GHANA MAN BLUES 5

With Dede facing her ex-husband and Nana Yaa saddled with the task of finding out what exactly Kofi Wilson is up to, what happens next on Ghana Man Blues? Missed out on Episode 4? Here’s a recap on ghblessed.blogspot.com/2016/09/ghana-man-blues-4.html?m=1

The Blues continue with Episode 5:

EPISODE 5

John had been extra quiet these days, and even his fellow sellers had noticed it, assuming he was unwell. A lot had been on his mind of late; sales had been extra low, reducing the frequency of his meals to just once a day. He did not even notice when a trotro sped by, splashing some water on him.

Since that tall man approached him some time back, John had been debating on an offer that had been made to him. The man had said he had observed John for some time now and wanted to help him out, but John was uncertain.

“These days the world has become strange o”, he reasoned with himself. So even though this encounter was a few months ago, John had still decided to sell his socks not because of the profit, but because of his fear of change. What would he start doing if he stopped selling? He dug into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper with the man’s number on it….

Kofi Wilson sulked the whole way home on the trotro he had boarded. He did not even object to the constant nudging the huge woman sitting by him had subjected him to with her elbow.

“That Nana Yaa woman, whether she is his girlfriend or what I don’t know o…” he grumbled to himself, attracting some curious glances from some of the passengers.

Nana Yaa had been coming around the office too much of late and always seemed to have an eye on him. He was extra jittery today at work as he was expecting a ‘small package’. Nana Yaa had arrived at the same time Kofi was expecting his ‘visitor’, so he had had to call the agenda off. N.E.A.S. was just getting too heated these days……

Mrs. Jones Snr. had just stormed out of Naa and Nii’s home, leaving Nii angry and Naa speechless. She had come with a callous proposition;

“Since you can’t give my son a child, either you let me take you to see someone, or you leave”, she had said carelessly.

“Ma, what is the meaning of this”, Nii had exploded in response. “Is this what you meant by you wanted to pass by? I’ve had enough!”

He was just about to grab his mother’s arm to lead her out of the house when she retorted:

“I can see myself out, but think about what I said o.”

Nii banged the door angrily after her and turned only to meet his wife’s broken gaze as she crumpled to the ground sobbing.

“Is this what it has come to?”  she wept, not even consoled by her husband’s embrace. Their marriage was beginning to fall apart and they did not even know when it started…

“Ah but how could she have done that?”  Nana Yaa and Esiaba exclaimed angrily at the same time. They had paid Naa a visit and were incensed by the story Naa was telling them. It reminded Nana Yaa of one of the reasons why she did not even want to get married.

“Hmm, I don’t even know which is worse…Naa Aku or my neighbor Dede’s story”, Esiaba interjected.

Of late, there was quite a lot of disturbance at her neighbor’s house, and they had struck a friendship as a result. She had wanted to bring Dede along to Naa’s place but had changed her mind last minute.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Naa asked about Dede. “Is her name Dede Quanson?”  she continued.

“Yes. How did you know?”  Esiaba asked surprised.

“Oh we’ve been friends for quite some time now.”

Nana Yaa had become very quiet, her mind obviously wandering.

“Dede…Dede…” she said, her eyebrows knitted into a frown. She had worked on a case concerning a lady called Dede, something about domestic abuse, but had taken herself off the case when she realized who the wife beater had been…..

*John had an opportunity to advance in his life. He was however afraid to take the next step. How open are we to change? How has the fear of the unknown kept us from taking bold decisions?

*How can Nii and Naa work through the difficulties they are facing? Have you had any similar experience, where you felt you were losing control over everything?

*How have the first five episodes of Ghana Man Blues encouraged you to see the valuable lessons in everyday situations?

Ghana Man Blues, and Changing the Status Quo in general, can only make an impact with great people like you. Your opinion really makes a difference. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Please like our Facebook page on https://m.facebook.com/ChangingTheStatusQuo and please don’t forget to spread the word as well.

Thank you, stay blessed and see you next week!

GHANA MAN BLUES 4

Esiaba and Fiifi rush off to Naa and Nii’s home, and Lanre is faced with the question of what to do with his assistant Kofi Wilson. Missed out on Episode 3? Here is a recap on ghblessed.blogspot.com/2016/09/ghana-man-blues.html?m=1
The Blues go on with Episode 4:

EPISODE 4
The hall phone had rung about four times already, and Naa Aku was reluctant to pick it up. She had tried to be strong since her miscarriage a few weeks ago, and even though she and Nii had tried to keep it under wraps, Esiaba and Fiifi had ended up finding out, and had left their home not too long ago. She wiped her hands dry and rushed to grab the phone before it stopped ringing.
“Naa, it’s me…is my son there?”
Naa breathed a silent prayer for patience before answering. It was her domineering mother-in-law again. Ever since she and Nii got married, Naa had seen a new side of her which reminded her of the movie ‘Monster-in-Law’. What irritated her most was this woman’s incessant questions about when she was going to give her son a child. 
“Hey Naa, are you not the one I’m talking to?” Mrs. Jones Snr. demanded. 
“Sorry Ma, please Nii is not around.”
“Ah but why didn’t you answer me the first time?”
“I’m sorry Ma”, Naa quickly apologized before the tension escalated any further.
“Hmm. Anyway, I want to come and see the two of you tomorrow.” Mrs. Jones Snr. continued.
“Oh I’m afraid that won’t be possible Ma. Nii and I have an engagement tomorrow God willing, that will keep us away the whole day.” Naa quickly lied.
“Nii and I will not be at home”, Mrs. Jones Snr. mimicked. “You are hardly at home. How do you expect to be a Proverbs 31 woman eh?”
Before Mrs. Jones Snr. could carry on with her tirade any further, the line disconnected. 
“Thank God for Ghanaian networks this time!” she sighed in relief, walking back to the kitchen. Just then, the phone rang again.
“Hel…”, Naa was interrupted before she could complete her greeting.
“Ei so you decided to end our conversation like that eh!...”

****************************************************************************************************

Lanre had just asked Nana Yaa a big favor which she did not feel too comfortable with. She had decided to channel her hard-earned Law degree into defending those who had no one to speak for them. Even though that option did not pay much, she enjoyed it thoroughly and had added private investigation to her list of hobbies, so she could have more ground to defend her clients on. Her new task, thanks to Lanre, was to frequently visit his office in an attempt to find out just how true some developing allegations against his young employee, Kofi Wilson, were.
“I never really trusted that guy anyway”, she thought out loud, before realizing just how judgmental she sounded. She chided herself, picked up her bag and headed to the National Employment Allocation Scheme (N.E.A.S.) office.

****************************************************************************************************

Esiaba peeked out her kitchen window, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on next door. A loud commotion had been going on for the past fifteen minutes, and she could not hold her curiosity back any longer.
“Fiifi, come with me. Something is definitely wrong”, Esiaba said, obviously concerned.
“Ei Madam! Always ready for action!” Fiifi teased in response, as Esiaba pulled his arm and led him out of their home.
Just before they got to their neighbor’s gate and could knock, a tall, well-built man yanked the gate open, storming out of the house and narrowly missing Esiaba and Fiifi. They exchanged a look before Esiaba took a tentative step toward their neighbor, a young woman who was clutching a little girl protectively. They were both crying.
“Hello”, Esiaba said hesitantly. “We are the Danquahs”, she continued, glancing quickly at Fiifi who stood silently behind her.
“We couldn’t help but hear all the commotion going on, and just wanted to see if everything is alright. We live next door.”
“Thank you, but everything is fine”, the lady responded.
“I don’t believe you but well…just know we, or at least I, will be back again!” Esiaba said firmly, and left after Fiifi encouraged her to let it go……

****************************************************************************************************

“This cannot be happening again”, Dede thought to herself as she carried her visibly shaken Safoa back into the hall.
 Her ex-husband had tried to reach her for several days, and to her surprise, had burst into her compound after failing to reach her.
“I want custody of Safoa”, he had said unceremoniously.
“You want what? Where were you after the divorce? You just left her with me and now..”, before Dede could finish, Kojo Afriyie, or Something Different (S.D.) as she secretly called him, had given her a heavy slap. Too shocked to react, she was about to get back up when her daughter ran out to ‘come to her rescue’. Her neighbors had appeared simultaneously, causing Kojo to leave to her relief.
“That coward…”, Dede sobbed after she had put Safoa to bed…..

****************************************************************************************************

*Naa is having a tough time balancing her own grief with her domineering mother-in-law. What are some of the situations, and people that have tried our patience, and how have we dealt with them?
*Esiaba and Fiifi, though seeming a bit nosy, showed genuine concern for their neighbor Dede. Is that element of neighborliness still present in our society today? When was the last time we just ‘checked on’ someone?
*Are there any effective systems in place to deal with abusers like Dede’s ex-husband? If yes, have you had any experience of how effective these systems were?

Let’s discuss our views right here, and change the status quo together. Your opinion counts!
Please like our Facebook page on https://m.facebook.com/ChangingTheStatusQuo
Thank you, stay blessed and see you next week!

GHANA MAN BLUES

We're getting more acquainted with our Ghana Man Blues friends, Lanre, Nana Yaa, Dede, Naa Aku, John and Esiaba. Missed out on Episodes 1 and 2? Here's a recap on ghblessed.blogspot.com. The Blues continue with Episode 3:


EPISODE 3
"A top of the morning to you! LiveWire FM is here again with the hottest news! And now... ", the radio presenter's voice blared loudly through the radio as Fiifi Danquah prepared for work. It had been a tough week, and he had no choice than to add the weekend to his work schedule this week. His wife Esiaba was not too happy about it, but they had sorted it out. Things had been far better ever since they took the decision together to let God steer affairs in their marriage. Just after whispering a prayer of gratitude, his daughter burst in... 
"Daddy, don't forget your promise to take us out today o.. ". He was just about to answer her when he heard Esiaba's scream from downstairs... 

****************************************************************************************************

It had been two years already since Nii Boye Jones had tied the knot with his fiancée Naa Aku. Time had flown since then, and his mother was already asking when her grandchildren were arriving. Nii had decided to turn a deaf ear to that kind of pressure, and was about to find something to occupy his mind when he saw his long time friend Fiifi's car turn into the driveway... 

****************************************************************************************************

It had been raining almost the whole day, and John and his counterparts could not do much business as a result. John had managed to find shelter under his credit seller friend's umbrella, and occupied himself with staring at those light-skinned children who were busily holding on to the legs of passersby, despite the rain. The street was already flooding, and there was massive traffic as a result. Some police officers were trying to direct the traffic, but what was needed right now was a huge truck to help clean up the mess. "We must definitely organise some clean up o", John's friend said to no one in particular. John was just about to respond when his view was suddenly obstructed by a tall, well-dressed  man. 
"Young man," he said, looking at John directly.... 

****************************************************************************************************

A gentleman walked out of Lanre's office, leaving Lanre in a pensive mood. This was the second person who had come with a complaint to him about how demanding and corrupt  his assistant Kofi Wilson was becoming. Lanre found it too hard to believe, as he planned to test Kofi's patience with his apparent 'errand boy'  position before pushing him up the ladder. But it seemed Kofi was failing. He decided not to jump to any conclusions yet, but give it a little time to see just how true these allegations were. 
A hesitant knock interrupted his thoughts. 
"Who is it? ", Lanre spoke up. 
" It is me, Sir", Kofi quickly responded. 
Not in the mood to face him right now, Lanre quietly responded, "I'll be out in a minute."...

****************************************************************************************************

*Fiifi Danquah faced the task of juggling family with work. What are our family values? What are priorities? 
*Nii was already facing pressure from his mother-in-law. What are some of the expectations society has of us, and how much pressure do we face in meeting those expectations? 
*John's business had been interrupted by the rain. What are some of the societal problems Ghana faces and how do they directly affect us? In the case of flooding, what are some of the personal measures we can put in place to make sure we and those around us are not affected? 
*Lanre's suspicions about Kofi Wilson have been confirmed, but he does not accuse him yet. How quick are we to jump to conclusions about others? And like Kofi, do we take the 'easy' way out when what we are waiting for delays in coming? 


Your opinion really counts and will make a difference in just how much impact Ghana Man Blues makes.
Let's discuss our views right here on this page, and spread the word.
Please don't forget to like our Facebook page on https://m.facebook.com/ChangingTheStatusQuo

Thank you and stay blessed!

GHANA MAN BLUES

Lanre has an important meeting, Esiaba is caught up in traffic, Nana Yaa is trying to get through Lanre and Naa is finally getting married. Missed Episode 1? Here's a recap on http//:ghblessed.blogspot.com/2016/08/hi-cherished-changers-of-the-status-quo_17.html?m=1
The blues continue with:

EPISODE 2

When Esiaba saw the neatly dressed but tired looking socks seller, she remembered that her 15 year old son had been pestering her for those new colorful socks that seemed to be in vogue now. Her son just had a way of being stubbornly persistent, but it was one thing she loved about him. She honked her horn one more time before she saw the seller running as fast as he could towards the car. 
"Good afternoon, Madam", he said, trying to catch his breath. 
"Hello. How much does a set of your socks cost?"
As they talked the price out, Esiaba realised how well spoken the seller was. Before she drove off, she asked him his name. 
"John please. John Owusu. John the Great!", he grinned broadly. 
"Keep the change okay?", Esiaba responded. 
"Thank you Madam!", John responded excitedly. Today was one of those blessed days for John when he came across a rare person who seemed at least a bit concerned about his welfare. Should he use the money, at least some of it, to buy his favourite Kofi Brokeman, or he should save it and go hungry? As he debated with himself, he barely heard Esiaba as she said "Don't mention it. God loves you."....

****************************************************************************************************

Lanre saw the last member of the delegation off, after the meeting had come to an unfruitful conclusion. This man had tried to slip "something small" into Lanre's palm, but he had politely refused. This job got quite tiring at times, and even felt a bit insulting occasionally, as all kinds of people thought they could just buy their way through the system. Everyone just wanted the easy way out these days, something Lanre knew didn't always pay off. Before he could take a trip down memory lane, his phone rang again.... 

****************************************************************************************************

"Finally, ConnecTel has decided to behave!", Nana Yaa said jubilantly just before Lanre answered the phone. She and Lanre had met in Junior Secondary School and had been good friends since then, even at a time most of her mates avoided Lanre because he seemed too "weird and reserved." Over the years, he had risen through the ranks and had become sought-after in the Employment and Human Resource sector. Of late, they talked more often than usual due to some growing suspicions Lanre had begun to have about his secretariat.  
"Hello, Nana Yaa, are you there?" 
"Ei Lanre, sorry oh..." 

****************************************************************************************************

Naa Aku Quartey was just too excited. The moment she had been waiting for was almost here, and she was going to be a wife, and soon hopefully, a mother. Nii had done his best to secure a well paying job and was finally ready to take the next step. They hadn't paid attention to their meddling friends and even family, who kept asking when these two were finally getting married. "Observers are always worried!", Naa chuckled to herself as she surfed the Internet for possible wedding venues. These days weddings had become more of a social competition but she had made up her mind to keep things simple. "Hmmmm", she murmured absent-mindedly when she remembered her friend Dede, who had had a smashing wedding but was unfortunately divorced a few years later. The guy had turned out to be "Something Different" as Dede had put it. They had courted for just two months, and despite warnings to get to know each other more, Dede and 'her man' as she proudly called him quickly got hitched before she began to see him for who he truly was... A handsome wife beater. 
Her mood being almost ruined by her thoughts, Naa picked up her phone to check on Dede.... 

****************************************************************************************************

Dede Quanson was always grateful to see Naa Aku's name flash across her phone screen. She had been one of the few people who still constantly stayed in touch, even after the divorce. Dede had been the victim in her marriage, but that did nothing to change how people had treated her, even in church, as if she deserved what she got. Her marriage had left her bitter, but she had at least gotten a beautiful gift out of it, her daughter Safoa. 
She had resorted to writing and had developed a budding blog over the past year. "That reminds me.. I haven't posted anything in quite a while." She said to herself, jumping off her couch to get a pen and paper. Just before she could put her new post title down, the lights went off.  "This dumsor again!" She exclaimed, trying to find her way through the dark when her neighbour's loud generator broke the silence. She almost didn't hear the loud bang on her gate.... 

**************************************************************************************************

*Esiaba's kindness to John the Great reminds us of the beauty in helping others, and also looking for opportunities, no matter how ordinary to be a reminder of God's love. When was the last time we showed kindness to someone we knew couldn't repay us? 
*Lanre, despite his position, refused the bribe that was being given to him. Have you faced a similar situation? How did you deal with it? 
*Nana Yaa had decided to be a friend to Lanre, even when most people didn't want to. How does this influence the way we treat others? 
*Naa Aku wanted a simple ceremony, despite the new social trends. What are some of the trends that have arisen in society, and how have we been changers of the status quo? 
*Dede Quanson had almost no support, even in the church. Have you had any similar experience? Have you passed up the opportunity to lend a listening ear to someone everyone else seems to have written off? 
*Out of Dede's experience came a daughter and a blog. Have you identified any blessings that came out of any unpleasant situation you faced? 


Let's get talking, and practicalise the idea of Changing the Status Quo together!
Please don't forget to like our Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/ChangingTheStatusQuo/
Thanks and see you next week!

# GHANA MAN BLUES

Hi, cherished Changers of the Status Quo!
The Changing the Status Quo train is back on track, and has been boarded by some new members this time around, with whom we'll get acquainted with over the next few weeks. Sit back, enjoy and of course, please don't forget to let me know what you think!


# GHANA MAN BLUES
EPISODE 1

"Kofi! Get here right now!", a loud voice boomed from behind the office door. 
"This man again!", Kofi Wilson grunted under his breath."A minute, Sir!", he responded. 

Kofi had been working at the National Employment Allocation Scheme (N.E.A.S.) for about a year now, and was almost fed up with the monotonous nature of his job. He had expected to gain some little experience in the Human Resource field, at least before looking elsewhere for a job, but had ended up just basically running errands. A loud bang on the door broke his train from thought... 
"I thought I called you?", Mr. Lanre Adesodzi asked with obvious irritation. 
" Sorry about that, Sir", Kofi quickly apologised. "I wanted to finish up with sealing the letters you gave me yesterday, so I could bring them along to your office."
"Very well.", Lanre responded, looking placated. "There's an emergency meeting here at 1pm. We need to prepare. The delegation may walk in soon." 
"Sir, by 1pm, do you mean 11am or 3pm Ghana man time? "
" Silly boy! ", Lanre smiled subtly, giving Kofi a light knock on the head as he sauntered out of the office. 

****************************************************************************************************

" Accra traffic can be so sickening", Esiaba muttered to herself as she tapped impatiently on her steering wheel. The traffic lights at the busy Royal Gold Coast high street intersection had gone off again, and what should have been a quick drive to the N.E.A.S. Secretariat had become a tough battle of whose car was the biggest and the fastest. Some young men had taken on the temporary job of traffic warden, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention to them. 
"At this rate, Fiifi would have to go and pick up the kids.", Esiaba concluded. She picked up her phone to dial her husband's number when she spotted a police man walking towards her car. 
"But where did this man too come from?" Esiaba wondered. "Here we go again. These guys never appear when you need them." She rolled down her window and smiled sweetly. "Good afternoon Officer..."

****************************************************************************************************

" Johnnie Johnnie! "
" Call me John the Great! "

John Owusu wiped his face with his already wet face towel, as he waved back at the taxi driver who had just shouted his name. John's dream to complete secondary school and move on to a higher level of education had been shattered when his only uncle who seemed to care about him, passed away about a year ago. He had been forced to grow ten years older since then, and had resorted to selling colourful socks and shoes for a living. It did not bring in much money, but it at least put a hot meal in his belly twice a day. 
"I definitely have to break camp and advance soon chale.", John lamented to himself. 
" Hey, shoe seller, can't you hear someone blowing the horn at you?", an iced water seller yelled sullenly at him. 
"Back to work!", John encouraged himself as he gathered all the tactics he had seen the famous Jamaican runner, Usain Bolt, display in his race the previous week, and ran hurriedly towards the huge V8 that had parked at the nearby street. 

****************************************************************************************************

"The ConnecTel number you have dialled, cannot be reached at the moment. Please try..... "
Nana Yaa pressed the disconnect key before that irritating automated voice chimed a second time. 
" I just spoke to this guy, and now you're telling me his phone is off?", she said exasperatedly to the phone, as if the helpless phone could defend itself. 
Just before she could dial Lanre's number again, her phone rang. She quickly answered it before here loud "God bless our homeland Ghana.." ring tone disturbed the serene atmosphere of the hotel reception she was waiting at to meet her friends. 
"Nana Yaa!", her long time friend, Naa Aku Quartey, shrieked excitedly when Nana Yaa answered the call. "Nii proposed!...." 

****************************************************************************************************


*Which of the characters do you most identify with? 
*Are any of the situations talked about, similar to any you may have faced before? How did you deal with it? 
*Is there any lesson that could be lived out in our quest to change the status quo? 



See you next week!

# GHANA MAN BLUES

Hi, cherished Changers of the Status Quo!
The Changing the Status Quo train is back on track, and has been boarded by some new members this time around, with whom we'll get acquainted with over the next few weeks. Sit back, enjoy and of course, please don't forget to let me know what you think!


# GHANA MAN BLUES
EPISODE 1

"Kofi! Get here right now!", a loud voice boomed from behind the office door. 
"This man again! ", Kofi Wilson grunted under his breath." A minute, Sir! ", he responded. 

Kofi had been working at the National Employment Allocation Scheme (N.E.A.S.) for about a year now, and was almost fed up with the monotonous nature of his job. He had expected to gain some little experience in the Human Resource field, at least before looking elsewhere for a job, but had ended up just basically running errands. A loud bang on the door broke his train of thought... 
"I thought I called you? ", Mr. Lanre Adesodzi asked with obvious irritation. 
" Sorry about that, Sir", Kofi quickly apologised. "I wanted to finish up with the sealing of the letters you gave me yesterday, so I could bring them along to your office."
"Very well.", Lanre responded, looking placated. "There's an emergency meeting here at 1pm. We need to prepare. The delegation may walk in soon." 
"Sir, by 1pm, do you mean 11am or 3pm Ghana man time? "
" Silly boy! ", Lanre smiled subtly, giving Kofi a light knock on the head as he sauntered out of the office. 

****************************************************************************************************

" Accra traffic can be so sickening", Esiaba Danquah muttered to herself as she tapped impatiently on her steering wheel. The traffic lights at the busy Royal Gold Coast high street intersection had gone off again, and what should have been a quick drive to the N.E.A.S. Secretariat had become a tough battle of whose car was the biggest and the fastest. Some young men had taken on the temporary job of traffic warden, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention to them. 
"At this rate, Fiifi would have to go and pick up the kids.", Esiaba concluded. She picked up her phone to dial her husband's number when she spotted a police man walking towards her car. 
"But where did this man too come from?" Esiaba wondered. "Here we go again. These guys never appear when you need them." She rolled down her window and smiled sweetly. "Good afternoon Officer"........ 

****************************************************************************************************

" Johnnie Johnnie! "
" Call me John the Great! "

John Owusu wiped his face with his already wet face towel, as he waved back at the taxi driver who had just shouted his name. John's dream to complete secondary school and move on to a higher level of education had been shattered when his only uncle who seemed to care about him, passed away about a year ago. He had aged about five years since then, and had resorted to selling colourful socks and shoes for a living. It did not bring in much money, but it at least put a hot meal in his belly twice a day. 
"I definitely have to break camp and advance soon chale. ", John lamented to himself. 
" Hey, shoe seller, can't you hear someone blowing the horn at you? ", an iced water seller yelled sullenly at him. 
"Back to work!", John encouraged himself as he gathered all the tactics he had seen the famous Jamaican runner, Usain Bolt, display in his race the previous week, and ran hurriedly towards the huge V8 that had parked at the nearby street. 

****************************************************************************************************

"The ConnecTel number you have dialled, cannot be reached at the moment. Please try..... "
Nana Yaa pressed the disconnect key before that irritating automated voice chimed a second time. 
" I just spoke to this guy, and now you're telling me his phone is off?", she said exasperatedly to the phone, as if the helpless phone could defend itself. 
Just before she could dial Lanre's number again, her phone rang. She quickly answered it before her loud "God bless our homeland Ghana.." ring tone disturbed the serene atmosphere of the hotel where she was waiting to meet her friends. 
"Nana Yaa!", her long time friend, Naa Aku Quartey, shrieked excitedly when Nana Yaa answered the call. "Nii proposed!...." 

****************************************************************************************************


*Which of the characters do you most identify with? 
*Are any of the situations talked about, similar to any you may have faced before? How did you deal with it? 
*Is there any lesson that could be lived out in our quest to change the status quo? 



See you next week!

THE PRAYER

The Prayer

A typical JSS Morning Assembly routine involved standing at attention to either say the national pledge, sing the national anthem, or if the teachers were in a good mood, both! That was the only time everyone made a conscious effort to stand still before being spotted for fidgeting too much.
Singing the national anthem, however, eventually became a thing of the past after the JSS phase passed by. Unless of course, there was a Black Stars soccer match which gave an opportunity to momentarily remember our prayer to God to bless our homeland.

As I watched a programme where people were being asked to sing the National Anthem, I could not help laughing when I realised just how many gaps were in the lines of the 'altered versions'  most people sang. Either time had caused them to forget the words, they just did not know of the anthem at all, or they were not aware of the import of what was being sang in the first place.
Not too long ago, as I tried to sing the anthem myself to test whether the lines were still fresh in my memory, one thing struck me.
'What makes this song more than just a mere few lines put together, accompanied by rhythm? '

Let us take a walk through the lines of this anthem, and maybe we could come up with an answer.

GOD BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA...
Our anthem starts right with a prayer to God, asking Him to bless our homeland.
No matter where life takes us, the fact that we were born Ghanaian will never change. Home has a way of always being home, in spite of change
How often do we see Ghana as a home and not a distant entity unaffected by our words and actions?
Better still, how often do we involve God in everything we do, making Him the focal point and not the last resort?
This great beginning of the anthem serves as a reminder to keep calling on God on our nation's behalf.

AND MAKE OUR NATION GREAT AND STRONG...
What constitutes greatness and strength?
Our ability to serve and to remain unbroken even in the toughest of circumstances is a true sign of being great and strong.  A nation cannot be strong by itself if her own people do not exhibit a willingness to stand firm on her behalf even in the most 'hopeless' of situations. The only way Ghana can shine as the great nation she is meant to be is if we render our service to her and do whatever is required of us, which includes striving to be the best Ghanaian there could ever be, in our own little corner.

BOLD TO DEFEND FOREVER THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM AND OF RIGHT...
Standing for our rights does not lie in being arrogant or defending wrong morals. Being bold rather gives us the opportunity to be the difference, no matter how 'odd' we may look, as we stand for what is right.
A city's defense will forever be weak if its watchmen give in to fear and selfishness.
Our freedom begins with the decision to liberate ourselves from the attitude of complaining and holding on to our past.
Ghana is looking for people who will have the courage to stand up for her, irrespective of age, gender, ethnic or political affiliation. Can she count on you?

FILL OUR HEARTS WITH TRUE HUMILITY...
True humility is always a refreshing aspect of character to find in a society where people increasingly seem to believe more in a title  than the depth and responsibility behind the title. Pride has a way of blinding us to things that truly matter. Imagine a society where everyone's vision is clear enough to see when their neighbour goes wrong, so he or she can be corrected in love. Even better is when the one being corrected accepts it and makes himself or herself better, in the awareness that accepting corrections does not make you weak, but rather better and wiser.

MAKE US CHERISH FEARLESS HONESTY ....
'Let us call a spade a spade. '
This statement has gradually become basis to speak without caution, in the name of being candid. Fearless honesty however seeks to paint a picture as it is, whilst still remaining constructive. Instead of using our words to tear down, we could use them to build up the good till it just does not seem profitable to do the wrong thing anymore.
Fearless integrity is greatly tested especially when no one else is watching. In the absence of supervision, will we still have the discipline to do what is right?
Choosing to be a man or woman of integrity always comes at a cost, but is always worth it, even if it is in the long run.

AND HELP US TO RESIST OPPRESSORS' RULE WITH ALL OUR WILL AND MIGHT...
Resistance begins with an inward decision to stay resolute even when all else crumbles. Bringing this line to life begins by refusing to budge to changing standards and morals, and also making the effort to listen to others when they have something to say, and treating them with respect.
If Ghana would break out of marking time, it begins with our fortitude of will to push her forward until she becomes the star she is meant to be.

FOREVER MORE.
That is what our commitment should be to our nation. Not just today, tomorrow or the next couple of months, but always, now and forever more.

I am tempted to add an Amen to this piece, as I realise that this anthem is not just a song to be sung, but a heartfelt prayer which when constantly said and acted out will go a long way to build our relationship with not just our nation, but those around us as well.

Let's stand at attention together  then, and utter this prayer with pride...