Features
The saga of being Ewe… (Part 4)
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Culture-Pix.jpg&description=The saga of being Ewe… (Part 4)', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Culture-Pix.jpg&description=The saga of being Ewe… (Part 4)', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
In this penultimate episode in the series I intend to address the Ewe directly. The final part will delve into the Komfo Anokye narrative.
I am accused of being a de-tribalised Ewe. To this, I plead guilty as charged. It is true I have more friends and acquaintances from other ethnic groups than from Ewe. It is not deliberate I drifted towards others in my professional career as I worked outside of Ewe land.
Apart from English, which is our official language, how often do you come across an Akan, Ga-Dangbe or Dagomba speaking another language other than their own among themselves? Virtually none. But it is common to see the Ewe speaking Twi, Fante, Ga among themselves. It beats my mind.
It is understandable if they are born out of mixed marriages where the choice is obvious. Sadly, a good number of my own siblings and cousins speak other languages among themselves. Because of this their own children follow in their footsteps to the extent that when I converse with some of them, their end of the conversation sounds Ewe patois.
Is it a lack of confidence in our identity as Ewe? Of course, no other reason can be adduced for this. Personally, I speak to friends in Twi, Fante, Ga and Guan when we meet, but never speak another language to my fellow Ewe, even de-tribalised as I am.
I have had colleagues lambast me at the workplace when I spoke Ewe to Ewe colleagues. Meanwhile, they were all comfortable speaking Akan among themselves. I am aware this happens in almost all workplaces. I do not yet know what accounts for this.
If we allow ourselves to be cowed by this behaviour of others, then we have the propensity to sell our birthright to others. We will then recoil into our closet and complain of discrimination. We can only be purchased at the price we sell ourselves.
I recollect a visit with a friend to a restaurant in Baychester area of the Bronx in summer of 2012. There were some Akan speaking women at the joint. My pal and I were chatting in Ewe. On their way out they greeted us in Twi. We responded in English that we did not understand their language.
“Are you not from Ghana?” One asked. We answered in the affirmative. “And you cannot speak Twi?” Suppressing my revulsion to this uppity, I slowly asked if Twi was Ghana’s lingua franca. “Sorry, but every Ghanaian understands Twi,” she pressed on. I shot back, asking her how many of the “every Ghanaian” she spoke to. Her companion told her in Twi, “Let’s go. You are getting the man angry.” Wishing us a good day, they sauntered to the door and into the summer sun.
I am proud of our compatriots from the north of the country. They speak their languages with such finesse and pride wherever they are. So do the Akan and the others, but not my people. Many languages have atrophied for lack of usage and Ewe is likely to follow if this attitude does not change. The Latin I read in school has only enriched my vocabulary and understanding of certain expressions but there is no one to speak it with.
The only positive thing for the Ewe language is that it is the main one in Togo and parts of Benin so if we kill it in Ghana, it will still be alive elsewhere. I cringed when I saw a niece on Whatsapp Status describing herself as “Ayigbe toffee”. How can a people accept to be called what they are not? Are we being mentally enslaved or we are allowing it?
All of a sudden we are importing other cultures into our own. It is not in Ewe culture to have a one week celebrated when a relative dies, but this has crept into our culture. We all saw the Akan display at the funeral of my own friend Jerry John Rawlings. Rawlings was not Akan. Even if it was because he was at a time our head of state, then all major traditional practices must be involved. In my estimation, Rawlings suffered an indignity at his funeral.
Also, the Akan funeral dirges are on display at Ewe funerals these days. It is true that the Ewe in the north of the Volta Region are closely linked to some Akan cultures, which is understandable, but what of the rest? The etenteben (flute) invented by Tata Dr Ephraim Amu, a native of Peki-Avetile in the Volta Region, has become the Akan instrument of choice for dirges.
The only honour for the great Ephraim Amu is a dirty road that passes by the western gate of the Central University at Mataheko in Accra.
We have condoned it and we have embraced it. If you fear to speak your language, who will speak it on your behalf? I have friends who are not Ewe meanwhile they speak the language flawlessly but among their people they speak their own language. This is the way to go.
I espied a video on social media addressing what the person referred to as Eυegbetɔwo. There is nobody or group as Eυegbetɔwo. We are Eυeawo (Ewe) and we speak Eυegbe (Ewe language). If we are even wrong in addressing who or what we are, who does the right thing for us?
Are you aware that there are more Ewe landlords in Accra than any other ethnic group except Kwahu? Yet they cannot assert themselves on the capital’s social ladder? Is it a lack of a rallying call for the Ewe to stand up and be counted?
Then there is this other thing about the Ewe being interested in juju. I have been trying to understand where this one came from. The first time I heard this was when I was in training college in the early seventies but took it as a stupid joke. Later in my interactions with people, I heard if you offended an Ewe, you are either killed or hurt through juju. If it were really so, I reckon I would have sent scores of people to their graves.
I spent ten uninterrupted years in the Volta Region and only saw mystical display at certain cultural festivities. People thrust burning fire in their mouths and strike themselves with daggers that did not cut their flesh.
I heard that if you wanted witchcraft you went to Nzema. This was after I joined my family in Koforidua. I later learnt of deities called Antoa, Akonedi, Nogokpo etc. etc. I know there are deities in almost everywhere in this country. Where do the Ewe feature in all this?
In my study of philosophy and psychology, fear-induced guilt has the potential of killing faster than any known ailment and so crystalisation of such thought forms send people to their early death and others are blamed for it.
What are the opinion leaders (Dumegāwo) doing in all these? What are Togbewo/Torgbuiwo doing to preserve the culture and traditions of the Ewe people? They are the custodians and embodiment of the soul of Eweland and must act to stem the negatives assailing their people.
Our chiefs must not be seen or heard only at festivals or when politicians come calling. We need them to lead us every minute of the day throughout their reign.
Now, I have realised that it is only in the heat of party political activities that I get the Ashanti Region pitted against Ewe. This is stoked by political activists and their masters who should know better. Truth is that the Asante generally are not tribalistic. You realise this when you live with or among them. Neither are the Ewe, so the toxic atmosphere can only be blamed on the political actors.
Ghanaians have a way of poking fun at one another without hurting one another’s sensibilities. It happens in every society, but it becomes rather serious when people we see as leaders poison the atmosphere for whatever gains only they can tell.
This is where I call on our traditional rulers to use their authority to ensure unity and camaraderie among all peoples living in their areas of traditional control. That way, everyone of us will have a sense of belonging as Ghanaians.
Writer’s email address: akofa45@yahoo.com
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
The average modern Gold Coaster born and bred in Sikaman is an adventurous creature. Go to any part of the world and you’ll find Ghanaman diligently slugging it out either in the snow or in hot sweltering weather, earning a decent living.
Go to Guinea and see Ghanaman in the garb of a herbalist, curing the sick of various ailments. He makes the Guinean understand that not all diseases are caused by James Lucifer alias Jimmy Satan. On the contrary, most diseases are caused by kooko which can even attack the human nose and turn it upside down.
That kooko is also the cause of poverty and the internal bleeding of personal back-pocket economies. And that kooko can be cured using the chemistry underlying Sikaman herbal medicine which has been blessed by the gods of Larteh.
And before Ghanaman starts dispensing his herbal concoctions, he must attract the passing crowd with some Sıkaman-originated choreography, akin to a combination of adowa and agbadza, such that the dancer can easily dislocate a shoulder and start crying for his mother.
When the crowd is enough to form a quorum, Ghanaman must perform magic as a side-attraction, and proceed to sell his drugs. The drugs are genuinely made from potent herbs which the Pharmacy Board of Sikaman says it has no confidence in. Believe me, Ghanaian herbalists are practising in neighbouring countries like Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Benin, while we are discouraging them from practising in Sikaman.
Go to Las Palmas and see Ghanaman as a fisherman. He sails on Korean-owned boats and is forced to eat garlic and raw tuna for radiant health. The garlic is also supposed to protect him against witches. But sometimes, he is not good bedfellows with some Korean crew members, and once in a while a fight breaks out.
The typical Korean is a Kung Fu expert and before displaying a golden dragon data. He must first terrify Ghanaman with a Korean dance which consists of wild arms and leg throwing. But Ghanaman is usually not daunted. Why has he been eating cancer kenkey all years without developing cancer? It mean is a superhuman capable of countering Kun fu side-kicks to the ribs.
Anyhow Ghanaman’s most potent arsenal lies in his fists. If he is a southpaw, it mean left fist is probably insured and can cause damage. When Ghanaman lands a cassava blow and it lands on a Korean chest, it has the effect of a cruise missile. If there is no ceasefire a funeral cannot be ruled out.
Greenland
Go to Alaska and find Ghanaman there. Greenland, Iceland, Brazil, Argentina, Madagascar, everywhere and you’ll find him. He has become an international citizen and is generally lauded for his hardwork, sincerity and honesty.
However, some bad nuts are also condemned and despised.
The world and all its parts and corners are for the human race, and anyone can choose to live anywhere and earn a decent living so long as he doesn’t misconduct himself or become a social misfit and a law unto himself.
Sıkaman for instance accepts foreigners, and we are so liberal that people just come in through our borders and we welcome them with the best palmwine in town and goat light soup. Who cares about passports and visas? Our hospitality is, as it were legendary.
So we have Liberians, Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, Togolese, Europeans, Americans, Scandinavians and Koreans in Sikaman. And some of them have misinterpreted our overzealous accommodation to mean “foolishness” and are misconducting themselves.
The newspapers carry stories of some unscrupulous Nigerians stealing, defrauding and collaborating with their Sikaman counterparts to rob people. You’ll find some good and law-abiding Liberians around but some other Liberians are in the business of fraud, robbery, money printing, money doubling, anything criminal.
Ghanaian hospitality can no longer be extended to such people. I do not think Ghanaians will be treated kindly either, when they misbehave anywhere in the world. Those who come from outside with the intention of bringing down their evil deeds and to practise them here professionally must be getting ready because Ghanaians are getting fed up with the menace.
These days, you’ll find strange people following you as soon as you emerge from a bank. If you are not careful, they’ll wrestle your briefcase from you and speed away in a waiting taxi.
Someone was just saying that many foreign criminals are flocking to Ghana because in their countries, they are enable to operate either because they are being looked for by the police for offences committed or fear instant justice at the hands of mobs. Ghanaians, it is said, are humanitarian in dealing with criminals.
Well, in some African countries, a thief who is being chased runs directly to the police station in his own interest and begs the officer at the counter to lock him up. Otherwise he’ll be lynched or be burnt to death. In Ghana, it is the opposite. The thieves run far away from the cop stations.
The criminals must reform and stay peacefully in Sikaman or quit. No court case!
This article was first published on Saturday September 5, 1998
The human condition is defined by two absolute, biological bookends: the commencement of complex cellular animation and its ultimate, irreversible cessation.
For centuries, medicine treated life and death as strictly separate states. Today, modern pathology and molecular biology reveal a more profound truth: the mechanisms that allow us to live are the exact same mechanisms that dictate how we die.
Understanding this relationship is no longer just a philosophical pursuit. It is a clinical necessity for managing public health in the 21st century.
Part I: How we live – The mechanics of animation
At its core, biological life is a continuous, high-stakes battle against entropy (the natural tendency of systems to degrade into disorder). To maintain form, consciousness, and function, the human body relies on three fundamental pillars:
1. Cellular respiration and energy production
Every second of human life is powered by the conversion of oxygen and glucose into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), the universal energy currency of our cells. This process occurs within the mitochondria.
Without a constant supply of ATP, the microscopic pumps that maintain electrical gradients across our cell membranes fail, causing cellular collapse within minutes.
2. Homeostasis: The balancing act
To survive, the internal environment of the body must remain incredibly stable, regardless of external chaos. This balancing act, known as homeostasis, regulates:
Blood pH: Strictly maintained between 7.35 and 7.45.
Core Temperature: Ideally kept around 37°C (98.6°F).
Electrolyte Balance: Precise ratios of sodium, potassium, and calcium that allow nerves to fire and muscles to contract.
3. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The ANS acts as the invisible conductor of life, split into two complementary branches:
Part II: How we die – The path of cessation
Death is rarely a singular event; it is a progressive biological cascade. Whether caused by old age, chronic illness, or sudden trauma, the final pathways of mortality generally follow a predictable trajectory.
1. The cellular horizon: Senescence and Apoptosis
Every time a human cell divides, the protective caps at the ends of its chromosomes-telomeres-shorten. Eventually, telomeres become so depleted that the cell can no longer divide safely. It enters senescence (a state of permanent arrest) or triggers apoptosis (programmed cell death). This gradual, systemic loss of cellular renewal is the underlying engine of aging.
2. The clinical cascade of somatic death
When the body can no longer maintain homeostasis, somatic death (the death of the organism as a whole) begins. This occurs in a distinct sequence:
1
Clinical Death
Zero to four minutes
The heart stops pumping blood, and respiration ceases. While breathing and circulation have ended, the body’s tissues still contain residual oxygen and cellular energy reserves. At this stage, resuscitation is often still possible.
2
Brain Death (Infarction)
Four to six minutes
Deprived of fresh oxygenated blood, the brain’s highly sensitive neurons begin to starve. Lacking ATP, the brain cells lose their electrical charge, swell, and begin to burst. Permanent, irreversible neurological damage occurs within minutes.
3
Biological Death
Hours to days
The organs fail entirely. Without central control or blood flow, individual cells throughout the body consume their final energy reserves. Enzymes that once aided digestion begin to break down the body’s own tissues from the inside out, a process known as autolysis.
Part III: The modern collision of life and death
In the modern era, the boundary between how we live and how we die has blurred. Historically, humanity died primarily from infectious diseases and acute trauma. Today, global mortality is dominated by non-communicable, chronic lifestyle diseases.
Modern Pathology: How we live (the cause) how we die (the result)
Cardiovascular disease, chronic stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep keep the sympathetic nervous system hyper-activated, damaging blood vessels .Occlusion of coronary arteries leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or ischemic stroke.
Metabolic syndrome over nutrition and physical inactivity overwhelm cellular mitochondria, leading to systemic insulin resistance. Multi-organ failure, chronic kidney disease, and severe vascular complications.
Neurodegenerative Disorders Chronic systemic inflammation and sleep deprivation prevent the brain from clearing metabolic waste. Gradual loss of synaptic connections, leading to dementia and the eventual loss of basic autonomic functions.
Conclusion: The unified theory of health
Ultimately, how we live directly shapes the path of how we die. The micro-choices of daily existence-how we manage emotional stress, the quality of our rest, our communal connections, and our nutrition-either preserve the integrity of our homeostatic systems or accelerate their decline.
True medical advancement is shifting away from merely extending the final, frail stages of biological death. Instead, the focus is turning toward optimising our living years-ensuring that the intricate, beautiful machinery of human animation runs smoothly until its natural, quiet conclusion.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
