Re: Why So Much Poverty in Zongos?

My attention has been drawn to the above titled editorial of Monday, May 10 2010, by one Agya Kweku Ogboro. Although the writer anticipates a hostile response to his bias editorial, as he has already judged the Zongo communities to be “synonymous with indiscipline, poverty and insanitation”. But I would use the same medium, but not the same decorum, to prove to Mr. Ogboro how educated, civilized and disciplined most Zongo communities are TODAY. Before I touch on the issue of poverty, I would like to define Zongo to Mr. Ogboro. Zongo used to be the arriving point of most Hausa and Muslim traders from other West African Muslim countries, pre-independence. But today, the definition of Zongo has changed, it has become a multi-cultural community, because people from all walks of live and tribes are residing in such places. It is easier to find a church and a mosque adjacent in most Zongos today. One should always be mindful of defining an individual just by the language they speak. Mr. Ogboro will be shocked to find Kojo, Togbe and Ali having a nice conversation in Hausa and assume they are Zongolese. But they are not.

Did I read anywhere in the editorial that the Zongos are the poorest communities in the country as his research (without facts) proves. I’m not quite sure if the writer did his scientific research in his bedroom or on the street of Accra. I can emphatically state that the Zongos are not the poorest, even though they have problems that are synonymous to every community in Ghana. Has the writer ever travel along the coastal communities in any part of Ghana, from Volta Region, Accra, Cape Coast thru Takoradi, before concluding his research. In order not to be seen as tribalistic, I would spread my examples along the coastal line of the entire country for Mr. Ogboro to go back and re-do his research and come back with a honest conclusion. Has the writer ever visited Bukom and Chorkor in Accra, day or night? Can he compare the sanitary condition in those neighborhood to that of Nima, New Town or Sabon Zongo? Go to the beach in the aforementioned coastal towns and look at the percentage of children who are supposed to be in classrooms, but are on the high sea fishing.

Children as young as 7yrs are already working with their parents on their canoes, is this not a new form of child labor? Can the writer also check the percentage of teenage pregnancy and motherhood in those fishing communities not only in Accra, but Tema, Sogakope, Winneba, Apam, Essikado, etc? Most kids at the age of 16yrs living in these fishing communities have 2, 3, 4 children and fatherless. High unsanitary condition, teenage pregnancy and motherhood are some of the most serious hallmark of poverty. Objectivity and factual research are the guiding principles of a scientific research that Mr. Ogboro lack. On his way back to the office, it will serve the writer in his future research if he stopped at the New Time traffic light and observe the ever-increasing number of dog-chain sellers most of whom are drop-outs or never been to school. Are those guys from Zongo??? Poverty will be the only reason for those 12yrs-17yrs standing in the scorching sun rather than being in the classroom. Yes, the Zongo community has its problems, and we’ve never run away from it. Unless the daily guide is the only new piece Mr. Ogboro reads, some of us have been writing about some of the problems he mentioned, ala SAKAWA, before he did. He can verify that from my articles on www.ghanaweb.com. Sakawa is not a menace in the Zongo, it’s everywhere from Zongos to the Dansomans and East Legons and they rather do it in large scale than the Zongos. Scientific research would have helped the writer and his lame-duck Imam to know that eating pork is one of the thousand ways of being infected with swine flu. Swine Flu is an epidemic not just for the Zongo communities, but the entire country as long as we lack the basic precautionary tools, such as mask, gloves and hand sanitizers. The hadith or history of Umar Bin Khatab in the editorial is not counter-productive to any community, but regressive. Proper accountability and disbursement is a socialist mentality that would rather make the Zongo people dependent on Zakat. Have you seen what the welfare checks and benefit has turned most Spanish and African-American communities in the USA? They do not work nor go to school, knowing that the welfare money will arrive at the end of the week or month. Is this what you want for a better Ghana?

Did your research also taught you that Islam is the religion of the Zongos. Is the Prophet (SAW) also a Hausa from Nima or Sabon Zongo? The last time I checked the five Pillars of Islam, I could not find Zongo in it. Islam is the religion of everyone who believe I the one God above,” He begets not, nor was he begotten”, and also the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is his messenger. Do you know that there Mosques in places such as Labadi, Teshie and Nungua. What about the other Muslims in the other regions such the Fante-kramo???? It” It’s up to you Mr. Ogboro to judge if the response from the Zongo product is hostile, dishonest and indiscipline as your article purport we are.