Features
The golden experience
When gold and diamonds were first discovered in South Africa, many men lost interest in sex. The discovery, therefore, caused marital problems the world over. Wives thought their dear husbands had gotten impotent and perhaps needed herbal treatment – AK 47 bitters. In fact, they were mistaken. Their husbands were only preoccupied with dreaming about gold and just couldn’t get it up to fulfill their marital obligations.
When the gold and diamond sensation got blown out of proportion, happily-married men either divorced their wives or simply left them and headed for South Africa to “do galamsey.” It was also a boom for some wives.
Hot-headed, sexy, firm buttocks, slim waisted, shinny-lipped wives left their husbands gaping in wonder as they floated to the Rand to hawk their beautiful bodies for gold money. Some became strip-teasers and belly dancers to entertain tired gold diggers and made a fortune therefrom. Gold had brought a good measure of madness to the world
The global insanity became so infectious that gainfully employed folks vacated post and were last seen in dirty garb with shovels and pans digging gold. Some pastors and catechists were even infected with the virus of the golden madness.
They promptly told the Holy Spirit to hold on “small”. They threw off the cassock, shoved the Holy Bible aside and travelled thousands of miles to dig diamonds. Man shall not subsist only on the word of God. Moreover, when man is bellyful his chances of making it to heaven are high. The reason is that the distance between a man’s stomach and the gates of heaven is automatically reduced once his belly is well-filled with good food and wine.
The gold rush also brought ready employment to armed robbers. They quickly procured arms and ammo and danced joyfully to the land of the Afrikaners, not to dig for gold, but to rob successful miners of their fortune. It brought about violence and a security problem. The miners were compelled to arm themselves and people died through violence while others were maimed.
The situation was characterised by mayhem and some returned home wealthy, others poorer than they had been. It was a whole confusion of comedy and tragedy, successes and failures, joy and sorrow. That is what gold begets.
Go to Obuasi and witness what gold can do to a human being. Illegal gold diggers are prepared to die in defence of their notoriety and determination to prosper from minerals that do not belong to them. They are armed to the teeth and would readily cause harm if antagonised.
Some have died while digging for gold or through mercury or cyanide poisoning. When workers of Ashanti Goldfields blast surface rock and wait for the dust to settle, these galamsey men rush in there to scoop out earth which they are not supposed to be doing because of the health risks and because it is unlawful.
Galamsey operators have clashed with police and security men of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC) more than once this year alone. In a recent offense, the operators were alleged to have destroyed AGC property, torched housing facilities, and stole 58,000 birds from the corporation’s poultry unit, among other things.
Surely, the rogues are selling some of the birds cheaply under half the price, and the rest are certainly being organised into light soup to clear malaria. Of course, some of the meat would end up roasted, fried or toasted and eaten with ground pepper and akpeteshie if not Extra ‘Hewale.’
This is the comedy of the palaver. The looming tragedy is that the galamsey men are said to be getting ready to avenge the death of three of their colleagues who were killed in the confrontation. Apparently, they are not content with the chicken festival and want to cause havoc.
The problem with those who mine gold is that they are die-hards – Yente gyae! Most of them have seen the bitterness of life, have suffered hunger, disease and deprivation. They find galamsey as the golden way out. It is their saviour, their messiah. If they would meet death in the course of finding a means to survive, they would welcome it. And if they could be killed, then they must also kill. That sums up the mentality of these operators.
I have a feeling that it would be better for the authorities to deal prudently with the matter while beefing up security in the area. In the first place, to deprive them completely of their operations without offering them any alternatives would mean turning them loose to become armed robbers since they are armed, anyway. We have enough armed robbers in the system. We don’t want new entrants.
What should be done is that their activities should be regulated rather than obliterated. A way should be found to meet their representatives to iron out the growing differences. And the following must be considered.
That they cannot operate without licence; they should be confined to specific areas of operation so as to save the environment from degradation; should renounce violence and the celebration of chicken festivals; should regulate the activities of their members; should not encroach upon AGC property and desist from lawlessness of all kinds, especially stealing and be prepared to be tried and jailed if they breach the peace or the law.
The aim is not to encourage galamsey but to regulate it so that it becomes legal and employment generating without it become a nuisance to society.
As one AGC official told me recently, the activities of the galamsey operators do not adversely affect the corporation except when the operators become lawless, encroach and steal. That is where they become undesirable.
It is unfortunate that AGC does not arm their security men well enough to deal with lawless operators. Anyhow, we hope the situation would be well-thought-out so that calm can return to the Obuasi area.
Already, the prostitutes in the area are feeling uneasy. When there is a stir, business goes down. Theirs is a matter of the heart and of the thigh. That’s a cool matter and they are praying hard that the matter should be resolved at a high level. Because the higher you go, the cooler it becomes!
Indeed, numerous Ghanaians across the regions, all over Africa, and even people from other parts of the world were struck with sadness and grief upon hearing the sudden passing of the former First Lady of Ghana, Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, which occurred on the black day of Thursday, October 23, 2025.
Very often, it is difficult to believe the death of very high-profile persons in our communities, country, and even across the world, as recently witnessed in the passing of this indefatigable leader.
Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was the better half of the indomitable former President of Ghana, His Excellency, the late Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, who ruled Ghana for a record period of 18 years.
His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, alongside his able men like Osahene Boakye Gyan, Akatapore, and other young army officers, shook the political foundations of this country for a brief period from June 4 to the end of September 1979. Following the general election, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings handed over power to the late President, His Excellency Dr. Hilla Limann of the People’s National Convention (PNC), in a colorful national ceremony amidst pomp and pageantry.
Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings and other colleagues in the Ghana Armed Forces, dissatisfied with the PNC Government’s administration—which was considered volatile at the time—staged another coup to topple the Limann Administration on December 31, 1981. After a successful dispensation, he reassumed the position of Head of State under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), remaining in power until 2000 when, following the general election, he handed over power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to former President His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
It is noteworthy that from the June 4 period of 1979, stretching up to the 2000 general election, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was very vocal in Ghana’s political administration.
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings not only actively supported her husband to realize his political ambitions but also made a lasting impact across Ghana by tirelessly advocating for women’s emancipation in social, economic, and political spheres.
Consider her dynamic role in the formation of the 31st December Women’s Group. She established various food processing industries in multiple towns and villages to empower women economically.
There were countless other initiatives through which she encouraged and benefited not only women but also numerous families, enabling them to lead meaningful lives. For instance, the family home of Nene Kofi Opey-Fiagbor in Adjikpo-Amlakpo, Somanya, was highly privileged to welcome Her Excellency Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings anytime she visited.
On a Saturday in early January 1983, she visited to seek the hand of one of our beautiful sisters, Lucy Kpodjie, for Alex Dautey, who was then one of her husband’s military guards at the Castle in Osu-Accra. How can we, as a family, ever forget such a diligent, graceful, and distinguished person like her in our memories?
Your Excellency, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, your loss is deeply felt and irreplaceable for Mother Ghana. We all join the Rawlings immediate family in Accra, the people of Asanteman, the Keta people of her late husband, and the National Democratic Congress, which she helped found, alongside the President and Government of Ghana, to mourn this loss.
To a highly beloved and illustrious daughter of Ghana: may Mother Earth lie lightly upon your body as your precious soul rests in perfect peace in the bosom of the Good Lord, until the resurrection day when we shall all meet again. Fare thee well!
DAMIRIFA DUE! DUENI AMANEHUNU!
By J. K. Tetteh Kpodjie
Concerned Citizen
Somanya
0557672086
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Sometime ago, money-doubling used to be a very lucrative trade for people who had the skill. But it all depended on the availability of street-lights, which were used as accessories in the money-doubling schemes. The more street-lights that were available, the more likely it was that money would be doubled.
Money has indeed been doubled for people—civil servants, pastors, journalists, and diplomats. People suspected of being naive and carrying cash were conned into believing their money could be doubled without chanting. All they had to do was place their money under a ‘sacred’ stone, then walk in a certain direction, counting ten street-lights in the process without looking back.
“If you look back, you’ll go mad, wallahi!” they were warned, to ensure obedience. After counting the ten street-lights, participants were told to return and collect their doubled money under the ‘divine’ stone with jubilation. And for a moment, it seemed real—the cash appeared doubled. The problem, of course, was that the entire sum was nothing but newspaper cut to fit the currency size. At first, victims would be amazed, thinking they were hallucinating, only to frantically realize the trick. Meanwhile, the money-doublers would vanish miles away with the real cash.
In this era, money-doubling schemes often occur around payday, when people have just received their salaries. Those with ¢80,000 in hand could be tempted with the promise of returning home with ¢160,000. But in reality, many end up empty-handed, learning the harsh lesson of the financial culture of today.
Not long ago, Edward Alomele, who claims he is “Original Alor,” collected his pay and walked leisurely home, planning to celebrate. A wayside lottery operator noticed his bulging back pocket and thought he could easily trick him into handing over the money. But Alor was no amateur when it came to finance.
The lottery man pointed to a display of consumer items—televisions, sound systems, cookers, water heaters—and explained the game. Alor tried a sample ticket and “won” a colour television instantly. However, since he hadn’t staked money, he was told he needed to hand over his pay to claim the prize. Alor, sensing the scam, studied the man’s reaction carefully.
He deliberately wore mismatched footwear—one red canvas shoe and one green—to signal that he was not an easy target. The lottery operator realized his mistake, apologized, and acknowledged that Alor was not a naive newcomer.
Despite widespread reporting on these scams, hundreds of people fall victim every week, losing a significant portion of their salaries. Many prefer to remain silent, ashamed of having been deceived. Some notable individuals, like Devine Ankamah, have managed to dodge these traps through vigilance and experience, but the majority remain vulnerable.
Even pastors and other respected members of society have been duped by money-doublers, proving that awareness alone is often not enough. As Merari Alomele notes, “When shall we ever learn?”
This article was first published on Saturday, August 5, 1995.
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