Ananse The Role Model

A repertoire and an embodiment of wisdom, but very crude and cunning in his ways.Ananse’s unrivalled ability to outwit his contenders endears him to all ardent followers and lovers of Akan folklore, where he is mostly presented as the ‘Hero-In-chief’.



Ananse’s legendary status is multifaceted, he is sometimes depicted as Ananse the Reverend Minister, Ananse the Contractor, Ananse the Minister, Ananse the Businessman, Ananse the Top Politician and what have you?



That Ananse’s heroic exploits come through belligerent and despicable procedural misdemeanors unknown to antiquity can never be gainsaid. A closer purview of our Ghanaian political terrain eludes me every now and then. Whilst Ananse is enshrined in most Akan folklores as champion Atta”, his ways are frowned upon.

Names like Victor Selormey, Kwame Peprah, Ibrahim Adam, George Yankey, Dan Abodakpui and others, echo a deafening and resounding panorama of hiccups as far as their role in public service delivery are concerned. What is so intriguing about these personalities? They are role models unarguably for many a people, myself inclusive. However, it is very distasteful and an ugly point of reference to come to terms that such distinguished persons have served various prison terms for one reason or the other. Does this suggest that all our big men and most of our political role models have skeletons in their cupboards?

There is no higher service for a citizenry than a call to serve his country. To betray this call in penchant pursuit of crass parochial aggrandizement is to let down not only the present crop of citizenry and nation as a whole but posterity as well. Not only does this serve as an erroneous precedent for future politicians, what is more disheartening is they turn to justify their shameful blunders with phrases such as, “this is not the first time this has happened, am I the only culprit and so on?”.

How long will we preach virtue and practice vice as long as we are not caught and made to face the full rigors of the law? Eric Amoateng, MP for Nkoranza added to the canker by peddling in drugs. As for Muntaka’s case, the least said about it the better.it is so frustrating and blood draining to come to the glaring realization that most of our politicians fall short of the integrity barometer. The younger generation watches with keen interest how the affairs of mother Ghana are carried out day in day out , if we steal state money, justify ourselves and go scot free primarily because we have interlinked cronies and access to some of the best legal brains who go to hell’s length to ensure we are acquitted. Suffice me to say these lawyers save some who execute their duties in decorum and professionalism do not adhere to the integrity tenets very much. Take for instance, a lawyer swearing with the Holy Bible to say nothing but the truth and proffering to lie unend.You think the former Attorney General Martin Amidu is crazy for nothing? Who are we deceiving? When true statesmanship and political civility is traded with insults, lies and finger pointing short of ideas that put bread and butter on the table, who is to blame?

We have had honorable members of parliament doing things less honorable, I believe Ken Agyepong comes into mind but a more recent one is that hot exchange between Hon.Ursula Owusu and Hon. Murtala Mohammed, with the latter being rewarded graciously with a deputy ministerial position.

When the younger generations in our nation’s institutions imitate politicians, connive and condone to ‘chop’ students money nonchalantly, who is to blame? When a president makes a sour and tension beleaguered ethnic remark, who challenges his pronouncements? When our men in clerical join the finger pointing fray, what last vestige do we have to resort to as a beacon of hope?

When no social engineering mechanism is sort for in major national appointments, what do we do as a nation? Obviously, it is only with a literally docile and fragmented citizenry that our political governors can have their way. it's like an Ananse tale of cities; they take away everything they desire from the public purse then brazenly tell Ghanaians in the face that what they are taking from the national purse is even 'peanut' and in the second part of the tale, all of us are expected to “meekly and mildly” gobble their verbal arsenals down our throats as normal.

And finally when our children fall short of our bidding, whose fault is it? Ananse, the role model indeed! Hello Ghana…!



Michael Dale-Asiedu,

[email protected]

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