Porno is here today - A Rejoinder

I was gobsmacked to read the sincere, but ultra-ambitious propositions by Mr Mantse Aryeequaye in his brilliant article, which appeared on Ghanaweb on February 8, in relation to the above. In a refreshing matter-of-fact fashion, Mr Aryeequaye lent the crusade for morality in Ghana a perspective that was quite disturbing, as it was intriguing.

To the extent that sex is a natural activity, and porn being a sexual thing, we can allow porn to stay in Ghana, as Aryeequaye intimated. But the crusade against Ghanaian pornography and other immoral acts on the soils of Ghana is not about nature. It is about a people’s way of life, which is expressed by their very nature, and whether there is reason to nurture that nature or allow it to corrupt beyond their natural proportions.

To be fair to Aryeequaye, there is probably so much potential in the Ghanaian nature to excel in producing pornographic movies, perhaps better than our brothers and sisters in the USA and Holland, who have built successful porn empires. There are probably more Ghanaians, who given the chance will defy this nature I am bubbling on about, and offer their marital beds to be used as props for pornographic movies. That we are hypocrites is no more a secret. We all feign messianic self-righteousness and pretend we have no idea what Viagra or delay stud is used for when the subject of sex features in a discussion.

Spread out a broadsheet newspaper containing vital information on investment techniques, and hide a small tiny print on how to get a woman to orgasm in seconds before foreplay. Chances are that many chief executives will manage to spot the orgasm notice and copy the relevant phone numbers or email addresses. The investment news hasn’t changed for so long, so they will only make a quick brush through the first paragraph. People want pubic news; not public news. Nearly every six minutes, the average man thinks of sex. So it does not matter if sex is on my mind as you read this.

It was, I believe, through this prism of reality that Arqueequaye sought to settle for the less altruistic option that if we want sex that much, and will do anything for it, as people in permissive societies in the west do, then why is Ghanaian porn un-Ghanaian? What he failed to realise is that when holiday sex makers from the west are considering popular destinations for cheap, kinky sex, they make their way up Thailand and Poland. Perhaps, sex in Ghana is cheaper and kinkier these days, but we haven’t built a reputation for commercial sex, the way many eastern European countries have been noted.

My work colleagues, who have been to Thailand tell me that for the Baht equivalent of 10cedis, you can get yourself a curvaceous sweaty Thai woman, who has gracious dimples in her waistline for a night long sexual fiesta. For 20, you are sure to enjoy a threesome, where two adorable young beauties, boasting digital nipples and nutritious lips will grace your bed, and sandwich you in between their ample bosom, to give you the pleasure of a life time, until heaven comes down. They have a reputation for good sex, and when they feature in porn films, they are fantastic and professional.

These women may be whores, but is it generally not unusual for the average Thai or English lady to agree to what has come to be called ‘a one night stand’. It is a no-strings -attached pleasure treat, where parties agree that after the event, they are at best, as imaginary as characters in a crime fiction. Ghanaians also have our katawanigye, where a beautiful Akua Serwaa will agree to secretly offer Osei Yaw a treat, not out of love, but because certain things are only doable with money. We understand that, Akua is not a prostitute and Yaw is not paying for sex. Akua closed her eyes and received Yaw boldly. There are equally lots of cursed prostitutes in Ghana who were born nymphomaniacs: They would offer an all night-sex for bofroat or awiesu, and cook for you afterwards.

If this sounds like a good excuse to let porn reign in Ghana, as Aryeequaye proposed, then we are thinking of developing an Amsterdam look-alike scenario, where we would set aside a district for sex, cocaine and heroine. At the Amsterdam Red Light district, there is a statue of a giant penis sitting on two testicles, pissing down water like a semen fountain. There are sex studios where people pay to see live porn shows. Is this the kind of thing Aryeequaye is proposing in Ghana?

At the Red Light district, the prostitutes are displayed in glasses like designer clothes. At the sight of a man, they would flash some juicy portions of their flesh, to give you an idea of what the devil has in store. Prostitutes are not fools; if a man wants to feel juice, it is pay as you go. There are also lots of sex shops where all sex enhancing drugs and kinky porn videos are sold. There is so much noise in the area, but yon can always hear the devil beckoning, inviting you to sample the sinful delights in life. In Holland, there is nothing like ‘woba ada anaa’, because there are hot porn movies on national television for free. If porn should stay in Ghana, as Aryeequaye is advocating, then this is the kind of hell we are expecting to build. Are we ready for a sex district in Ghana?

The countries I have talked about are not necessarily porn lovers. They probably protect their moral standards better than the so called religious nations. Aryeequaye will be surprised to learn that in Britain, where sex shops abound, with Soho being a fertile destination for hookers, a Christian couple faced the wrath of their church and an entire community when they set up a Christian sex shop. The shop did not sell hardcore porn or dildos; they only dealt with very the ordinary basics, yet they were nearly ostracised for carrying the sexual nature of Christians too far.

When I wrote ‘Pornography brewed in a Ghanaian Pot’, which was published by Ghanaweb and a Ghanaian newspaper, folks around the world accused me of using my column to market the Esewani porn videos produced by a group of shameless Ghanaians in NJ, USA. It has been nearly three weeks since the publication, but I continue to receive emails, mostly from Ghanaians abroad, asking me where they can get copies of the porn videos. A lady in the USA sent me a very unpleasant mail, imploring me to swear by my mother that I am not the porn star in the Esewani porn video. Some Ghanaweb readers openly called me Benjamin WapipiJay. Well, not the worst of names.

Thankfully, other Ghanaians who were patriotic enough, to see the moral side of the discussion gave me a rather rude awakening from my moral slumber. Apparently, the Esewani film I was crying about is just one of many Ghanaian porn movies. A chap in Belgium sent me two very terrible DVDs, featuring some good looking Ghanaians slugging it out in the porn of a life time, as if God is no King in Israel. I have also received another disgusting one, starring a 19 year old Irene, a Ghanaian girl, making the beast with two backs with two ugly white men. Irene’s is a sad one, very sad.

There is a bit of intrigue here. It makes sense for folks like Aryeequaye to contend that if we like porn this much, why don’t we make it a way of life and stop the pretence. Well, a bad thing is bad in any contest. Homosexuality in accepted in many countries today, including South Africa. Gays in England are free to adopt a child and call it their own. We do know that they are lots of gays in Ghana. Should that be enough reason for the parliament of Ghana to legalise it?

A high profile prostitute in London, who charges £8,000 for two hours was perhaps, as wise as Socrates or one of those philosophers, on the principle of morality: People stay away from immoral things not because they are moral; it is the fear of being caught that makes many people assume a moral position on immoral things. Given that they would never be seen, and it will never be known, how many women would resist £8,000, about 144 million cedis for just two hours? Whores too have brains, you know.

Well, I can tell Aryeequaye that many of our Ghanaian beauties will reject this proposition everyday. The fact that a few or perhaps, many will consider such a juicy offer is no reason to roast all of us in a Ghanaian pornographic saucepan.

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.