot.
Carlos, often loved for his percussive overtones in gospel music, and once a gospel-rock star, has studied the life of Sikaman musicians and has evolved a blue-print for a great improvement in their lives work, finances and comfort.
In short, he has simulated a Motown-style environment for musicians and his formula is working with accuracy with the five musicians he has started with. The blue-print is what has brought MEGASTAR into being. It was launched on September 15, 1995 at the National Theatre.
When it got launched, many probably thought Carlos was “too know or was dreaming more than he should and won’t think about himself. Anyhow, the MEGASTAR is now an institution musicians can look up to, a big phenomenon with lots of promise for struggling musicians.
Music business in the developed world is not the way we regard it cheaply here. A musician is never distracted by how his finances go; his contracts are entered, his engagements made, his interviews arranged, his personal security guaranteed.
Music is his business and that is where his mind is and his attention focuses. Other aspects of his life are programmed for him by his managers. They hire who has to light his cigarettes, massage him, drive his car and the one who will say “Good Luck” when he sneezes.
A bodyguard whose face is exactly like that of the devil is hired to scare off muggers, psychopaths and criminals in general. Sometimes his girls are organised for him.
So the only thing the musician does apart from sleeping and snoring is to concentrate on making music, and true to it, no one can succeed in any venture when he is distracted.
This is how the Michael Jacksons, Lionel Richies, Dolly Patons and Whitney Houstons have made it with dollars packed and over-flowing. They aren’t any better than Sikaman musicians. The only difference is that they know how to organise their lives.
I managed to corner Carlos Sakyi and asked him to tell me how MEGASTAR was doing. He is the Managing Director of Megastar Limited, a music company that has a board of directors and a chairman. Carlos Sakyi shares the proprietorship with a partner. Carlos himself was one great musician who played for a band that beat Eddy Grant on the charts.
“Megastar is in fact a concept born out of the idea that the future security of the Ghanaian musician which has always been in jeopardy can now be guaranteed. Artistes spend too much of their time doing things on their own, chasing money and not concentrating on music. So their full potential is never realised. Some are in fact producing at quarter-rate. That is why they aren’t making much headway,” he told me.
“Megastar is now giving them the chance of the lives. We handle the interviews of Megastar artiste, their press releases, costume, engagements and everything they hitherto used to do themselves. We get them exposed on M-Net and we have contacted BB to get on their programmes. We handle their finances pay them salaries and bonuses, so they only have to concentrate on music
“Most importantly,” he continued, “we do not make all the decisions. Management always meet with the musicians to take the decisions that affect them.”
But who are the Megastar musicians? One is the great Amakye Dede, a star from birth delivered onto the earth with music on his lips; he is the man who feeds hungry ears with musical salad and harmonic sausages. He is the recipient of many national awards.
Next is Naana Frimpong, a latter-day Carlos-groomed songbird with the voice of an angel. She sings to kill. Her beauty has charmed her audience and they stare and stare at her.
The sensational and fantalising Tagoe Sisters are the next. The twin music machine is one that has produced the cream, arguably the very best, of gospel music all these years. I hear they are inseparable; not even their better-halves can keep them apart. Are they Siamese? They dance, and when on stage, they move the crowd.
Then comes Reverend Yawson who is a known songwriter. He is imbued with the Holy Spirit, speaks in tongues and of course sings in tongues. He is God’s representative on the group.
What about my good friend and super-heavyweight, Jewel Ackah? He is a star figure. His appearance is awe-inspiring, his voice golden. A great delight to be-hold when at his best in stage-craftsmanship, he has beaten his contemporaries to it both on land and on sea.
They are the pioneers of the Motown idea. They are all releasing new albums this year. Let’s see how it all goes.
In recent years, the term “female rage” has gained significant traction, symbolising a collective shift in how women’s emotions are perceived and addressed.
This phenomenon is not merely a fleeting trend but a profound movement rooted in centuries of systemic injustices, personal betrayals, and societal expectations.
As women increasingly reclaim their anger, it is imperative to understand the multifaceted nature of female rage, its causes, and its implications for individuals and society at large.
The historical context of female anger
Historically, women’s emotions have been subject to dismissal, ridicule, and pathologisation. The term “hysteria,” originating from the Greek word for uterus, was used to describe women’s emotional states as irrational and uncontrollable.
This legacy of silencing and shaming has contributed to a culture where women’s anger is often suppressed or stigmatised.
However, with the rise of feminist movements, women are challenging these narratives, asserting their right to express anger and demand change.
The anatomy of female rage
Female rage is not a monolith; it is a complex and multifaceted emotion driven by various factors, including:
1. Societal expectations: The pressure to conform to traditional roles of passivity, politeness, and emotional labour.
2. Gender inequality and pay gaps: Frustration stemming from systemic discrimination in the workplace and beyond.
3. Sexual harassment and abuse: Trauma and anger resulting from pervasive violence and objectification.
4. Emotional labour and burnout: The unsustainable burden of managing emotions and responsibilities in personal and professional spheres.
5. Hormonal fluctuations: The impact of hormonal changes on emotional states, often overlooked or dismissed.
The power of anger: Reclaiming female rage
Far from being a destructive force, female rage can be a catalyst for change. When acknowledged and channelled constructively, anger can drive advocacy, policy reform, and resistance against inequality.
The #MeToo movement, women’s marches, and increased representation in politics are testaments to the power of collective female anger.
Addressing the Stigma: Towards a more inclusive dialogue
To fully harness the potential of female rage, society must address the stigma surrounding women’s anger. This involves:
1. Validation and recognition: Acknowledging women’s emotions as legitimate and worthy of attention.
2. Creating safe spaces: Providing platforms for women to express anger without fear of backlash.
3. Education and awareness: Challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding of women’s experiences.
4. Support systems: Offering resources and support for women dealing with trauma and systemic injustices.
Conclusion
The age of female rage is a moment of profound transformation, where women’s anger is no longer silenced but celebrated as a force for justice.
By understanding the roots of female rage and addressing the societal structures that fuel it, we can move towards a more equitable and compassionate world.
The journey is complex, but the destination-a society where women’s emotions are respected and their voices are heard is worth the struggle.
References:
[1] Chemudupati, P. (2022). _The Rage of Women: A Historical Perspective_.
[2] Traister, R. (2018). _Good and Mad:
By Robert Ekow Grimond-Thompson
